Enrollment
298
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 261059008526
Stem Academy — Kalamazoo, MI
Federal NCES profile for Stem Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 43
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: Comstock Public Schools · 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Stem Academy 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
Stem Academy reports 298 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 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 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 36% below the Michigan average and 33% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 298 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Comstock Public Schools spends $21,114 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.5% from local sources (property taxes), 53.2% from the state, and 8.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Stem Academy 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 | 17.3:1 | ▼ 5% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.6% | ▼ 36% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 298 | top 40% | — | — |
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
34.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 36% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 54% in Michigan — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.8%
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
$21,114
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 298 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 298 Top 40% in Michigan — larger than 60% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.6% -36% vs state
NCES ID 261059008526
Student demographics
White 68.8%
Two or More 10.7%
African American 9.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Asian 4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Largest group: White at 68.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 298:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.8%
In-school suspensions 22
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Comstock Public Schools, which includes Stem Academy.
$21,114
Per student
+33%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.5%
State 53.2%
Federal 8.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 358
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 309
- Students per teacher
- 30:1
- Enrollment
- 276
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
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 Stem Academy
How many students attend Stem Academy?
Stem Academy has 298 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Kalamazoo, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stem Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Stem Academy is 17.3:1, which is 5% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 9% 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 Stem Academy?
34.6% of students at Stem Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stem Academy?
The largest demographic group at Stem Academy is White at 68.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kalamazoo, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stem Academy?
Stem Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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.