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Pontiac Academy for Excellence

Public, Magnet, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

1275^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Alternative Schools

Better than 14% of Michigan alternative schools

Summary

Pontiac Academy for Excellence is an alternative public magnet charter school in Pontiac, Michigan that serves 553 students in grades K-12. The school faces significant challenges, with low graduation rates, high dropout rates, and very low academic performance compared to state averages.

Pontiac Academy for Excellence has had fluctuating four-year graduation rates, ranging from 56.0% to 93.3% in recent years, which is lower than the state average of around 80%. The school also has high dropout rates, ranging from 6.6% to 44.0%, much higher than the state average. Additionally, Pontiac Academy for Excellence has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 29.5% to 57.9%, again much higher than the state average. Academically, students perform significantly below state averages across all grade levels and subject areas on standardized tests.

Interestingly, the nearby alternative schools like Wing Lake Developmental Center, Kingsley Montgomery School, Kennedy Center, and Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac have similar challenges, suggesting they serve a comparable high-needs student population. However, Virtual Learning Academy Consortium, a nearby virtual school, has significantly higher test scores across all grade levels and subjects compared to Pontiac Academy for Excellence and the state averages, highlighting the potential benefits of a virtual learning environment for some students. Additionally, Oakside Prep Academy, a nearby charter school serving a high-poverty student population, has somewhat higher test scores than Pontiac Academy for Excellence, suggesting the charter model may be more effective for this community.

553

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,766

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

196 Cesar E Chavez Ave
Pontiac, MI 48342-1094

(248) 745-9420

District: Pontiac Academy for Excellence

Racial breakdown:

African American:

65.6%

Hispanic:

26.0%

Two or more races:

4.7%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Pontiac Academy for Excellence to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2017 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (15% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (56% vs 83%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg15%

Michigan avg41%

Elementary school

1,275^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 9 pts since 2023

From bottom 5% (2023) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

858^th of 890

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 4 pts since 2023

From bottom 8% (2023) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

628^th of 739

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	1275 of 1488	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	1410 of 1486	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	1392 of 1470	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	39.7	195 of 369	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.2	249 of 321	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	21.1	1061 of 1338	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	1216 of 1321	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	21.8	1089 of 1346	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	1301 of 1381	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	1267 of 1350	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	1244 of 1366	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.0	1314 of 1334	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	6.7	858 of 890	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	833 of 897	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	815 of 883	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	309 of 338	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	277 of 300	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	8.3	740 of 771	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	36.9	160 of 257	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.2	197 of 246	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	800 of 832	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	762 of 836	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	758 of 825	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	8.0	760 of 798	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	714 of 786	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	628 of 739	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	679 of 743	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.4	739 of 824	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.1	731 of 835	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	9.3	726 of 852	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.7	734 of 832	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	7.9	736 of 799	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	14.0	670 of 805	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.8	606 of 773	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	18.4	630 of 784	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	8.8	691 of 765	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	6.3	710 of 754	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	8.1	673 of 750	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.2	644 of 767	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	19.9	203 of 254	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	33.9	61 of 102	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	4.4	666 of 710	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	515 of 635	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	571 of 654	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.5	701 of 755	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	468 of 628	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.6	647 of 707	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2025)47th percentile+33 vs school

Female (2025)21st percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)9th percentile-5 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2024)38th percentile+31 vs school

African American (2025)9th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

Female (2024)4th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

High school

English Language Learner (2018)40th percentile+30 vs school

Male (2025)25th percentile+10 vs school

African American (2018)20th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2018)6th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing25%-30 vs state

Social Studies23%-13 vs state

English Language Arts14%-26 vs state

Science12%-27 vs state

Math12%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pontiac Academy for Excellence

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)			M-Step Social Studies (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pontiac Academy for Excellence	Public, Magnet, Charter, Alternative	K-12	196 Cesar E Chavez Ave	Pontiac	48342	Oakland County	Pontiac Academy for Excellence	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(248) 745-9420	553	31	17.9	100.0%	13 (2.4%)	363 (65.6%)	144 (26.0%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.7%)								(n/a)	18.0		25.0	8.9	10.0	26.8	17.8	8.8	8.9	23.3	14.6		5.5	17.1	6.1	15.0	22.0		25.0	$10,766	$4,028	$6,738
Childrens Village School	Public, Alternative	K-12	1200 N Telegraph Rd	Pontiac	48341	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 858-5491	56	14	4.0	51.8%	18 (32.1%)	31 (55.4%)	3 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.1%)								(n/a)																				$41,516	$8,847	$32,669
Virtual Learning Academy Consortium	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	2111 Pontiac Lake Rd	Waterford	48328	Oakland County	Oakland Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(248) 209-2037	298	15	19.4	39.6%	169 (56.7%)	39 (13.1%)	17 (5.7%)	45 (15.1%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (8.4%)								(n/a)	62.5	20.0	44.4	57.1	45.5	50.0	27.8	29.6	21.4	30.0	22.2		29.6	56.3	34.1	32.7	37.5	28.6	25.5
Oakside Prep Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	355 Summit Dr	Waterford	48328	Oakland County	Oakside Prep Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 706-2000	1,424	71	19.9	95.4%	85 (6.0%)	623 (43.8%)	549 (38.6%)	6 (0.4%)	8 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	153 (10.7%)								(n/a)	36.6	13.3	13.3	34.5	33.9	29.9	26.3	32.4	28.2	26.6	11.5	16.7	28.2	18.4	14.5	13.3	9.4	16.4	9.2	$12,266	$1,443	$10,822
Kennedy Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1700 Baldwin Ave	Pontiac	48340	Oakland County	Pontiac City School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 451-8040	57	9	6.6	61.4%	7 (12.3%)	25 (43.9%)	23 (40.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.5%)								(n/a)																				$10,842	$3,624	$7,219
Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	888 Enterprise Dr	Pontiac	48341	Oakland County	Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 452-9309	850	35	24.4	77.8%	9 (1.1%)	651 (76.6%)	146 (17.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (4.8%)								(n/a)	21.4		16.7		8.3	5.1		6.3						5.0	5.0	7.1		4.9	8.9	$12,999	$3,074	$9,925
Charles L Bowers Farm	Public, Alternative	K-12	1219 E Square Lake Rd	Bloomfield Hills	48304	Oakland County	Bloomfield Hills Schools	No	No	No	No	(248) 641-6475	0	3	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Kingsley Montgomery School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	4265 Halkirk Dr	Waterford	48329	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	No	(248) 623-9660	45	11	3.9	55.6%	30 (66.7%)	9 (20.0%)	5 (11.1%)	1 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																				$102,989	$4,056	$98,933
Wing Lake Developmental Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	6490 Wing Lake Rd	Bloomfield Hills	48301	Oakland County	Bloomfield Hills Schools	No	No	No	No	(248) 341-7900	85	12	7.0	38.8%	49 (57.6%)	17 (20.0%)	6 (7.1%)	7 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (7.1%)								(n/a)																				$64,933	$629	$64,304
Community Educational Resource Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	455 E Scripps Rd	Lake Orion	48360	Oakland County	Lake Orion Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(248) 693-5436	1	5	.2		1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Pontiac Academy for Excellence

How many students attend Pontiac Academy for Excellence?

In the 2024-25 school year, 553 students attended Pontiac Academy for Excellence.

What district is Pontiac Academy for Excellence in?

Pontiac Academy for Excellence

What is the racial makeup of Pontiac Academy for Excellence?

Students at Pontiac Academy for Excellence are 66% African American, 26% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% White.

Is Pontiac Academy for Excellence a good school?

Pontiac Academy for Excellence ranks in the bottom 14.3% of Michigan alternative schools.

Rate Pontiac Academy for Excellence!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.