Academy West Alternative Education

Set in FLINT, Michigan, Academy West Alternative Education is a close-knit senior high, overseen by Westwood Heights Schools. It works with 199 students across grades 6 through 12. That puts it 57% leaner than the typical public school in Michigan, which averages around 460 students.

Westwood Heights Schools runs 5 schools in total, collectively educating 1,185 students. Academy West Alternative Education is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Academy West Alternative Education lists that nearly all students (87%) are Black. The remainder reads as 6% White, 6% multiracial. By comparison, Genesee County as a whole is about 19% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school employs 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 22.6:1. The state averages around 21.6:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 89% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is north of Genesee County's rate of about 61%.

Around the school, census data for Genesee County shows median household earnings sit near $62,281, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Genesee County's 158 public schools (combined enrollment of about 58,534 students), Academy West Alternative Education is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Colonel Donald McMonagle Elementary School, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 61%: 511 students in 2018 compared to 199 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 76% to 87% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 34.1:1 in 2018 to 22.6:1 today.

On allk12, members of the Academy West Alternative Education community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.