Enrollment
73
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Grand Rapids, MI
Lighthouse Academy Waalkes
Federal NCES profile for Lighthouse Academy Waalkes, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260094908355Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lighthouse Academy Waalkes earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Michigan schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.
- #2 of 14
- schools in Grand Rapids · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.6:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 96.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Lighthouse Academy Waalkes has class sizes smaller than 72% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lighthouse Academy Waalkes ranks #2 of 14 schools in Grand Rapids, MI.
School address
District: Lighthouse Academy · Michigan
NCES ID 260094908355 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lighthouse Academy Waalkes compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lighthouse Academy Waalkes
Lighthouse Academy Waalkes is a high-poverty, small charter combined-grade school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, enrolling 73 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 96.3% of students qualify for free meals, 77% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 73 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 49 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.
Its student body is led by African American (56%) and White (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 61/100).
The surrounding Lighthouse Academy spends $21,064 per pupil, 56% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Grand Rapids's public schools, it stands alongside City Middlehigh (955 students): Lighthouse Academy Waalkes is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.6:1 vs 24.5:1).
Lighthouse Academy also operates Lighthouse Academy South Campus (213 students) and Lighthouse Academy Eagle Village (32 students) alongside Lighthouse Academy Waalkes.
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 Lighthouse Academy Waalkes compares
Lighthouse Academy Waalkes on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.6:1 | ▼ 17% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.3% | ▲ 77% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 73 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
73
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 77% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 28% in Michigan - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$21,064
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 56.2%
White 23.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.7%
Two or More 6.8%
Largest group: African American at 56.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.6, Lighthouse Academy Waalkes is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lighthouse Academy, which includes Lighthouse Academy Waalkes.
$21,064
Per student
+56%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 7.7%
State 64.9%
Federal 27.4%
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.
How Lighthouse Academy Waalkes Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse Academy South Campus | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lighthouse Academy Eagle Village | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lighthouse Academy Ottawa Juvenile Detention Center | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Muskegon County Juvenile Transition Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lighthouse Academy Juvenile Justice Institute | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Lighthouse Academy Waalkes's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 213
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 32
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 17
- Students per teacher
- 5.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Grand Rapids
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
City Middlehigh
Standard public school
955 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Harrison Park Academy
Standard public school
708 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
494 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center
Standard public school
287 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Hope Academy of West Michigan
Standard public school
284 students 10.1:1 students per teacher
Mulick Park Elementary School
Standard public school
264 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~73 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lighthouse Academy Waalkes's federal record.
- Compare Lighthouse Academy Waalkes against another school. Compare schools
- Lighthouse 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 Lighthouse Academy Waalkes
How many students attend Lighthouse Academy Waalkes?
Lighthouse Academy Waalkes has 73 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Grand Rapids, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lighthouse Academy Waalkes?
The student-teacher ratio at Lighthouse Academy Waalkes is 14.6:1, which is 17% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 7% 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 Lighthouse Academy Waalkes?
96.3% of students at Lighthouse Academy Waalkes are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lighthouse Academy Waalkes?
The largest demographic group at Lighthouse Academy Waalkes is African American at 56.2% of enrollment, in Grand Rapids, MI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lighthouse Academy Waalkes?
Lighthouse Academy Waalkes has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Lighthouse Academy Waalkes rank among schools in Grand Rapids?
By Resource Investment Index, Lighthouse Academy Waalkes ranks #2 of 14 schools in Grand Rapids, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Grand Rapids on the city page.
Is Lighthouse Academy Waalkes a good school?
Lighthouse Academy Waalkes earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Michigan schools. It is also more 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 Lighthouse Academy?
Besides Lighthouse Academy Waalkes, Lighthouse Academy also operates Lighthouse Academy South Campus (213 students), Lighthouse Academy Eagle Village (32 students), and Lighthouse Academy Ottawa Juvenile Detention Center (17 students). See the Lighthouse Academy district page for the complete list.
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.