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Detroit Leadership Academy K8

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-8

1320^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Detroit Leadership Academy K8 is a public charter school in Detroit, MI, serving 486 students in grades PK through 8, where over 91% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most significant challenge facing this school is chronic absenteeism. In the 2024-2025 school year, over 70% of students were chronically absent—meaning they missed 10% or more of the school year. This rate is more than double the Michigan state average of 27.9% and has remained persistently high (68-73%) for the past four years. This directly impacts learning, as reflected in test scores. For example, 4th-grade reading proficiency was just 8.16% in the most recent school year, compared to 41.3% statewide, and 8th-grade math proficiency was 8.89% versus 33.2% statewide. The school earns a 1-star rating overall, ranking in the 12th percentile of Michigan schools. However, there is a notable bright spot: 6th-grade reading proficiency reached 30.8%, far exceeding the school's other grade levels, suggesting a potential area of instructional strength worth investigating. The school also shows a relative strength in serving its African American students, who ranked in the 32nd percentile statewide—higher than the school's overall ranking.

When comparing to nearby options, Jane Addams Elementary School (30% 4th-grade reading proficiency) and Vandenberg Elementary School (25%) in the South Redford School District perform significantly better, with chronic absenteeism rates of 30-40% and higher per-student funding ($17,444-$23,075 versus $14,696 at Detroit Leadership Academy). Other nearby charters like WashingtonParks Academy and Gompers ElementaryMiddle School perform at similarly low levels. For parents, the key takeaway is that attendance and foundational academic support are critical areas needing immediate attention at this school.

486

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,696

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 → 12th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (15% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg15%

Michigan avg40%

Elementary school

1,320^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 4% (2016) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

782^nd of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 11 pts since 2023

From bottom 2% (2023) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

587^th of 625Detroit 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
2026	12.6	1320 of 1492	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	31.3	265 of 388	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	13.5	1239 of 1352	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	10.5	1270 of 1372	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	13.2	782 of 896	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	30.6	227 of 337	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	17.1	310 of 338	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	267 of 300	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	291 of 310	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.6	650 of 789	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.0	736 of 834	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	9.7	755 of 813	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
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 (2026)32nd percentile+20 vs school

Female (2025)12th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)7th percentile-4 vs school

Middle school

African American (2026)33rd percentile+20 vs school

Female (2026)18th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)12th percentile~ school

Male (2026)7th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies18%-21 vs state

English Language Arts15%-25 vs state

Science10%-30 vs state

Mathematics9%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Detroit Leadership Academy K8

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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
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%)	12.6	1320^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.5%		9.4	1368^th of 1488 public elementary schools	8.1%	48	28.9	8.9	1266.3	8.2	13.0	30.8	10.0	1263.9	1361.9	1456.9	1566.9	1666.0	6.5	13.6	1461.0	18.2	$14,696	$2,576	$12,120
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%)	7.8	1415^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.2%		5.8	1449^th of 1488 public elementary schools	2.6%	34	35.1	337.2	12.9	8.3	15.8	16.0	15.4	8.7	6.9	5.3	5.3	4.6	8.8	14.0	8.8	21.1	$14,847	$1,514	$13,333
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)	296.7	326.7	1259.0	1357.0	1461.6	7.7	6.1	9.1	1357.3	1454.1	1557.7	1656.6	1462.7	6.8	1460.6	1775.5	$10,663	$1,413	$9,251
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%)	5.4	1474^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.2%		4.9	1476^th of 1488 public elementary schools	0.8%	2	31.6	8.8	4.3	10.4	6.3	6.0	21.0	10.8	11.7	1452.9	3.0	17.9	4.8	12.7	4.7	23.2	$20,971	$2,163	$18,809
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%)	18.3	1210^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.9%		24.2	1092^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	26.6%	118			32.6	25.0	25.8			27.9	17.9	12.1			19.7		9.1		$17,444	$1,327	$16,117
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%)	20.8	1164^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.0%		30.6	1003^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	32.6%	161			20.5	30.0	34.9			28.2	16.0	14.0			23.3		11.6		$18,550	$1,536	$17,013
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%)	21.1	1155^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.6%		16.8	1226^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.6%	71			21.3	25.0	42.9			19.1	17.3	11.9			26.2		14.3		$19,777	$1,683	$18,095
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%)	7.6	1419^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.9%		7.9	1402^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	5.8%	17	27.3	333.2	1270.5	13.3	9.7	16.7	1671.6	7.3	1365.5	9.7	1561.5	1660.5	9.7	1772.4	1463.4	13.6	$15,285	$1,964	$13,322
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%)	11.9	1333^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	10.7%		8.3	1389^th of 1488 public elementary schools	6.7%	56			13.5	21.3	22.5			1261.1	14.9	1461.6			13.2		1469.8		$22,607	$1,804	$20,803
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%)	4.6	1488^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.3%		5.1	1472^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	1.1%	16			5.8	1366.0				9.6	5.7								$16,755	$2,217	$14,538

Frequently Asked Questions about Detroit Leadership Academy K8

Is Detroit Leadership Academy K8 a good school?

Detroit Leadership Academy K8 ranks in the bottom 11.5% of Michigan elementary schools.

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

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.

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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.