Enrollment
553
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260015600970 Charter school
Pontiac Academy for Excellence — Pontiac, MI
Federal NCES profile for Pontiac Academy for Excellence, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 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 →
School address
District: Pontiac Academy for Excellence · 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pontiac Academy for Excellence 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
Pontiac Academy for Excellence reports 553 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 95.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 76% above the Michigan average and 84% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 553 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 85.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pontiac Academy for Excellence spends $12,615 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 6.0% from local sources (property taxes), 64.6% from the state, and 29.4% 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 4 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 Pontiac Academy for Excellence 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 | 17.2:1 | ▼ 5% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.3% | ▲ 76% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 553 | top 80% | — | — |
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
95.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 76% 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
17.2:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 53% in Michigan — lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
85.2%
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
$12,615
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 553 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 553 Top 80% in Michigan — larger than 20% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 17.2:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 95.3% +76% vs state
NCES ID 260015600970
Student demographics
African American 65.6%
Hispanic or Latino 26.0%
Two or More 4.7%
White 2.4%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 65.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 553:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 85.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 40
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pontiac Academy for Excellence, which includes Pontiac Academy for Excellence.
$12,615
Per student
-20%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 6.0%
State 64.6%
Federal 29.4%
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.
Similar other schools in Pontiac
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Pontiac Academy for Excellence
How many students attend Pontiac Academy for Excellence?
Pontiac Academy for Excellence has 553 students enrolled. It is a other school in PONTIAC, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pontiac Academy for Excellence?
The student-teacher ratio at Pontiac Academy for Excellence is 17.2:1, which is 5% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pontiac Academy for Excellence?
95.3% of students at Pontiac Academy for Excellence are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pontiac Academy for Excellence?
The largest demographic group at Pontiac Academy for Excellence is African American at 65.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in PONTIAC, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pontiac Academy for Excellence?
Pontiac Academy for Excellence has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.