Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences

Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences is a pre-K through 8th grade school in Detroit, MI, serving 694 students, where nearly all families face significant economic challenges.

This school is facing serious difficulties that parents should know about before enrolling their child. The most striking issue is attendance: about 7 out of 10 students are chronically absent, meaning they miss a substantial number of school days each year. This rate is more than double the state average and far higher than nearby schools like Chrysler Elementary School (23%) or Detroit Edison Public School Academy (31%). Not surprisingly, test scores are very low. In recent state testing, only about 5% to 20% of students scored proficient in reading and math, compared to state averages of 30% to 45%. For example, 5th grade math proficiency was just 3.8% versus the state's 32.2%. The school ranks in the bottom 10% of Michigan elementary schools.

There are a few important things to consider. First, the school spends more per student ($15,171) than higher-performing nearby schools like Detroit Edison Public School Academy ($12,535), yet results don't reflect that investment. Second, there is a separate entry for the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences Middle School at the same address—this is just how the data is split for grades 6-8, so you'll want to look at both entries for the full picture. On a more hopeful note, scores did improve slightly from last year to this year in several grades and subjects, suggesting recent efforts may be starting to help. However, the comparison to schools like Chrysler Elementary School, which serves a similar population but achieves proficiency rates 2-4 times higher, shows that much more work is needed to address the attendance crisis and academic support at this school.