Riverside Academy West Campus

Riverside Academy West Campus is a public charter school in Dearborn, MI, serving 470 students in grades 6 through 12, where 100% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch. This school presents a fascinating mix of outcomes: while its academic test scores are low compared to state averages, it achieves remarkable success in keeping students enrolled and graduating them on time.

The most striking strength of Riverside Academy is its student persistence. For the 2024-2025 school year, the school reports a graduation rate of 96.1%, which matches the rate at the highly-regarded Fordson High School just down the road and far exceeds the state average of 84.0%. This is especially notable when compared to nearby Detroit schools like Cody High School (72.3%) and Detroit Leadership Academy High School (69.8%). Additionally, Riverside reports a chronic absenteeism rate of just 14.5%—dramatically lower than the state average of 27.9% and a fraction of the rates seen at neighboring Detroit schools, which range from 49.4% to 78.8%. The school also boasts a 0.0% dropout rate, a perfect score that indicates nearly every student who starts at Riverside stays through to graduation.

However, academic proficiency tells a different story. Test scores in ELA and Math are well below state averages—for example, only 7.5% of 6th graders are proficient in ELA compared to the state's 37.5%. The school's overall rank is in the bottom 20th percentile of Michigan high schools, though it has improved from the 8th to the 20th percentile in just one year. A relative bright spot is its English Language Learner program, which ranks in the 33rd percentile statewide. When compared to Fordson High School—which serves a similar demographic and has the same graduation rate—Fordson outperforms Riverside in nearly every academic subject. This suggests Riverside Academy excels at creating a supportive, engaging environment that keeps students in school, but it still has work to do in delivering the same level of academic instruction as its higher-performing neighbor in the Dearborn City School District.