Enrollment
123
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions Academy
Federal NCES profile for Detroit Lions Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 260110301419
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 75
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Detroit Lions Academy earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Michigan schools.
- #1 of 6
- middle schools in Detroit · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 92.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Detroit Lions Academy has class sizes smaller than 86% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Detroit Lions Academy ranks #1 of 6 middle schools in Detroit, MI.
School address
District: Detroit Public Schools Community District · Michigan
NCES ID 260110301419 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Detroit Lions Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Detroit Lions Academy
Detroit Lions Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Detroit, Michigan, enrolling 123 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.3:1, Detroit Lions Academy is leaner than roughly 86% of Michigan schools and 30% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 92.7% of students qualify for free meals, 71% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 123 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 113 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #25.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 123 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 75.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Detroit Public Schools Community District spends $21,771 per pupil, 61% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Detroit's middle schools, it stands alongside Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences Middle School (339 students): Detroit Lions Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 56.5:1).
Detroit Public Schools Community District also operates Cass Technical High School (2,493 students) and Western International High School (1,959 students) alongside Detroit Lions Academy.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Detroit Lions Academy compares
Detroit Lions Academy on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 30% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.7% | ▲ 71% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 123 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
123
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 14% in Michigan - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
75.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,771
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 123 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Detroit Public Schools Community District, which includes Detroit Lions Academy.
$21,771
Per student
+61%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.1%
State 41.7%
Federal 19.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Detroit Lions Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass Technical High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Western International High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Renaissance High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Earhart Elementarymiddle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Martin Luther King Jr Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Detroit Lions Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,493
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 1,959
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,197
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 1,002
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
Similar middle schools in Detroit
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~123 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Detroit Lions Academy's federal record.
- Compare Detroit Lions Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Detroit Public Schools Community District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Detroit Lions Academy
How many students attend Detroit Lions Academy?
Detroit Lions Academy has 123 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Detroit, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Detroit Lions Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Detroit Lions Academy is 12.3:1, which is 30% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Detroit Lions Academy?
92.7% of students at Detroit Lions Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Detroit Lions Academy?
Detroit Lions Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Detroit Lions Academy rank among middle schools in Detroit?
By Resource Investment Index, Detroit Lions Academy ranks #1 of 6 middle schools in Detroit, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Detroit on the city page.
Is Detroit Lions Academy a good school?
Detroit Lions Academy earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Michigan schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Detroit Public Schools Community District?
Besides Detroit Lions Academy, Detroit Public Schools Community District also operates Cass Technical High School (2,493 students), Western International High School (1,959 students), and Renaissance High School (1,197 students). See the Detroit Public Schools Community District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.