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Blackwell Institute

Q: Is Blackwell Institute a good school?

Blackwell Institute ranks 514 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 4-8

514^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 43% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Blackwell Institute is a small middle school in Detroit, MI, serving 92 students in grades 4 through 8 within the Detroit Public Schools Community District, where over 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Despite serving a highly economically disadvantaged population, Blackwell Institute is beating the odds. The school has shown remarkable academic growth, jumping from the 19th percentile statewide in 2022-2023 to the 53rd percentile in 2024-2025. In the most recent testing, 5th and 8th-grade science proficiency reached 40%—more than triple the district average and matching the state average. The school also stands out for its exceptional work with African American students, ranking in the 88th percentile statewide for this group. When compared to nearby schools with similar demographics like Lincoln Middle School and Chandler Park Academy Middle School, Blackwell's 8th-grade math proficiency (26.67%) was more than double Lincoln's (5.3%) and over four times Chandler Park's (6.2%).

What makes this success possible? Blackwell invests heavily in its students, spending $34,014 per student—far more than comparable schools—and maintains a very low student-teacher ratio of 9.2 to 1, ensuring children receive individualized attention. The contrast with Pierce Middle School in Grosse Pointe is telling: while Pierce posts higher raw proficiency scores, it serves a much more affluent population (only 8.77% on free lunch). Blackwell is achieving strong results despite far greater challenges. The school's main hurdle is chronic absenteeism, which has improved dramatically from 81% to 41.6% but remains above the state average. For parents seeking a school that demonstrates real progress and strong outcomes for students facing economic hardship, Blackwell Institute is a standout choice in Detroit.

Students ?

9.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$34,014

Per pupil spending ?

96.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9330 Shoemaker St
Detroit, MI 48213-3152

(313) 866-4391

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

Students who attend Blackwell Institute usually attend:

High:

Southeastern High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

96.7%

Hispanic:

3.3%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Blackwell Institute to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2023 → 43rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2023

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (32% vs 39% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 28% Michigan)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg16%

Michigan avg39%

Elementary school

1,008^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 3 pts since 2024

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

514^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 23 pts since 2023

From bottom 19% (2023) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle 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	29.7	1008 of 1492	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	17.1	1220 of 1488	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	962 of 1486	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	100 of 388	74.2%	★★★★☆
2025	47.6	154 of 369	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.9	83 of 348	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	23.0	407 of 475	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	8.0	1385 of 1443	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	27.2	1000 of 1346	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.5	709 of 1381	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	8.7	1357 of 1397	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	9.5	1345 of 1446	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	514 of 896	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.4	417 of 890	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.7	582 of 897	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.9	711 of 883	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	67.3	73 of 337	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	79.0	41 of 338	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	56.7	101 of 300	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.2	147 of 310	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	18.0	343 of 366	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.9	452 of 789	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	428 of 834	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	67.4	188 of 832	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	43.6	438 of 836	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	7.2	803 of 815	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	530 of 798	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	6.2	787 of 797	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)74th percentile+42 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)26th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2018)7th percentile

Female (2018)4th percentile

Middle school

African American (2026)78th percentile+36 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)49th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)34th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science40%~ state avg

Social Studies30%-9 vs state

Mathematics27%-7 vs state

Math25%-9 vs state

English Language Arts20%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Blackwell Institute

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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
Blackwell Institute	Public	4-8	9330 Shoemaker St	Detroit	48213	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-4391	92	10	9.2	96.7%	0 (0.0%)	89 (96.7%)	3 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40.4	514^th of 896 public middle schools	42.6%		49.4	417^th of 890 public middle schools	53.1%	97	46.7	26.7		1361.7	20.0	1573.8			25.0	1475.6	1567.9		40.0	40.0	20.0	40.0	$34,014	$2,363	$31,651
Oakland International Academy 28	Public, Charter	2-8	8228 Conant St	Detroit	48211	Wayne County	Oakland International Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 925-1000	1,034	13	78.0	62.1%	875 (84.6%)	39 (3.8%)	28 (2.7%)	73 (7.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (1.6%)	43.6	483^rd of 896 public middle schools	46.1%		36.9	546^th of 890 public middle schools	38.7%	63	62.5	42.2	28.4	38.0	31.1	25.8	29.7	43.7	38.4	24.4	35.9	33.6	16.2	17.9	16.8	27.4	$10,008	$914	$9,094
Kosciuszko School	Public	7-8	2333 Burger St	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Hamtramck School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 591-7405	279	20	14.3	82.4%	134 (48.0%)	33 (11.8%)	1 (0.4%)	108 (38.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	17.3	731^st of 896 public middle schools	18.4%		19.9	695^th of 890 public middle schools	21.9%	36	41.5	12.8					18.0					12.3		17.6		32.9	$00	$00	$00
University Preparatory Middle School	Public, Magnet, Charter	6-8	5310 Saint Antoine St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 831-0010	384	22	17.4	77.3%	0 (0.0%)	380 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	12.9	787^th of 896 public middle schools	12.2%		7.8	847^th of 890 public middle schools	4.8%	60	39.3	4.9				20.9	17.4				11.0	8.7		11.3		25.0	$00	$00	$00
J E Clark Preparatory Academy	Public	4-8	15755 Bremen St	Detroit	48224	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 417-9340	125	11	11.3	92.8%	2 (1.6%)	123 (98.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				1363.3	1465.3	1576.9	38.9		1366.6	1464.7	1569.3	1667.9	1468.6		1466.7		$29,115	$2,488	$26,626
University Prep Science and Math Middle School	Public, Magnet, Charter	6-8	5100 John R St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 832-8400	513	27	19.0	64.7%	7 (1.4%)	498 (97.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	30.9	597^th of 896 public middle schools	33.4%		26.4	632^nd of 890 public middle schools	29.0%	35	47.5	16.0				33.9	23.5				20.1	20.1		27.6		41.1	$12,155	$903	$11,252
Pierce Middle School	Public	5-8	15430 Kercheval Ave	Grosse Pointe Park	48230	Wayne County	Grosse Pointe Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(313) 432-4700	570	30	19.3	8.8%	445 (78.1%)	35 (6.1%)	35 (6.1%)	9 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (8.1%)	96.9	19^th of 896 public middle schools	97.9%		97.3	12^th of 890 public middle schools	98.7%	7	96.6	67.1			73.1	61.4	72.4			53.7	61.4	65.9	67.9	69.4	59.7	88.4	$17,372	$657	$16,715
University Preparatory Art Design Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	485 W Milwaukee St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Art & Design	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(313) 481-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	13.7	777^th of 896 public middle schools	13.3%					(n/a)	33.1	7.5				18.0	19.3				5.4	11.4		25.0		20.3
Lincoln Middle School	Public	6-8	22500 Federal Ave	Warren	48089	Macomb County	Van Dyke Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(586) 758-8320	408	25	16.1	92.9%	41 (10.0%)	299 (73.3%)	15 (3.7%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (11.5%)	12.7	788^th of 896 public middle schools	12.1%		13.2	776^th of 890 public middle schools	12.8%	12	42.4	5.3				13.2	19.2				4.2	10.2		10.7		29.8	$19,747	$3,682	$16,065
Chandler Park Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	20100 Kelly Rd	Harper Woods	48225	Wayne County	Chandler Park Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 905-5030	514	29	17.9	91.6%	0 (0.0%)	513 (99.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11.8	806^th of 896 public middle schools	10.0%		7.5	849^th of 890 public middle schools	4.6%	43	39.1	6.2				14.5	16.7				4.6	9.1		14.2		25.9	$12,298	$1,255	$11,043

Frequently Asked Questions about Blackwell Institute

What high school do graduates of Blackwell Institute attend?

Students who attend Blackwell Institute usually go on to attend Southeastern High School

Is Blackwell Institute a good school?

Blackwell Institute ranks 514^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Blackwell Institute in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

What is the racial makeup of Blackwell Institute?

Students at Blackwell Institute are 97% African American, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Blackwell Institute?

In the 2024-25 school year, 92 students attended Blackwell Institute.

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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.