Enrollment
681
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 260031401765 Charter school
Fortis Academy — Ypsilanti, MI
Federal NCES profile for Fortis Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 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: Fortis 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
16.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fortis 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
Fortis Academy reports 681 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the Michigan average and 55% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 50.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fortis Academy spends $12,445 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.0% from local sources (property taxes), 75.3% from the state, and 19.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Fortis 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 10% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.4% | ▲ 48% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 681 | top 87% | — | — |
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
80.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 43% in Michigan — lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
50.5%
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
$12,445
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
31
in-school suspensions + 80 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 681 Top 87% in Michigan — larger than 13% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.4% +48% vs state
NCES ID 260031401765
Student demographics
African American 42.7%
Hispanic or Latino 29.2%
Two or More 15.6%
White 10.6%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 42.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 50.5%
In-school suspensions 31
Out-of-school suspensions 80
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fortis Academy, which includes Fortis Academy.
$12,445
Per student
-21%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 5.0%
State 75.3%
Federal 19.7%
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 Ypsilanti
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
South Arbor Charter Academy
Standard public school
800 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Brick Elementary School
Standard public school
500 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Childs Elementary School
Standard public school
493 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Ypsilanti Community Middle School
Standard public school
456 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Estabrook Elementary
Standard public school
357 students 10.4:1 students per teacher
Erickson Elementary
Standard public school
271 students 11.7:1 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 Fortis Academy
How many students attend Fortis Academy?
Fortis Academy has 681 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in YPSILANTI, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fortis Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Fortis Academy is 16.4:1, which is 10% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 3% 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 Fortis Academy?
80.4% of students at Fortis Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fortis Academy?
The largest demographic group at Fortis Academy is African American at 42.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in YPSILANTI, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fortis Academy?
Fortis Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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.