Summary:
Detroit Enterprise Academy is a single K-8 charter school in Detroit serving 686 students, where nearly 89% qualify for free/reduced lunch and chronic absenteeism runs at 58.8%—more than double the state rate.
This one-school district shows a mixed picture. The clearest bright spot is 8th grade PSAT math, where 38.2% of students scored proficient—actually beating the state average of 33.2%. That same grade also improved sharply in social studies, jumping from 23.7% to 34.5% proficiency year-over-year. However, these wins are offset by deep struggles in the lower grades. Fourth grade math sits at just 18.5% proficiency versus a 39.4% state average—a 20.9-point gap—and 5th grade is even more concerning, with only 16.2% proficiency in math and 12% in social studies. This "5th grade slump" appears across multiple subjects, suggesting a possible transition or curriculum issue at that level. English language arts is relatively stronger, with gaps ranging from 4.4 to 16.6 points below state averages, compared to math gaps of 6.9 to 20.9 points.
The school’s state ranking has been volatile: it ranked 1041st out of 1486 schools (30th percentile) in 2023-2024, dropped to 1137th (24th percentile) the next year, then partially recovered to 1063rd (29th percentile) in 2025-2026. With $14,595 spent per student—substantial funding—the persistent achievement gaps raise questions about how resources are being used, especially given that nearly 6 in 10 students are chronically absent. For parents, the key takeaway is that while the school shows promise in middle school math and some year-over-year gains, the absenteeism crisis and sharp drops in 4th and 5th grade performance are serious red flags that likely need to be addressed before academic outcomes can improve consistently.
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