1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Paragon Charter Academy right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
627
Elementary
STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PARAGON CHARTER ACADEMY·NCES 260020401119
Paragon Charter Academy
3750 MCCAIN RD, JACKSON, MI 49201 · (517) 750-9500 · Jackson County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL627 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.8:1
35 FTE teachers
STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
64%
400 students
STATE 55%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 92 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 73 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 76 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 73 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 75 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 71 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 60 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 61 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 46 | 7% |
This year's kindergarten class (92) is 100% larger than its 8th grade class (46).
Student demographics
73%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
STATE 56% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
42.1%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
45.7%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Michigan schools, those numbers are about 48 and 45.
Source: M-STEP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
46.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.0%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 47% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% typical for Michigan schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Michigan's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Paragon Charter Academy
Paragon Charter Academy's state test result (46.8% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paragon Charter Academy this school | 627 | 63.8% | 46.8% |
| Explorer Elementary CALEDONIA | 556 | 55.8% | 59.7% |
| Brendel Elementary School GRAND BLANC | 462 | 63.6% | 39.0% |
| Brick Elementary School YPSILANTI | 500 | 71.0% | 24.6% |
| Bishop Elementary School YPSILANTI | 486 | 57.4% | 26.6% |
| Gudith Elementary School BROWNSTOWN | 385 | 62.9% | 44.9% |
Matched among Michigan elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Paragon Charter Academy ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Jackson County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 46.8% | #518 of 1,085 | #7 of 15 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.7% | #540 of 1,072 | #6 of 16 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 42.1% | #718 of 1,139 | #10 of 15 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 627 | #109 of 1,630 | #4 of 24 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.8:1 | #1,127 of 1,424 | #15 of 22 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 73.0% | #34 of 1,424 | #2 of 22 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 63.8% | #616 of 1,563 | #9 of 24 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.0% | #904 of 979 | #12 of 13 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
627
-25 (-4%) vs 2020
+29% since 2000-01, when it was 487
Student : Teacher
17.8:1
was 19.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 627 | 35.2 | 17.8:1 | 64% (400) |
| 2023-24 | 604 | 35.9 | 16.8:1 | 69% (416) |
| 2022-23 | 620 | 37.4 | 16.6:1 | 67% (414) |
| 2020-21 | 652 | 34 | 19.2:1 | 59% (387) |
| 2017-18 | 640 | 34.3 | 18.7:1 | 63% (403) |
| 2015-16 | 715 | 35 | 20.4:1 | 58% (414) |
| 2010-11 | 686 | 34 | 20.2:1 | 55% (376) |
| 2000-01 | 487 | 33 | 14.8:1 | 8% (38) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Paragon Charter Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 2% (640 to 627); teachers up 3% (34.3 to 35.2).
About Paragon Charter Academy
Paragon Charter Academy is a large elementary school in Paragon Charter Academy, located in JACKSON, Michigan. A federal count lists 627 students at the school, in pre-K through 8. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Michigan is about 369, so this school runs 70% bigger than that.
Federal records list Paragon Charter Academy as its own district.
Federal enrollment data show White students as the largest group at Paragon Charter Academy, at 42%. Other reported shares: 22% Black, 15% multiracial, 12% Hispanic, and 8% Asian. Jackson County's residents are about 83% White, 41 points above the school's share. Pick two students at random and there is a 73% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Teachers at the school number 35.2 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 17.8:1. On average, elementary schools in Michigan have 15.8:1, compared with 17.8:1 here. The school's lunch program data list 64% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Public schools in Jackson County average 53%.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Paragon Charter Academy is 8.8 points above its prediction. Actual: 46.8%. Predicted: 38.0%.
Jackson County has these Census figures: the median household income is $66,073, about 23% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. In all, Jackson County has 68 public schools and roughly 21,681 students.
The closest public school to Paragon Charter Academy is Woodville Community Center, about 1.2 miles away. Paragon Charter Academy is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. The school's 46.8% average proficiency ranks 1st among 4 nearby schools.
Locale data from NCES put Paragon Charter Academy in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population under 100,000 (Suburb: Small). Charter status: Paragon Charter Academy is a public charter school.
Enrollment at Paragon Charter Academy dropped 4% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 652 to 627 students. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 19.2:1; by 2024-25 it was 17.8:1.
Discussions about Paragon Charter Academy may include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Jackson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
160,060
Census ACS
Median income
$66,073
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
68
21,681 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in JACKSON
- Jackson High SchoolHigh · 989 students
- Northwest High SchoolHigh · 958 students
- Northwest Early Elementary SchoolElementary · 848 students
- Northwest Kidder Middle SchoolMiddle · 786 students
- Northwest Elementary SchoolElementary · 758 students
- Middle School at ParksideMiddle · 750 students
Nearby schools
- Woodville Community Center1.2 mi · 97
- Dibble Elementary School1.6 mi · 282
- Jackson ISD Local Based Special Education Programs1.9 mi · 240
- Cascades Elementary School1.9 mi · 398
- Fourth Street Learning Center2.6 mi · 27
- Middle School at Parkside2.6 mi · 750
Frequently asked questions
About Paragon Charter AcademyHow many students attend Paragon Charter Academy?
Paragon Charter Academy enrolls approximately 627 students in grades PK-08.
What grades does Paragon Charter Academy serve?
Paragon Charter Academy serves grades PK-08.
How many students per teacher at Paragon Charter Academy?
Approximately 17.8:1 students per teacher at Paragon Charter Academy.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Paragon Charter Academy?
At Paragon Charter Academy, the student body is approximately 42% White, 12% Hispanic, 22% Black, 8% Asian, 15% Two or more.
Who oversees Paragon Charter Academy?
Paragon Charter Academy is overseen by Paragon Charter Academy in Jackson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.