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Barack Obama Leadership Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-8

1448^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Barack Obama Leadership Academy is a K-8 school in Detroit, MI, serving 329 students as its own single-school district, with over 92% of students coming from low-income households.

This school is facing serious academic challenges. Statewide, it ranks in the bottom 3rd percentile of all Michigan schools, a position it has held for over a decade. Test scores are dramatically below state averages—for example, only 6.82% of 3rd graders were proficient in math and 9.09% in ELA in the 2024-2025 school year. This is a stark contrast to Detroit Prep, a charter school just 1.1 miles away, where 53.1% of 3rd graders were proficient in math and 63.3% in ELA. Even compared to other Detroit-area schools, Barack Obama Leadership Academy performs notably worse. While nearby Garvey Academy and Hamilton Academy rank in the 9th percentile statewide, this school sits at the 3rd. There is one bright spot: in 2023-2024, 31.6% of 8th graders were proficient in science, close to the state average, though this success did not last into the following year.

Two other issues stand out. First, chronic absenteeism is a crisis—62.1% of students are chronically absent, more than double the state average and over five times higher than the 11.1% rate at Detroit Prep. Second, the student-teacher ratio jumped from a normal 19.4 in 2023-2024 to a staggering 41.1 in 2024-2025, suggesting a severe staffing shortage that limits individual attention. Interestingly, the school spends over $15,000 per student—more than high-performing nearby charters like Detroit Prep ($12,135) and The James and Grace Lee Boggs School ($12,457)—yet outcomes remain low. The success of schools like Detroit Prep in the same neighborhood shows that significant improvement is possible, but Barack Obama Leadership Academy will need major changes in staffing, attendance, and resource use to get there.

329

Students ?

41.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,422

Per pupil spending ?

92.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10800 E Canfield St
Detroit, MI 48214-1601

(313) 823-6000

District: Barack Obama Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

97.6%

Hispanic:

1.8%

American Indian:

0.3%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Barack Obama Leadership Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2011 → 3rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (9% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (62% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school9%

District avg9%

Michigan avg39%

1,448^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

622^nd of 625Barack Obama Leadership Academy among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	6.5	1448 of 1492	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.6	1436 of 1488	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.3	1377 of 1448	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.2	1402 of 1466	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.6	1483 of 1548	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.0	1456 of 1580	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.2	1448 of 1533	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.4	1432 of 1563	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.4	1517 of 1566	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.3	1543 of 1552	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	14.4	1450 of 1552	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	12.5	1492 of 1589	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	18.3	1427 of 1577	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.5	1504 of 1565	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	8.9	1475 of 1545	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.4	356 of 388	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.5	319 of 369	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	324 of 475	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	1297 of 1338	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	1329 of 1443	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.9	1328 of 1352	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.2	1300 of 1346	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	1281 of 1397	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	9.4	1347 of 1446	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	876 of 890	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	709 of 897	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	776 of 838	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.7	792 of 821	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.2	826 of 894	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.5	824 of 919	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	8.9	855 of 921	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.6	849 of 919	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.6	894 of 900	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.2	851 of 858	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	7.2	812 of 851	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.8	840 of 847	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.5	816 of 839	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.2	789 of 823	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	23.3	694 of 806	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	317 of 338	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	45.6	131 of 300	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.8	241 of 366	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	11.1	724 of 789	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.9	727 of 794	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	6.6	817 of 832	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.3	647 of 836	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.6	717 of 815	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	17.3	662 of 797	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2026)8th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2018)7th percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Middle school

Male (2018)17th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)8th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2025)6th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

★

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Schools Near Barack Obama Leadership Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Barack Obama Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	10800 E Canfield St	Detroit	48214	Wayne County	Barack Obama Leadership Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 823-6000	329	8	41.1	92.4%	0 (0.0%)	321 (97.6%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6.5	1448^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.9%		6.6	1436^th of 1488 public elementary schools	3.5%	12			8.1	7.7		13.3											$15,422	$00	$15,422
Hutchinson ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	2600 Garland St	Detroit	48214	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-4169	379	27	14.1	90.0%	1 (0.3%)	367 (96.8%)	10 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11.7	1336^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.5%		9.3	1369^th of 1488 public elementary schools	8.0%	33	27.9	14.0		5.9	25.0	13.9	22.2			14.8	11.8	25.9				25.6	$23,734	$2,028	$21,706
Detroit Enterprise Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	11224 Kercheval St	Detroit	48214	Wayne County	Detroit Enterprise Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 823-5799	686	38	18.0	88.9%	2 (0.3%)	618 (90.1%)	13 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (7.4%)	26.3	1063^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	28.8%		21.1	1137^th of 1488 public elementary schools	23.6%	74	49.1	38.2	30.5	24.7	38.7	25.4	34.0	32.9	18.5	16.2	23.9	26.4	25.3	29.1	12.0	34.5	$14,595	$1,639	$12,956
Detroit Prep	Public, Charter	K-8	8411 Sylvester St	Detroit	48214	Wayne County	Detroit Achievement Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 343-1495	418	24	17.7	54.5%	147 (35.2%)	221 (52.9%)	8 (1.9%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (8.4%)	64.5	497^th of 1492 public elementary schools	66.7%		66.8	467^th of 1488 public elementary schools	68.6%	30		61.8	49.0	56.0	45.1	57.1	54.2	51.0	48.0	29.4	51.0	46.8	39.2	58.8	23.5	73.5	$12,135	$1,049	$11,087
Nichols ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	3000 Burns St	Detroit	48214	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 852-0800	311	18	17.7	92.0%	4 (1.3%)	295 (94.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	13.3	1307^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.4%		17.8	1203^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	19.2%	104			10.6	17.6	12.1	26.5		11.1			17.6					90.6	$23,079	$1,760	$21,320
The James and Grace Lee Boggs School	Public, Charter	K-8	7600 Goethe St	Detroit	48214	Wayne County	The James and Grace Lee Boggs School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 923-2301	172	10	18.1	68.6%	46 (26.7%)	101 (58.7%)	9 (5.2%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (8.7%)	52	670^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.1%		43.9	812^th of 1488 public elementary schools	45.4%	142		45.5	37.5	52.4	50.0	47.8	43.8	31.3	14.3	29.2	43.5	37.5	37.5	45.5	25.0	72.7	$12,457	$00	$12,457
Garvey Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	2301 Van Dyke St	Detroit	48214	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-7400	434	33	13.1	90.1%	4 (0.9%)	421 (97.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	10.7	1358^th of 1492 public elementary schools	9.0%		10.3	1352^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	9.1%	6	31.8		14.6	12.5		17.8	13.2	14.6						11.1		15.6	$24,673	$1,716	$22,956
Hamilton Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	14223 Southampton St	Detroit	48213	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 870-0556	358	23	15.5	97.2%	0 (0.0%)	353 (98.6%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10.5	1362^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	8.7%		6.6	1434^th of 1488 public elementary schools	3.6%	72	10.5	10.5	10.0	6.3		20.0		18.8	11.4		19.1						$21,008	$2,247	$18,761
AL Holmes Academy of Blended Learning	Public	PK, KG-8	8950 Crane St	Detroit	48213	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-5644	401	31	13.0	94.0%	4 (1.0%)	388 (96.8%)	6 (1.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.7	1397^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.4%		8.1	1396^th of 1488 public elementary schools	6.2%	1	38.1	11.9	12.5		10.2			22.5	10.8	8.3	10.8	22.2	6.3	11.6		25.0	$24,540	$1,626	$22,913
Edward Duke Ellington at Beckham	Public	PK, KG-8	9860 Park Dr	Detroit	48213	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 852-8500	560	30	18.6	90.5%	0 (0.0%)	553 (98.8%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	5.6	1472^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	1.3%		4.9	1475^th of 1488 public elementary schools	0.9%	3	32.0	8.0	16.7	5.0	6.0		11.9	7.7				14.3	6.0	5.8		25.5	$20,345	$1,653	$18,692

Frequently Asked Questions about Barack Obama Leadership Academy

Is Barack Obama Leadership Academy a good school?

Barack Obama Leadership Academy ranks in the bottom 2.9% of Michigan elementary schools.

How many students attend Barack Obama Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 329 students attended Barack Obama Leadership Academy.

What district is Barack Obama Leadership Academy in?

Barack Obama Leadership Academy

What is the racial makeup of Barack Obama Leadership Academy?

Students at Barack Obama Leadership Academy are 98% African American, 2% Hispanic.

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.