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Detroit Leadership Academy K8

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-8

1368^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Detroit Leadership Academy K8 is a public charter elementary school serving 467 students in grades PK-8 in Detroit, Michigan. The school is part of the Detroit Leadership Academy district, which is ranked 598 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Detroit Leadership Academy K8 consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of Michigan elementary schools, with rankings between 1319-1540 out of around 1500 schools over the past 10 years. Its performance on state assessments (M-Step) is significantly below the state averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, only 10.7% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA compared to the state average of 38.9%. The school also has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 29.5% to 68% in recent years. In comparison, nearby schools like Vandenberg Elementary and Fisher Elementary perform significantly better on state assessments, with proficiency rates 2-3 times higher and lower chronic absenteeism rates.

Despite being a public charter school, Detroit Leadership Academy K8 has not shown any meaningful improvement in its performance over the past 10 years. The combination of very low academic achievement, high chronic absenteeism, and a student population facing significant socioeconomic challenges suggests that the school is in need of substantial intervention and support to improve student outcomes. Comparing the school to its nearby counterparts highlights the significant disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes for students in the Detroit area.

486

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,549

Per pupil spending ?

91.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13550 Virgil St
Detroit, MI 48223

(313) 242-1500

District: Detroit Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

98.6%

Two or more races:

1.0%

White:

0.4%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Detroit Leadership Academy K8 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2013 → 8th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (13% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (70% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

District avg13%

Michigan avg42%

Elementary school

1,368^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

865^th of 890

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▲ up 1 pts since 2023

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

598^th of 613Detroit 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
2025	9.4	1368 of 1488	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	1319 of 1486	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	4.3	1458 of 1470	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	1370 of 1448	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.3	1423 of 1466	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.5	1486 of 1548	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.2	1471 of 1580	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.4	1491 of 1533	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.8	1540 of 1563	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	26.2	274 of 369	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	232 of 348	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.3	313 of 321	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.3	205 of 212	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	33.6	307 of 475	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	1179 of 1338	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	1284 of 1443	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	1210 of 1346	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	1215 of 1381	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.5	1338 of 1350	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.3	1123 of 1134	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	1290 of 1397	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	5.7	1330 of 1366	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.7	1361 of 1446	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	5.9	865 of 890	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	847 of 897	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	864 of 883	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	17.1	310 of 338	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	267 of 300	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	291 of 310	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	813 of 832	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.0	782 of 836	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	807 of 825	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	5.8	780 of 798	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)26th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2025)12th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)10th percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile-5 vs school

Middle school

African American (2025)8th percentile+5 vs school

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

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Science14%-27 vs state

English Language Arts14%-28 vs state

Math10%-28 vs state

Social Studies8%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Detroit Leadership Academy K8

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Detroit Leadership Academy K8	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	13550 Virgil St	Detroit	48223	Wayne County	Detroit Leadership Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 242-1500	486	29	16.7	91.2%	2 (0.4%)	479 (98.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	9.4	1368^th of 1488 public elementary schools	8.1%		11.6	1319^th of 1486 public elementary schools	11.2%	49	27.7		10.7	9.1	26.8		10.6	14.3	9.1			6.4	20.0	8.3	7.5	8.3	$14,549	$3,891	$10,659
WashingtonParks Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	11685 Appleton	Redford	48239	Wayne County	Washington-Parks Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 592-6061	591	14	42.2	90.2%	0 (0.0%)	585 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	5.8	1449^th of 1488 public elementary schools	2.6%		7.5	1402^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	5.7%	47	48.3		6.3	7.7	11.1	15.2	15.0	6.3		4.8			7.9	16.9	4.8	13.3	$00	$00	$00
Detroit Community Schools Elementary	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	12675 Burt Rd	Detroit	48223	Wayne County	Detroit Community Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 537-3570	366	22	16.4	87.7%	0 (0.0%)	365 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)	8.5				8.3							8.0					$13,825	$3,209	$10,616
Gompers ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	14450 Burt Rd	Detroit	48223	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-7495	749	43	17.3	91.3%	3 (0.4%)	730 (97.5%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.3%)	4.9	1476^th of 1488 public elementary schools	0.8%		4	1480^th of 1486 public elementary schools	0.4%	4	26.3	13.2	3.4	7.0	10.3	7.3	7.0	10.1			4.2	4.2	6.3	16.0	4.1	26.7	$18,459	$2,564	$15,896
Fisher Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10000 Crosley	Redford	48239	Wayne County	South Redford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 532-2455	341	22	15.4	78.9%	30 (8.8%)	268 (78.6%)	19 (5.6%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.2%)	24.2	1092^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	26.6%		24	1105^th of 1486 public elementary schools	25.6%	13			18.9	21.3	36.4			17.0	27.9	19.5			27.3		23.4		$17,704	$1,296	$16,408
Jane Addams Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14025 Berwyn	Redford	48239	Wayne County	South Redford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 532-8064	297	18	16.3	66.3%	33 (11.1%)	220 (74.1%)	22 (7.4%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.1%)	30.6	1003^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	32.6%		23.3	1116^th of 1486 public elementary schools	24.9%	113			27.1	38.6	35.1			22.9	34.1	24.6			31.6		17.5		$18,593	$1,485	$17,107
Vandenberg Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	24901 Cathedral	Redford	48239	Wayne County	South Redford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 532-0300	280	22	12.9	81.8%	17 (6.1%)	240 (85.7%)	13 (4.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.5%)	16.8	1226^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.6%		23.3	1117^th of 1486 public elementary schools	24.8%	109			27.1	37.8	18.5			27.1	18.9	9.3			11.1		9.3		$20,231	$2,209	$18,021
Global Heights Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	23713 Joy Rd	Dearborn Heights	48127	Wayne County	Global Heights Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 624-3400	274	16	17.1	94.5%	25 (9.1%)	243 (88.7%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.9	1402^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	5.8%		5.2	1459^th of 1486 public elementary schools	1.8%	57			13.3	16.1	13.9			9.7							8.3		$14,336	$2,578	$11,759
Mann Learning Community	Public	PK, KG-5	19625 Elmira St	Detroit	48228	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-9580	359	24	14.9	91.1%	0 (0.0%)	342 (95.3%)	15 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	8.3	1389^th of 1488 public elementary schools	6.7%		6.2	1435^th of 1486 public elementary schools	3.4%	46			10.4	16.7	23.5			12.1	7.3				9.8		7.8		$20,420	$2,059	$18,361
Old Redford Academy Elementary	Public, Magnet, Charter	PK, KG-4	17195 Redford St	Detroit	48219	Wayne County	Old Redford Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 532-7510	265	14	18.9	84.5%	1 (0.4%)	256 (96.6%)	4 (1.5%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	5.1	1472^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	1.1%		7.1	1413^th of 1486 public elementary schools	4.9%	59			5.4	11.3				7.1	9.4								$19,423	$7,586	$11,837

Frequently Asked Questions about Detroit Leadership Academy K8

What is the racial makeup of Detroit Leadership Academy K8?

Students at Detroit Leadership Academy K8 are 99% African American, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Detroit Leadership Academy K8?

In the 2024-25 school year, 486 students attended Detroit Leadership Academy K8.

What district is Detroit Leadership Academy K8 in?

Detroit Leadership Academy

Is Detroit Leadership Academy K8 a good school?

Detroit Leadership Academy K8 ranks in the bottom 8.1% of Michigan elementary schools.

Rate Detroit Leadership Academy K8!

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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.