Enrollment
2,056
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260111808853 Charter school
Lighthouse Connections Academy — Troy, MI
Federal NCES profile for Lighthouse Connections Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
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: Lighthouse Connections 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)
80.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
30.7:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+69% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lighthouse Connections 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
Lighthouse Connections Academy reports 2,056 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 80.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 30.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 69% 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 15.9:1, it is 93% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% above the Michigan average and 34% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 343 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lighthouse Connections Academy spends $7,761 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.0% from local sources (property taxes), 93.9% from the state, and 6.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Lighthouse Connections 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 | 30.7:1 | ▲ 69% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.6% | ▲ 28% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,056 | top 100% | — | — |
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
69.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
30.7:1
students per teacher
— 69% above state mean
Top 96% in Michigan — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$7,761
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 343 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,056 Top 100% in Michigan — larger than 0% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 80.0
Students per teacher 30.7:1 +69% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.6% +28% vs state
NCES ID 260111808853
Student demographics
White 56.6%
African American 22.6%
Two or More 9.7%
Hispanic or Latino 8.1%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 56.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 343:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lighthouse Connections Academy, which includes Lighthouse Connections Academy.
$7,761
Per student
-51%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-60%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.0%
State 93.9%
Federal 6.0%
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 other schools in Troy
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Troy Union Elementary School
Standard public school
395 students 15:1 students per teacher
Costello Elementary School
Standard public school
395 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Susick Elementary School
Standard public school
391 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Woodland Elementary School
Standard public school
328 students 11.4:1 students per teacher
Troy College and Career High School
Alternative education program
188 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Troy Early Childhood
Standard public school
98 students 4.4:1 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 Lighthouse Connections Academy
How many students attend Lighthouse Connections Academy?
Lighthouse Connections Academy has 2,056 students enrolled. It is a other school in TROY, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lighthouse Connections Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Lighthouse Connections Academy is 30.7:1, which is 69% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 93% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lighthouse Connections Academy?
69.6% of students at Lighthouse Connections Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lighthouse Connections Academy?
The largest demographic group at Lighthouse Connections Academy is White at 56.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in TROY, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lighthouse Connections Academy?
Lighthouse Connections Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.