Enrollment
86
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260095107956 Charter school
Vista Meadows Academy — Dearborn Heights, MI
Federal NCES profile for Vista Meadows Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 18
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 83
📋 Attendance 0
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 →
The verdict
Vista Meadows Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (33/100), with class sizes larger than 84% of Michigan schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 33/100
- 20.6:1
- large classes for Michigan
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 86
- students enrolled
School address
District: Vista Meadows Academy · 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)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+84% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vista Meadows 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
Vista Meadows Academy reports 86 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 5.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 31% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 84% above the Michigan average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 86 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Vista Meadows Academy spends $14,721 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $13,507 and below the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 1.3% from local sources (property taxes), 65.4% from the state, and 33.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Vista Meadows 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 | 20.6:1 | ▲ 13% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 84% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 86 | top 12% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
21 smaller classes than 14% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
86 larger than 9% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 84% 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
20.6:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 84% in Michigan — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
48.8%
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
$14,721
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $13,507
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 86 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 86 Top 12% in Michigan — larger than 88% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 5.0
Students per teacher 20.6:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +84% vs state
NCES ID 260095107956
Student demographics
African American 93.0%
White 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Largest group: African American at 93.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 86:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vista Meadows Academy, which includes Vista Meadows Academy.
$14,721
Per student
+9%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.3%
State 65.4%
Federal 33.3%
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.
Similar other schools in Dearborn Heights
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Star International Academy
Standard public school
1,728 students 20:1 students per teacher
Thorne Elementary School
Standard public school
593 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Highview Elementary School
Standard public school
395 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Bedford School
Standard public school
389 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Polk Elementary School
Standard public school
374 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
River Oaks Elementary School
Standard public school
366 students 15:1 students per teacher
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 Vista Meadows Academy
How many students attend Vista Meadows Academy?
Vista Meadows Academy has 86 students enrolled. It is a other school in DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vista Meadows Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Vista Meadows Academy is 20.6:1, which is 13% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vista Meadows Academy?
100.0% of students at Vista Meadows Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vista Meadows Academy?
The largest demographic group at Vista Meadows Academy is African American at 93.0%. The school serves a student body in DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista Meadows Academy?
Vista Meadows Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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.
Is Vista Meadows Academy a good school?
Vista Meadows Academy earns an F Resource Investment Index (33/100), with class sizes larger than 84% of Michigan schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.