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Blackwell Institute

Q: Is Blackwell Institute a good school?

Blackwell Institute ranks 417 th of 890 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-8

417^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 890 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 53% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Blackwell Institute is a public middle school located in Detroit, Michigan, serving grades 2-8 with a total enrollment of 117 students. The school is part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which is ranked 549 out of 613 districts in Michigan and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Blackwell Institute's academic performance, as measured by M-Step and PSAT proficiency rates, is generally below the state and district averages across various grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 4th-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was 23.5%, compared to the Detroit Public Schools Community District's 14.7% and the state's 42.4%. However, Blackwell Institute's performance is particularly strong in the African American student subgroup, where it ranks among the top 41 middle schools in the state for 2024-2025. The school has also made progress in improving its performance for low-socioeconomic status students, moving from a rank of 803 out of 815 Michigan middle schools in 2017-2018 to 188 out of 832 in 2024-2025.

One of the significant challenges facing Blackwell Institute is its high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 29.5% to 66.1% over the past few years. This is significantly higher than the state average and indicates a need to address attendance and engagement issues. The school has seen a significant increase in per-student spending, from $17,251 in 2020-2021 to $29,619 in 2023-2024, suggesting a commitment to providing more resources to support student learning. As the school continues to navigate these challenges, it will be important to monitor how these additional resources are being utilized and their impact on student outcomes.

Students ?

9.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,619

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 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 34 percentile points since 2023

✓Above the Michigan median (53rd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (33% vs 42% meeting standards)

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

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg17%

Michigan avg42%

Elementary school

1,220^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 17 pts since 2024

From bottom 35% (2024) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

417^th of 890

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 34 pts since 2023

From bottom 19% (2023) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle Schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District

549^th of 613Detroit 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
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
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
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
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%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
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 (2025)58th percentile+40 vs school

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

Male (2018)7th percentile

Female (2018)4th percentile

Middle school

African American (2025)88th percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)77th percentile+24 vs school

Male (2025)34th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies36%-11 vs state

Mathematics36%+5 vs state

English Language Arts33%-7 vs state

Science29%-13 vs state

Math26%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Blackwell Institute

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
Blackwell Institute	Public	3-8	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%)	49.4	417^th of 890 public middle schools	53.1%		33.7	582^nd of 897 public middle schools	35.1%	165	50.0	35.7		23.5			46.2	18.8	23.5			38.5		28.6		35.7	$29,619	$2,439	$27,179
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%)	36.9	546^th of 890 public middle schools	38.7%		33.5	586^th of 897 public middle schools	34.7%	40	61.6	21.0	27.5	26.7	25.0	30.3	33.1	33.3	32.2	29.8	29.1	30.4	17.1	20.2	10.7	23.3	$11,082	$1,869	$9,213
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%)	19.9	695^th of 890 public middle schools	21.9%		18.7	718^th of 897 public middle schools	20.0%	23	45.2	15.6					19.1					15.7		24.3		24.4	$00	$00	$00
University Preparatory Academy PSAD Middle	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%)	7.8	847^th of 890 public middle schools	4.8%		10.6	819^th of 897 public middle schools	8.7%	28	34.7	2.4				17.4	14.1				4.6	3.9		5.6		10.4	$14,716	$3,698	$11,018
J E Clark Preparatory Academy	Public	3-8	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%)	20.9	684^th of 890 public middle schools	23.1%					(n/a)	40.9	13.6			17.7	30.0								27.3		13.6	$23,855	$2,254	$21,601
Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	2985 E Jefferson Ave	Detroit	48207	Wayne County	Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 259-1744	339	21	16.5	98.8%	0 (0.0%)	336 (99.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14.5	759^th of 890 public middle schools	14.7%		8	849^th of 897 public middle schools	5.4%	90	29.4	2.9				25.2	21.3				13.5	11.1		19.2		18.4	$16,060	$5,585	$10,475
University Preparatory Science and Math PSAD 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%)	26.4	632^nd of 890 public middle schools	29.0%		20.4	698^th of 897 public middle schools	22.2%	66	52.1	17.8				21.7	22.1				17.2	11.6		29.3		38.2	$12,174	$2,590	$9,583
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%)	97.3	12^th of 890 public middle schools	98.7%		94.6	31^st of 897 public middle schools	96.5%	19	91.3	72.2			70.1	68.1	74.3			61.0	60.0	75.7	63.7	72.6	64.8	77.4	$19,176	$1,137	$18,038
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%)	13.2	776^th of 890 public middle schools	12.8%		10.6	820^th of 897 public middle schools	8.6%	44	37.3	6.3				20.7	22.0				9.2	4.7		16.1		21.6	$00	$00	$00
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%)	7.5	849^th of 890 public middle schools	4.6%		5.1	881^st of 897 public middle schools	1.8%	32	26.5					10.5	17.6					3.8		11.9		12.3	$10,723	$1,852	$8,870

Frequently Asked Questions about Blackwell Institute

Is Blackwell Institute a good school?

Blackwell Institute ranks 417^th of 890 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 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.

What high school do graduates of Blackwell Institute attend?

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

How many students attend Blackwell Institute?

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

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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.