Enrollment
152
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Detroit, MI
Rutherford Winans Academy
Federal NCES profile for Rutherford Winans Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260101201297Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rutherford Winans Academy earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Michigan schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.
- #72 of 75
- schools in Detroit · Resource Index
- 10
- Resource Index · Lower
- 30.4:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 94.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Rutherford Winans Academy has class sizes larger than 96% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rutherford Winans Academy ranks #72 of 75 schools in Detroit, MI.
School address
District: Rutherford Winans Academy · Michigan
NCES ID 260101201297 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
30.4:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+74% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.8%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rutherford Winans Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rutherford Winans Academy
Small campus without a staffing-size advantage
Rutherford Winans Academy enrolls fewer students than most Michigan schools, yet its student-teacher ratio is still on the heavier side of the state distribution. Small enrollment therefore does not translate into more teacher capacity per student here. That makes staffing capacity, rather than campus scale alone, the useful interpretation. The counselor, attendance, and program indicators below help show whether the pressure is narrow or part of a broader resource constraint.
Higher need meets a leaner resource profile
Rutherford Winans Academy combines above-typical economic need with a Resource Investment Index in the lower part of the Michigan distribution. This is the page's clearest equity tension: the population indicated by free-meal eligibility may require more support, while the reported staffing, counselor, gifted-program, and attendance inputs produce a comparatively lean composite. The index is not an academic grade, but the mismatch is a concrete reason to inspect each component closely.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Rutherford Winans Academy's 78.9% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Rutherford Winans Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Detroit, Michigan, enrolling 152 students.
Class loads run heavy: 30.4:1 is larger than about 96% of Michigan schools and 74% above the 17.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 94.8% of students qualify for free meals, 75% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 152 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 123 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #117, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 78.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 53 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 152 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Detroit's public schools, it stands alongside Earhart Elementarymiddle School (1,002 students): Rutherford Winans Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (30.4:1 vs 20.4:1).
Rutherford Winans Academy is a single-school charter district, so Rutherford Winans Academy 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 Rutherford Winans Academy compares
Rutherford Winans 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 | 30.4:1 | ▲ 74% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.8% | ▲ 75% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 152 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
30.4:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
152
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 75% 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
30.4:1
students per teacher
- 74% above state mean
Top 96% in Michigan - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
78.9%
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
$13,030
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 53 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
African American 97.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 97.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.1, Rutherford Winans Academy is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rutherford Winans Academy, which includes Rutherford Winans Academy.
$13,030
Per student
-4%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 4.6%
State 72.4%
Federal 22.9%
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 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 (~152 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~30.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rutherford Winans Academy's federal record.
- Compare Rutherford Winans Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Rutherford Winans 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 Rutherford Winans Academy
How many students attend Rutherford Winans Academy?
Rutherford Winans Academy has 152 students enrolled. It is a public school in Detroit, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rutherford Winans Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Rutherford Winans Academy is 30.4:1, which is 74% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 94% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rutherford Winans Academy?
94.8% of students at Rutherford Winans Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rutherford Winans Academy?
The largest demographic group at Rutherford Winans Academy is African American at 97.4% of enrollment, in Detroit, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rutherford Winans Academy?
Rutherford Winans Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Rutherford Winans Academy rank among schools in Detroit?
By Resource Investment Index, Rutherford Winans Academy ranks #72 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.
What other schools are in Rutherford Winans Academy?
None; Rutherford Winans Academy is a single-school charter district, and Rutherford Winans Academy 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.