Enrollment
834
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Detroit, MI
Ronald Brown Academy
Federal NCES profile for Ronald Brown Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260110304841
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ronald Brown Academy earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Michigan schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.
- #29 of 75
- schools in Detroit · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.9:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 86.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Ronald Brown Academy has class sizes larger than 79% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ronald Brown Academy ranks #29 of 75 schools in Detroit, MI.
School address
District: Detroit Public Schools Community District · Michigan
NCES ID 260110304841 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.9%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ronald Brown Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ronald Brown Academy
Ronald Brown Academy is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Detroit, Michigan, enrolling 834 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 86.9% of students qualify for free meals, 60% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 92% of state schools at 834 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 166 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #43.
Its student body is predominantly African American (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 278 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 76.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Detroit Public Schools Community District spends $21,771 per pupil, 61% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Detroit's public schools, it stands alongside Earhart Elementarymiddle School (1,002 students): Ronald Brown Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.9:1 vs 20.4:1).
Detroit Public Schools Community District also operates Cass Technical High School (2,493 students) and Western International High School (1,959 students) alongside Ronald Brown Academy.
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 Ronald Brown Academy compares
Ronald Brown Academy on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.9:1 | ▲ 14% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.9% | ▲ 60% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 834 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
834
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% 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
19.9:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 79% in Michigan - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
76.5%
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
$21,771
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 278 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
40
in-school suspensions + 85 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.0 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 97.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
Two or More 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
White 0.1%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 97.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.5, Ronald Brown Academy is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Detroit Public Schools Community District, which includes Ronald Brown Academy.
$21,771
Per student
+61%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.1%
State 41.7%
Federal 19.1%
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 Ronald Brown Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass Technical High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Western International High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Renaissance High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Earhart Elementarymiddle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Martin Luther King Jr Senior High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ronald Brown Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,493
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 1,959
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,197
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 1,002
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
Similar other schools in Detroit
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Earhart Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
1,002 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Munger Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
954 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Mackenzie Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
876 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
University Preparatory Art Design Middlehigh
Standard public school
855 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Davison Elementarymiddle School
Standard public school
765 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Hope of Detroit Academy Middlehigh
Standard public school
582 students 17.1:1 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 (~834 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ronald Brown Academy's federal record.
- Compare Ronald Brown Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Detroit Public Schools Community District'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 Ronald Brown Academy
How many students attend Ronald Brown Academy?
Ronald Brown Academy has 834 students enrolled. It is a public school in Detroit, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ronald Brown Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Ronald Brown Academy is 19.9:1, which is 14% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ronald Brown Academy?
86.9% of students at Ronald Brown Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ronald Brown Academy?
The largest demographic group at Ronald Brown Academy is African American at 97.7% of enrollment, in Detroit, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ronald Brown Academy?
Ronald Brown Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Ronald Brown Academy rank among schools in Detroit?
By Resource Investment Index, Ronald Brown Academy ranks #29 of 75 schools in Detroit, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Detroit on the city page.
Is Ronald Brown Academy a good school?
Ronald Brown Academy earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Michigan schools. It is also less 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 Detroit Public Schools Community District?
Besides Ronald Brown Academy, Detroit Public Schools Community District also operates Cass Technical High School (2,493 students), Western International High School (1,959 students), and Renaissance High School (1,197 students). See the Detroit Public Schools Community District 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.