Roberto Clemente Learning Academy

Roberto Clemente Learning Academy is an elementary school in southwest Detroit serving 521 students in grades PK-5, where 87% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and a significant portion are English Language Learners. The school is part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which faces considerable challenges, but Clemente stands out as a relative bright spot within that district.

While the school's overall test scores rank in the bottom 15th percentile of Michigan elementary schools, there are notable pockets of strength. In the most recent school year, 34.7% of 3rd graders were proficient in math—dramatically higher than the district average of 20.1% and the highest among nearby comparable schools for that grade and subject. The school also posted an exceptional 36% proficiency rate in 5th-grade social studies in a prior year, compared to just 5.1% district-wide, though that figure has since dropped. Across nearly all subjects and grade levels, Clemente outperforms the district average—for example, 17.6% of 4th graders were proficient in ELA versus 15.6% district-wide, and 17% of 5th graders were proficient in math versus 11.3% district-wide. Chronic absenteeism, while high at 46.1%, is notably better than the district's 60.9% rate.

Comparing Clemente to Earhart ElementaryMiddle School, located just 1.43 miles away with similar demographics, Clemente consistently outperforms its neighbor—34.7% versus 16.3% in 3rd-grade math, and lower absenteeism. However, Salina Elementary P 3 in the Dearborn City School District serves a similar low-income population yet achieves significantly higher scores (41.6% vs. 13.9% in 3rd-grade ELA), showing that district resources matter. A clear pattern emerges: math proficiency consistently outpaces ELA at Clemente, suggesting literacy instruction may need additional focus. The school's performance has also been volatile year-to-year, indicating sensitivity to cohort changes and staffing.