UCS Alternative Learning Center

UCS Alternative Learning Center is a 9-12 campus of intimate scale in STERLING HEIGHTS, Michigan, overseen by Utica Community Schools, caters to 245 students in grades 9 through 12. By comparison, Michigan's public schools average about 460 students each, so UCS Alternative Learning Center sits 47% smaller than that benchmark.

Within Utica Community Schools, which oversees 37 schools and 25,574 students, UCS Alternative Learning Center is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, UCS Alternative Learning Center logs that 70% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school logs 14% Black, 7% Hispanic, 6% multiracial.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, UCS Alternative Learning Center has 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 18.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 21.6:1, putting UCS Alternative Learning Center tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 71% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Macomb County (around 52%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

Around the school, Macomb County reports that median household earnings sit near $77,837, roughly 28% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. In all, Macomb County runs 236 public schools (combined enrollment of about 115,743 students), of which UCS Alternative Learning Center is one.

Schwarzkoff Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a suburban area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count expanded 6%: 232 students in 2018 compared to 245 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share shrank from 81% to 70%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 25.2:1 in 2018 to 18.4:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for UCS Alternative Learning Center typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.