Lighthouse Connections Academy, Troy MI

Original Research by School Decision on Lighthouse Connections Academy

Lighthouse Connections Academy is a public charter school serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, based in Troy but operating as an online school authorized by Oxford Community Schools and serving students statewide. The enrollment is sizable for a charter school of this type, and a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is diverse, with a white plurality and a substantial Black population, along with Hispanic and multiracial students. Data on special education and English learner populations was not reported, so those characteristics of the school are not visible in the available records.

On state assessments from the most recent school year, math proficiency was low across every tested grade, with only a small fraction of students reaching proficiency in third through eighth grade. English language arts results followed a similar pattern in the elementary and middle grades, though one result stood out: eighth-grade PSAT ELA proficiency was comparatively strong, well above the rates in earlier grades. Science proficiency was modest in both fifth and eighth grade, and social studies results ranged from low in fifth grade to moderate in eighth grade. When the school is compared against districts in Oakland County, its overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands in the bottom quartile. This is a meaningful soft spot, and a parent considering this school may want to look into how the school supports students working below grade level and what intervention structures are in place.

The school's program offerings, as publicly reported, include Advanced Placement and honors courses, a partnership with Coursera for professional certificates, and dual enrollment through Cleary University. These are genuine strengths for a charter school of this profile, giving high school students pathways to earn college credit and build career-relevant skills. We looked for the school's graduation rate, chronic absenteeism rate, and data on discipline, staffing, and course access, but none of these were available in the provided records. Their absence limits the picture a parent can assemble from public data alone, and asking the school directly about these areas would be reasonable.

Lighthouse Connections Academy sits in Troy, a mature, car-oriented suburb of Detroit with no traditional walkable downtown. The city is a major corporate center, particularly in the automotive and financial sectors, with large office parks and regional retail destinations along wide arterial roads. Residential neighborhoods spread across the city in subdivisions rather than clustered around a center. Publicly reported sources describe Troy as having the second-highest cumulative property value in Michigan, with a median household income above the national average. Housing values in the school's zip code area sit near the national benchmark and above the state benchmark, with rents that are moderate relative to the region. Home prices have risen modestly year over year, and rents have been roughly flat.

Because this is an online charter school, the physical setting of Troy matters differently than it would for a neighborhood school. Students attend remotely from across the state, so the Troy address is an administrative base rather than a campus families visit daily. The housing and community context is most relevant for families who live in the area and are weighing this school alongside local brick-and-mortar options, or for those considering a move and wanting to understand the surrounding community.

For a family weighing this school, the central tension is clear. Lighthouse Connections Academy offers a full K-through-12 online pathway with college-credit and career-certificate options, and it serves a diverse, economically mixed student body. At the same time, state test results are low across most subjects and grades, and the school sits near the bottom of its county cohort on measured proficiency. Families for whom flexibility, remote learning, or a nontraditional schedule is the priority may find value here, and the dual-credit and certificate programs give older students a concrete foothold beyond high school. A parent whose primary lens is academic proficiency as measured by state tests would want to ask hard questions before enrolling.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

80-84%Cohort of 96 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,027 schools plotted. 80 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 311%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 7%

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 7%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 7%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 59%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 10%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

This schoolLighthouse Connections Academy, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income15%Higher-income44%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income27%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income28%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income18%Higher-income31%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income17%Higher-income22%5 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income54%Higher-income70%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income8%Higher-income22%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income13%Higher-income17%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income5%Higher-income11%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income5%Higher-income13%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income7%Higher-income8%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income6%Higher-income15%9 pp gap