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University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus

Public, Magnet, Charter Grades K-5

1382^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus is a K-5 public charter school in Detroit, MI, serving 438 students in a community where over 80% of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

This school faces significant academic challenges. Its statewide ranking has declined steadily over the past decade, falling from the 27th percentile in 2014-2015 to the 7th percentile for the 2025-2026 school year. Proficiency rates are well below state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, only 10.1% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA, compared to 20.7% of 4th graders—showing inconsistent performance between grade levels that suggests a lack of a cohesive school-wide academic strategy. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with 51.5% of students chronically absent in 2024-2025, nearly double the state average of 27.9%. The school also shows a significant gender gap: in 2025-2026, female students ranked in the 9th percentile statewide while male students ranked in the 2nd percentile, indicating that boys are not being served as effectively.

The most striking comparison is to University Preparatory Elementary Mark Murray Campus, a sister school in the same University Preparatory Academy (PSAD) district, located just 0.31 miles away. Mark Murray ranked in the 21st percentile statewide in 2025-2026, while Ellen Thompson ranked in the 7th—a gap visible across nearly every subject and grade level. For instance, 3rd-grade ELA proficiency was 22.2% at Mark Murray versus 10.1% at Ellen Thompson. This suggests school-level factors like leadership and teaching quality matter greatly. Nearby Edmonson Montessori (Detroit Public Schools Community District) ranks in the 71st percentile with just 16.3% chronic absenteeism, though it serves a more affluent population. Ellen Thompson's per-student spending of $11,520 is also far below the $20,448-$25,084 spent by nearby Detroit Public Schools, potentially limiting resources to address these challenges.

438

Students ?

19.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

81.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

957 Holden St
Detroit, MI 48202-3443

(313) 874-9800

District: University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)

Racial breakdown:

African American:

99.1%

Two or more races:

0.5%

Hispanic:

0.2%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (13% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (52% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school13%

District avg17%

Michigan avg38%

1,382^nd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 15% (2016) to bottom 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)

570^th of 625University Preparatory Academy (PSAD) 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	9.3	1382 of 1492	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	1341 of 1488	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	1338 of 1486	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	1299 of 1470	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.7	1215 of 1344	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	1236 of 1408	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	1232 of 1448	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.9	1292 of 1466	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.9	1317 of 1548	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.3	1155 of 1580	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	10.6	1411 of 1533	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	14.9	1383 of 1563	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.7	1369 of 1566	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.7	1235 of 1552	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	23.9	315 of 388	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.1	259 of 369	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.7	258 of 348	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	216 of 321	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	102 of 158	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.5	137 of 212	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.3	196 of 475	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	12.2	1225 of 1343	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.4	1278 of 1338	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.4	1328 of 1342	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	1232 of 1321	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.6	1077 of 1106	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	1118 of 1171	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	1124 of 1443	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	12.0	1257 of 1352	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.5	1226 of 1346	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	1292 of 1381	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	1224 of 1350	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	964 of 1099	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.5	951 of 1134	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	1067 of 1397	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	6.3	1345 of 1372	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	1243 of 1366	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	1150 of 1347	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	1183 of 1334	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.0	1090 of 1139	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	1058 of 1196	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	1256 of 1446	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)19th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)9th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts17%-24 vs state

Math11%-27 vs state

Science8%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus

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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
University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-5	957 Holden St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 874-9800	438	22	19.9	81.7%	0 (0.0%)	434 (99.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	9.3	1382^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	7.4%		10.7	1341^st of 1488 public elementary schools	9.9%	41			10.1	20.7	19.5			8.7	17.1	7.8			7.8		1464.5		$00	$00	$00
University Preparatory Elementary Mark Murray Campus	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-5	435 Amsterdam St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 309-0552	467	23	20.3	74.3%	1 (0.2%)	461 (98.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	19.6	1180^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.9%		17.5	1209^th of 1488 public elementary schools	18.8%	29			22.2	30.9	29.4			23.3	21.0	20.0			15.3		10.6		$00	$00	$00
Golightly Education Center	Public	PK, KG-8	5536 Saint Antoine St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 870-1101	412	26	15.7	81.3%	2 (0.5%)	408 (99.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.2	1067^th of 1492 public elementary schools	28.5%		26.1	1063^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	28.6%	4	51.3	20.5	25.5	24.4	28.9	34.1	48.6	28.0	36.6	17.8	18.2	37.8	18.2	10.3	15.9	38.5	$21,146	$1,776	$19,370
Edmonson Montessori	Public	PK, KG-8	1300 W Canfield St	Detroit	48201	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 332-4646	262	19	14.1	38.5%	63 (24.0%)	181 (69.1%)	6 (2.3%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.8%)	68.5	426^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.4%		73.2	366^th of 1488 public elementary schools	75.4%	60			68.8	61.8	45.8	66.7	63.2	71.9	38.2	25.0	50.0	42.1	37.5		12.5		$25,084	$2,691	$22,394
George Crockett Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	4851 14th St	Detroit	48208	Wayne County	George Crockett Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 896-6078	341	24	14.3	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	338 (99.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	10.9	1355^th of 1492 public elementary schools	9.2%		11.4	1331^st of 1488 public elementary schools	10.6%	24	34.3	354.6	12.5	14.0	25.9	12.2	17.1	21.9	9.3	1471.3	1568.1	1669.4	14.8	22.9	11.1	20.0	$00	$00	$00
Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	7724 14th St	Detroit	48206	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 596-0990	455	27	16.9	95.2%	1 (0.2%)	443 (97.4%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	6.1	1456^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.4%		6.8	1428^th of 1488 public elementary schools	4.0%	28	31.6	13.2	5.9	1364.5	7.3	1571.9	11.4	6.1	14.5	5.6	1561.6	9.3	1472.9	7.5	5.6	20.0	$21,280	$1,663	$19,618
Spain ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	3700 Beaubien St	Detroit	48201	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-2081	403	30	13.3	85.4%	6 (1.5%)	373 (92.6%)	7 (1.7%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.2%)	19.4	1187^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.4%		12.7	1306^th of 1488 public elementary schools	12.2%	119	46.2	13.5	16.0	27.7	17.8	24.5	29.3	36.0	24.4	11.1	13.2	7.7	13.3	8.2	15.6	25.0	$22,589	$1,765	$20,824
Burton International Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	2001 Martin Luther King Jr Bl	Detroit	48208	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 596-3800	482	28	17.2	90.5%	1 (0.2%)	474 (98.3%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	21.2	1153^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	22.7%		15.5	1255^th of 1488 public elementary schools	15.7%	102	26.1	19.6	10.7	16.0	33.3	31.4	20.4	12.5	20.4	26.2	9.8	17.0	23.8	14.0	23.8	32.0	$20,448	$1,818	$18,630
University Preparatory Art Design Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	10225 3rd St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Art & Design	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 826-1159	389	26	14.9	79.4%	5 (1.3%)	381 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	14.5	1287^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.7%		16.8	1225^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.7%	62			10.1	20.9	38.3			13.0	17.9	13.3			13.3		8.3		$14,825	$1,186	$13,639
Hanley International Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	2400 Denton St	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Hanley International Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 875-8888	667	42	15.7	96.1%	14 (2.1%)	77 (11.5%)	3 (0.4%)	571 (85.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	46.1	760^th of 1492 public elementary schools	49.1%		36.9	910^th of 1488 public elementary schools	38.8%	150	65.6	26.2	25.6	28.0	50.0	24.6	29.0	46.2	38.7	34.7	26.2	27.5	36.5	29.5	36.5	41.0	$00	$00	$00

Frequently Asked Questions about University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus

How many students attend University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus?

In the 2024-25 school year, 438 students attended University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus.

Is University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus a good school?

University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus ranks in the bottom 7.4% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus?

Students at University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus are 99% African American.

What district is University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus in?

University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 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.