Enrollment
553
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pontiac, MI
Pontiac Academy for Excellence
Federal NCES profile for Pontiac Academy for Excellence, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260015600970Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pontiac Academy for Excellence earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Pontiac · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.3:1
- students per teacher
- 95.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Pontiac Academy for Excellence has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pontiac Academy for Excellence ranks #3 of 3 schools in Pontiac, MI.
School address
District: Pontiac Academy for Excellence · Michigan
NCES ID 260015600970 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-1% 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
What stands out at Pontiac Academy for Excellence
Pontiac Academy for Excellence is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Pontiac, Michigan, enrolling 553 students.
At 17.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 95.3% of students qualify for free meals, 76% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 553 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 239 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #188, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 553 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 85.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Pontiac's public schools, it stands alongside Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac (850 students): Pontiac Academy for Excellence is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.3:1 vs 32.7:1).
Pontiac Academy for Excellence is a single-school charter district, so Pontiac Academy for Excellence 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 Pontiac Academy for Excellence compares
Pontiac Academy for Excellence on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.3% | ▲ 76% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 553 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
553
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 76% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 56% in Michigan - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
85.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,468
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 49.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.9, Pontiac Academy for Excellence is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pontiac Academy for Excellence, which includes Pontiac Academy for Excellence.
$11,468
Per student
-15%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
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 (~553 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pontiac Academy for Excellence's federal record.
- Compare Pontiac Academy for Excellence against another school. Compare schools
- Pontiac Academy for Excellence'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 Pontiac Academy for Excellence
How many students attend Pontiac Academy for Excellence?
Pontiac Academy for Excellence has 553 students enrolled. It is a public 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 17.3:1, which is 1% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 10% higher 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 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% of enrollment, 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 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pontiac Academy for Excellence rank among schools in Pontiac?
By Resource Investment Index, Pontiac Academy for Excellence ranks #3 of 3 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 schools in Pontiac on the city page.
Is Pontiac Academy for Excellence a good school?
Pontiac Academy for Excellence earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Pontiac Academy for Excellence?
None; Pontiac Academy for Excellence is a single-school charter district, and Pontiac Academy for Excellence 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.