Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Palmer Park Preparatory Academy

Q: Is Palmer Park Preparatory Academy a good school?

Palmer Park Preparatory Academy ranks 786 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

786^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Palmer Park Preparatory Academy is an elementary school in Detroit, MI, serving 405 students in grades PK through 8 as part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Palmer Park is a school on a clear upward trajectory. Over the past five years, its state ranking has climbed every single year, from the 12th percentile in 2021-2022 to the 47th percentile in 2025-2026. This improvement is visible across multiple measures. For example, 6th-grade English Language Arts proficiency jumped from 9.8% in 2022-2023 to 61.9% in 2025-2026. Chronic absenteeism has also been cut nearly in half, dropping from a high of 69.1% in 2021-2022 to 37.4% in 2024-2025. While still above the state average of 27.9%, this represents remarkable progress. When compared to nearby schools within a 1.6-mile radius, Palmer Park is a clear leader. Its 2025-2026 state ranking is dramatically higher than Pasteur Elementary School (27th percentile), Bagley Elementary School of Journalism and Technology (18th), Thurgood Marshall Elementary School (16th), Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School (6th), and Schulze Academy for Technology and Arts (2nd). The only school in the broader area that outperforms it is Bates Academy, a district-wide magnet school with selective admission criteria.

Despite these positive trends, a notable area of concern is 8th-grade performance in Science and Math. In 2025-2026, 8th-grade Science proficiency was just 8.7%, and 8th-grade Math proficiency (PSAT) was 10.9%—both below state and district averages. This contrasts sharply with the school's strong ELA results and suggests a challenge in preparing students for advanced coursework by 8th grade. The school's per-student spending is substantial at $22,495 for 2024-2025, higher than several nearby schools, but given its significantly better academic outcomes, this investment appears to yield strong returns. For families in the area, Palmer Park stands out as a high-value option within the district, showing consistent improvement and strong results for its students.

405

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,495

Per pupil spending ?

59.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

87.5%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 7.1% (any vaccine)

3901 Margareta St
Detroit, MI 48221-2260

(313) 494-7300

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

Students who attend Palmer Park Preparatory Academy usually attend:

High:

Mumford High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

84.0%

White:

11.9%

Two or more races:

2.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Palmer Park Preparatory Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2022 → 47th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 35 percentile points since 2022

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Detroit Public Schools Community District

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (30% vs 40% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 28% Michigan)

!Science scores 25 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg16%

Michigan avg40%

Elementary school

786^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 35 pts since 2022

From bottom 12% (2022) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

581^st of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 34 pts since 2023

From bottom 1% (2023) to bottom 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 64Elementary Schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District

541^st of 625Detroit Public Schools Community District 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	44.5	786 of 1492	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.0	1012 of 1488	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.8	1184 of 1486	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	1238 of 1470	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	1183 of 1344	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	50.3	150 of 388	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.2	160 of 369	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.7	208 of 348	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.4	201 of 321	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.5	91 of 158	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.4	417 of 475	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	597 of 1343	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.9	854 of 1338	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.0	1090 of 1342	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	1118 of 1321	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.7	1408 of 1443	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	820 of 1352	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.9	950 of 1346	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	1178 of 1381	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	1150 of 1350	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	1363 of 1397	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	33.9	884 of 1372	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.5	923 of 1366	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.9	1100 of 1347	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	1142 of 1334	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.2	1399 of 1446	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	581 of 896	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	10.4	812 of 890	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	845 of 897	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.0	873 of 883	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	43.4	162 of 337	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	23.1	277 of 338	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	246 of 300	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	300 of 310	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	340 of 366	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	464 of 789	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	9.3	739 of 789	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	743 of 771	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.0	775 of 794	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	32.8	566 of 834	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	8.0	803 of 832	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	805 of 836	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	816 of 825	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.2	791 of 815	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	553 of 813	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	8.7	751 of 798	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	719 of 786	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	767 of 776	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.9	782 of 797	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)61st percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)56th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)36th percentile-12 vs school

Middle school

African American (2026)52nd percentile+17 vs school

Female (2026)41st percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)32nd percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts43%+3 vs state

Math30%-6 vs state

Social Studies24%-15 vs state

Science15%-25 vs state

Mathematics11%-22 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Palmer Park Preparatory Academy and help other families decide.

Rate Palmer Park Preparatory Academy

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Palmer Park Preparatory Academy

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination 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)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Palmer Park Preparatory Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	3901 Margareta St	Detroit	48221	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-7300	405	25	16.2	59.8%	48 (11.9%)	340 (84.0%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.5%)	44.5	786^th of 1492 public elementary schools	47.3%		30	1012^th of 1488 public elementary schools	32.0%	226	34.8	10.9	31.3	42.1	36.4	61.9	47.5	34.4	31.6	18.2	42.9	25.6	27.3	8.7	27.3	21.7	87.5%	7.1%	$22,495	$1,827	$20,669
Bagley Elementary School of Journalism and Technology	Public	PK, KG-7	8100 Curtis St	Detroit	48221	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-7175	374	22	17.2	85.8%	0 (0.0%)	364 (97.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	17.8	1218^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.4%		15.9	1247^th of 1488 public elementary schools	16.2%	29			6.3	22.6	24.4	20.8	22.8	29.8	18.8	7.3	19.2	14.0	17.5		20.0		89.7%	5.1%	$19,996	$1,654	$18,342
Pasteur Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-7	19811 Stoepel St	Detroit	48221	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-7314	310	27	11.6	89.4%	0 (0.0%)	306 (98.7%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.4	1092^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	26.8%		12.7	1305^th of 1488 public elementary schools	12.3%	213			1273.1	20.6	19.2	11.1	27.3	1266.1	17.6	23.1	1572.7	23.8	26.9		38.5		80%	6.7%	$26,521	$3,031	$23,490
Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	8145 Puritan St	Detroit	48238	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 494-3830	692	46	15.1	92.2%	1 (0.1%)	679 (98.1%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	8.2	1404^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.9%		10.7	1340^th of 1488 public elementary schools	9.9%	64	15.4	3.9	20.3	13.4	20.3	6.7	10.6	12.7	3.8	1453.7	1548.2	18.5	7.5	6.6	1464.0	35.9	92.3%	7.7%	$22,558	$1,634	$20,924
Bates Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	19701 Wyoming St	Detroit	48221	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-7000	773	42	18.3	61.1%	0 (0.0%)	770 (99.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	89.4	142^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	90.5%		90.5	114^th of 1488 public elementary schools	92.3%	28	80.4	50.5	58.8	77.2	61.4	72.8	79.1	75.3	72.8	51.8	65.2	74.4	50.6	37.4	41.0	56.6	96.8%	3.2%	$19,706	$1,540	$18,166
MacDowell Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	4201 W Outer Dr	Detroit	48221	Wayne County	MacDowell Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-8141	362	22	16.4	90.9%	1 (0.3%)	359 (99.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.5	1424^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.6%		6.2	1443^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	3.0%	19	22.9	343.3	1261.8	6.3	12.5	14.0	15.6	1262.3	1365.2	1464.2	1557.1	1656.4	1473.9	16.7	1470.0	29.2	81.8%	4.5%	$15,217	$71	$15,145
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School	Public	1-8	15531 Linwood St	Detroit	48238	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-8820	451	34	13.4	89.1%	3 (0.7%)	438 (97.1%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15.7	1260^th of 1492 public elementary schools	15.5%		8.6	1381^st of 1488 public elementary schools	7.2%	121	21.7	364.8	22.7	1372.3	20.0	20.0	17.7	18.2	1371.6	1467.4	12.0	1667.2	20.0	20.0	1471.5	29.2			$24,673	$2,085	$22,588
Schulze Academy for Technology and Arts	Public	PK, KG-8	10700 Santa Maria St	Detroit	48221	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 340-4400	630	34	18.5	88.4%	1 (0.2%)	620 (98.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	6	1462^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	2.0%		7.9	1401^st of 1488 public elementary schools	5.8%	61	28.1	4.5	12.1	6.8	10.3	9.3	16.5	9.1	5.6	4.8	6.8	3.4	9.5	6.7	1462.5	18.9	93.2%	4.5%	$20,253	$1,577	$18,676
Martin Luther King Junior Education Center Academy	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-8	16827 Appoline St	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Martin Luther King Junior Education Center Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 341-4944	234	10	23.4	84.2%	49 (20.9%)	183 (78.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)								(n/a)			1275.7	1375.2	1467.0	1574.1	1671.9	1269.2	21.7	1452.8	1556.1	1668.2	1469.5		1463.1				$21,216	$1,476	$19,739
AdamsYoung Building	Public, Charter	K-5	13130 Grove St	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Lincoln-King Adams-Young Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 522-7602	520	8	65.0	87.3%	0 (0.0%)	515 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	5.2	1478^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.9%		6.2	1444^th of 1488 public elementary schools	3.0%	34			1265.5	10.6	13.3			5.1	1362.3	1453.2			10.3		1466.7		85.2%	8.2%	$13,222	$1,635	$11,587

Frequently Asked Questions about Palmer Park Preparatory Academy

What schools do graduates of Palmer Park Preparatory Academy attend?

Students who attend Palmer Park Preparatory Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Mumford High School

What is the racial makeup of Palmer Park Preparatory Academy?

Students at Palmer Park Preparatory Academy are 84% African American, 12% White, 2% Two or more races.

Is Palmer Park Preparatory Academy a good school?

Palmer Park Preparatory Academy ranks 786^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Palmer Park Preparatory Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 405 students attended Palmer Park Preparatory Academy.

What district is Palmer Park Preparatory Academy in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

Rate Palmer Park Preparatory Academy!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Detroit, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Palmer Park Preparatory Academy!

Latest Michigan data All new data »

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.