Summary:
The Oakland International Academy district is a public charter network of three schools in the Detroit/Hamtramck area, serving 1,992 students from PreK through 12th grade across its elementary, middle, and high school campuses.
For parents comparing the three campuses, each has a distinct strength. Oakland International Academy PreK1 (grades PK-1) stands out for its low chronic absenteeism rate of 13.2%—less than half the state average—suggesting strong early engagement. Oakland International Academy 28 (grades 2-8) is the academic leader, with a rising state percentile ranking (35th to 46th over three years) and a notable bright spot in 8th-grade PSAT math, where 42.2% of students are proficient versus 33.2% statewide. Oakland International Academy 912 (grades 9-12) is the standout for graduation outcomes, boasting an 87.9% graduation rate and a 2.5% dropout rate—both better than state averages—despite having the district's lowest test scores and highest economic disadvantage rate (88.44%).
Key concerns across the district include academic proficiency that trails state averages, especially at the high school level where SAT reading proficiency is 27.2% versus 52.1% statewide and SAT math is 11.9% versus 26.5%. The middle school's reported student-teacher ratio of 78:1 is extraordinarily high and likely reflects a data quirk or unique instructional model rather than actual class sizes. On the positive side, all three schools beat the state average for chronic absenteeism, and per-student spending is consistent ($9,948-$10,938). The most interesting takeaway is the "graduation paradox": the high school's strong retention and graduation metrics suggest effective support systems that help students overcome challenges related to poverty and low test scores, even as its state ranking has slipped to the 24th percentile. Meanwhile, the middle school's upward trend indicates its strategies are working, making it the district's most promising academic story.
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