Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences Middle School

Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences Middle School is a public charter school in Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood serving 339 students in Pre-K through 8th grade, where nearly all families (99%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

This school faces real challenges, but there are also signs of progress worth noting. The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism—58% of students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent, which is more than double the state average. That said, the school has made impressive gains in English Language Arts (ELA). Three years ago, only 6% of 7th graders were proficient in reading; today that number has jumped to 28%. Math remains a tougher hurdle, with proficiency rates bouncing around between 4% and 13% depending on the grade and year. When you compare this school to others nearby, the picture becomes clearer. Just under a mile away, Chrysler Elementary School serves a similar population but has dramatically lower absenteeism (23%) and much higher test scores—proof that high poverty doesn’t have to mean low performance. Similarly, The James and Grace Lee Boggs School, about 1.7 miles away, achieves proficiency rates at or above state averages in several subjects.

One interesting finding is that spending doesn’t predict success. Nearby Moses Field Center spends over $50,000 per student yet has no reported test scores and a 77% absenteeism rate, while Detroit Edison Public School Academy spends far less and achieves some of the highest scores in the area. For parents considering Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences, the key takeaway is this: the school is making real progress in reading, but attendance and math are the two areas that need the most attention. The success of nearby schools shows improvement is possible, and DAAS’s recent ELA gains suggest the school is moving in the right direction.