Enrollment
162
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pontiac, MI
Great Lakes Academy
Federal NCES profile for Great Lakes Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 260015700971Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Great Lakes Academy earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Michigan schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Pontiac · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 88.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Great Lakes Academy has class sizes smaller than 80% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Great Lakes Academy ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Pontiac, MI.
School address
District: Great Lakes Academy · Michigan
NCES ID 260015700971 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Great Lakes Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Great Lakes Academy
Great Lakes Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Pontiac, Michigan, enrolling 162 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 88.5% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 162 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 177 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #34.
Its student body is predominantly African American (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Its district draws 20.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 58 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 162 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Pontiac's elementary schools, it stands alongside Whitman Elementary School (611 students): Great Lakes Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.5:1 vs 13:1).
Great Lakes Academy is a single-school charter district, so Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes Academy compares
Great Lakes 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 23% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.5% | ▲ 63% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 162 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
162
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 20% in Michigan - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$12,815
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 55 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.8 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 81.5%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
White 1.9%
Asian 1.9%
Two or More 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 81.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.0, Great Lakes Academy is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Great Lakes Academy, which includes Great Lakes Academy.
$12,815
Per student
-5%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 7.2%
State 72.8%
Federal 20.0%
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 Pontiac
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 (~162 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Great Lakes Academy's federal record.
- Compare Great Lakes Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes Academy
How many students attend Great Lakes Academy?
Great Lakes Academy has 162 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pontiac, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Great Lakes Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Great Lakes Academy is 13.5:1, which is 23% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 14% 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 Great Lakes Academy?
88.5% of students at Great Lakes Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Great Lakes Academy?
The largest demographic group at Great Lakes Academy is African American at 81.5% of enrollment, in Pontiac, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Great Lakes Academy?
Great Lakes Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Great Lakes Academy rank among elementary schools in Pontiac?
By Resource Investment Index, Great Lakes Academy ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Pontiac, 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 Pontiac on the city page.
Is Great Lakes Academy a good school?
Great Lakes Academy earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Great Lakes Academy?
None; Great Lakes Academy is a single-school charter district, and Great Lakes 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.