University Preparatory Art Design Middle School

University Preparatory Art Design Middle School is a public charter school in Detroit, MI, serving grades 6 through 8 as part of the University Preparatory Art & Design district.

For parents, the most important takeaway is that this school is currently struggling academically. It holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the bottom 15% of Michigan middle schools. Test scores are critically low, especially in math. For example, only about 5% of 6th graders and 11% of 7th graders are proficient in math on the M-Step, compared to state averages of roughly 32% and 33%. Reading scores are higher but still below state levels. There is also a notable gender gap, with female students performing better than male students. One relative bright spot: the school performs better for its African American students (ranking in the 36th percentile) than it does for its overall student body, though there is still significant room for improvement.

Comparing this school to others nearby provides helpful context. Its sister school, University Prep Science and Math Middle School, located less than a mile away, outperforms Art Design in nearly every subject—for instance, its 6th-grade math proficiency is 20% versus 5%. Meanwhile, University Preparatory Middle School performs similarly or slightly worse, suggesting Art Design is part of a cluster of underperforming schools in the area. A stark contrast can be found at Lowrey Middle School in Dearborn, about 5 miles away, which ranks in the 79th percentile and achieves proficiency rates 3 to 10 times higher—even though it serves a similarly high-poverty population. This shows that strong outcomes are possible for students in this region, making the choice of school particularly important for your child's academic trajectory.