Enrollment
93
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 260109308687 Charter school
Lake Superior Academy — Sault S Marie, MI
Federal NCES profile for Lake Superior Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 15
🌟 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 →
The verdict
Lake Superior Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (15/100), with class sizes larger than 87% of Michigan schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 15/100
- 21.3:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 47.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 93
- students enrolled
School address
District: Lake Superior 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)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lake Superior 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
Lake Superior Academy reports 93 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 4.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 36% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Michigan average and 9% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 55.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lake Superior Academy spends $9,080 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $13,507 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 2.7% from local sources (property taxes), 75.7% from the state, and 21.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (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 Lake Superior 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 | 21.3:1 | ▲ 17% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.1% | ▼ 13% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 93 | top 13% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
21 smaller classes than 12% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
93 larger than 9% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
47.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.3:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 87% in Michigan — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
55.9%
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
$9,080
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $13,507
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
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 93 Top 13% in Michigan — larger than 87% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 4.0
Students per teacher 21.3:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.1% -13% vs state
NCES ID 260109308687
Student demographics
White 69.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 16.1%
Two or More 11.8%
African American 1.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Largest group: White at 69.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 55.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lake Superior Academy, which includes Lake Superior Academy.
$9,080
Per student
-33%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.7%
State 75.7%
Federal 21.5%
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.
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 Lake Superior Academy
How many students attend Lake Superior Academy?
Lake Superior Academy has 93 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Sault S Marie, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Superior Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Lake Superior Academy is 21.3:1, which is 17% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lake Superior Academy?
47.1% of students at Lake Superior Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Superior Academy?
The largest demographic group at Lake Superior Academy is White at 69.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sault S Marie, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Superior Academy?
Lake Superior Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (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.
Is Lake Superior Academy a good school?
Lake Superior Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (15/100), with class sizes larger than 87% of Michigan schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.