Enrollment
76
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Redford, MI
Fostering Leadership Academy
Federal NCES profile for Fostering Leadership Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 260113308966Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 85
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fostering Leadership Academy earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Michigan schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Redford · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 84.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Fostering Leadership Academy has class sizes larger than 73% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fostering Leadership Academy ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Redford, MI.
School address
District: Fostering Leadership Academy · Michigan
NCES ID 260113308966 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.7%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fostering Leadership Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fostering Leadership Academy
Fostering Leadership Academy is a high-poverty, small charter elementary school in Redford, Michigan, enrolling 76 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 84.7% of students qualify for free meals, 56% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 76 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 95 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #17.
Its student body is predominantly African American (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 76 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Fostering Leadership Academy spends $27,800 per pupil, 106% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Redford's elementary schools, it stands alongside Beech Elementary (457 students): Fostering Leadership Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19:1 vs 14.7:1).
Fostering Leadership Academy is a single-school charter district, so Fostering Leadership Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Fostering Leadership Academy compares
Fostering Leadership 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 9% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.7% | ▲ 56% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 76 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
76
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 73% in Michigan - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.1%
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
$27,800
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 76 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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.
Student demographics
African American 100.0%
Largest group: African American at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Fostering Leadership Academy is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fostering Leadership Academy, which includes Fostering Leadership Academy.
$27,800
Per student
+106%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+68%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.9%
State 34.0%
Federal 2.1%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Redford
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~76 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fostering Leadership Academy's federal record.
- Compare Fostering Leadership Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Fostering Leadership Academy'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 Fostering Leadership Academy
How many students attend Fostering Leadership Academy?
Fostering Leadership Academy has 76 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Redford, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fostering Leadership Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Fostering Leadership Academy is 19:1, which is 9% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fostering Leadership Academy?
84.7% of students at Fostering Leadership Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fostering Leadership Academy?
The largest demographic group at Fostering Leadership Academy is African American at 100.0% of enrollment, in Redford, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fostering Leadership Academy?
Fostering Leadership Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Fostering Leadership Academy rank among elementary schools in Redford?
By Resource Investment Index, Fostering Leadership Academy ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Redford, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Redford on the city page.
Is Fostering Leadership Academy a good school?
Fostering Leadership Academy earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Michigan schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Fostering Leadership Academy?
None; Fostering Leadership Academy is a single-school charter district, and Fostering Leadership Academy is its only campus.
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.