Enrollment
93
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260112908940 Charter school
Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College — Highland Park, MI
Federal NCES profile for Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 78
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
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)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College 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
Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College reports 93 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 6.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 92.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% above the Michigan average and 79% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College spends $11,327 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 4.6% from local sources (property taxes), 81.6% from the state, and 13.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.5% | ▲ 70% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 93 | top 13% | — | — |
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
92.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 33% in Michigan — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,327
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.
Overview
Enrollment 93 Top 13% in Michigan — larger than 87% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 6.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 92.5% +70% vs state
NCES ID 260112908940
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.6%
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College, which includes Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College.
$11,327
Per student
-29%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 4.6%
State 81.6%
Federal 13.7%
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 Highland Park
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 Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College
How many students attend Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College?
Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College has 93 students enrolled. It is a other school in HIGHLAND PARK, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College?
The student-teacher ratio at Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College is 15.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 3% lower 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 Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College?
92.5% of students at Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College?
Sigma Academy for Leadership and Early Middle College has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.