Summary:
Warrendale Charter Academy is a single K-8 charter school in Detroit, Michigan, serving 680 students within the Warrendale Charter Academy district, where 97% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
This school has shown a modest upward trend in state rankings, moving from the 9th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 24th percentile in 2025-2026, though it remains in the bottom quarter of Michigan schools. The most pressing concern is a 59.2% chronic absenteeism rate—more than double the state average—which likely undermines academic progress across all subjects. In English Language Arts, proficiency improved in most grades year-over-year, with 3rd grade gaining 7.4 points to reach 30.6%, though 7th grade dropped 10.1 points to 30.3%. Math remains the weakest area, with all grades scoring 8-19 points below state averages; 3rd grade showed a strong 12.7-point gain to 34.7%, but 6th grade declined to 13.2% and 8th grade PSAT math collapsed from 20% to just 9.62% proficiency. Science and social studies scores declined across all tested grades, with 5th grade social studies at only 5.5% proficiency compared to the state's 27.5%.
Despite spending $14,735 per student—above typical charter levels—and maintaining a favorable 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio, outcomes remain challenging. The school's relative strength is in ELA, particularly 8th grade PSAT ELA at 51.9%, while math proficiency is critically low. The 3rd grade improvements suggest early interventions may be working, but these gains don't persist into upper grades, indicating cumulative learning gaps. For parents, the key takeaway is that Warrendale offers a supportive environment with improving early-grade literacy, but the high absenteeism rate and deepening math crisis require urgent attention. The school's single-district structure means all resources are focused on this one campus, but without addressing attendance and math instruction, the school risks remaining in the bottom quartile despite its investments.
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