Enrollment
719
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 260027801484 Charter school
Detroit Merit Charter Academy — Detroit, MI
Federal NCES profile for Detroit Merit Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 19/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Detroit Merit Charter Academy · Michigan
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.2%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Detroit Merit Charter Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Detroit Merit Charter Academy reports 719 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% above the Michigan average and 68% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 66.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Detroit Merit Charter Academy spends $11,642 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.5% from local sources (property taxes), 80.8% from the state, and 18.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Detroit Merit Charter Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18:1 | ▼ 1% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.2% | ▲ 61% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 719 | top 89% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
87.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 62% in Michigan — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
66.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,642
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
64
in-school suspensions + 188 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 719 Top 89% in Michigan — larger than 11% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 18:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.2% +61% vs state
NCES ID 260027801484
Student demographics
African American 90.0%
Two or More 7.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
White 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 90.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 66.5%
In-school suspensions 64
Out-of-school suspensions 188
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Detroit Merit Charter Academy, which includes Detroit Merit Charter Academy.
$11,642
Per student
-27%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.5%
State 80.8%
Federal 18.7%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Detroit
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Oakland International Academy Middle
Standard public school
1,034 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Detroit Premier Academy
Standard public school
706 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences
Standard public school
694 students 35.3:1 students per teacher
Mary Mcleod Bethune Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
692 students 16:1 students per teacher
Detroit Enterprise Academy
Standard public school
686 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Warrendale Charter Academy
Standard public school
680 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Detroit Merit Charter Academy
How many students attend Detroit Merit Charter Academy?
Detroit Merit Charter Academy has 719 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in DETROIT, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Detroit Merit Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Detroit Merit Charter Academy is 18:1, which is 1% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Detroit Merit Charter Academy?
87.2% of students at Detroit Merit Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Detroit Merit Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Detroit Merit Charter Academy is African American at 90.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in DETROIT, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Detroit Merit Charter Academy?
Detroit Merit Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.