West Village Academy

West Village Academy is a small public charter school in Dearborn, MI, serving 242 students in grades K-8, with the vast majority of families (86%) qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most pressing concern for parents to know is that chronic absenteeism is extremely high—nearly 62% of students miss significant school days, which is more than double the state average of 28%. This is the highest rate among nearby schools and has persisted above 45% for four straight years. Not surprisingly, academic proficiency is well below state averages in nearly every subject and grade. For example, only 9% of 4th graders are proficient in English Language Arts (compared to 41% statewide), and just 7.5% of 6th graders meet math standards (state: 32%). While the school has shown a slight upward trend in its overall state ranking (from the 5th to 11th percentile over the past few years), it still lags far behind. A notable bright spot is 8th-grade Social Studies, where 31% of students are proficient—still below the state's 50%, but a clear relative strength.

When comparing schools, the differences are stark. Nearby Duvall Elementary School (0.89 miles away) and Haigh Elementary School (2.14 miles away), both part of the Dearborn City School District, serve similar percentages of low-income families yet achieve dramatically better results—Duvall's 5th-grade ELA proficiency is 64% versus West Village's 23%. West Village's performance is more comparable to other high-poverty charter schools like Inkster Preparatory Academy and Thorne Elementary School. The school spends $13,196 per student, yet this investment hasn't translated into academic success, raising questions about how resources are being used. For parents, the absenteeism crisis is the key issue to address—improving attendance would likely be the single most important step toward better outcomes.