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Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-8

1404^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary-Middle School is a public PK-8 school in Detroit, MI, serving 692 students within the Detroit Public Schools Community District, where over 92% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Bethune faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 10th percentile of Michigan elementary schools. While the school receives substantial funding—over $22,000 per student—this investment hasn't translated into strong outcomes. The most pressing issue is chronic absenteeism: 57.2% of students are chronically absent, more than double the state average of 27.9%. This creates a fundamental barrier to learning. Academically, performance varies dramatically by grade and subject. For example, 8th-grade Social Studies is a clear bright spot, with 35.9% proficiency—10.7 points above the district average and higher than nearby schools like Thurgood Marshall Elementary School (29.2%). However, 6th-grade ELA proficiency has plummeted from 21.4% in 2023-2024 to just 6.7% in 2025-2026, now far below the district average of 16.3%. Similarly, 4th-grade math proficiency sits at a critical 3.75%, nearly four times lower than the district's already-low 15.3%.

The contrast with Palmer Park Preparatory Academy, just 1.4 miles away, is striking. Palmer Park serves a less economically disadvantaged population (59.75% vs. 92.2% free/reduced lunch) and has a much lower chronic absenteeism rate (37.4% vs. 57.2%). Its academic performance is dramatically better—ranking in the 47th percentile statewide compared to Bethune's 6th. For instance, Palmer Park's 6th-grade ELA proficiency is 61.9% versus Bethune's 6.7%. While Bethune's absenteeism is lower than some nearby schools like Thurgood Marshall (78.3%) and John R King Academic and Performing Arts Academy (68.5%), its performance doesn't correspondingly improve, suggesting multiple factors are at play. The school's inconsistent results across grades—from strong 8th-grade Social Studies to weak 6th-grade ELA—point to variability in instruction and curriculum, rather than a cohesive school-wide strategy. For parents, this means outcomes can depend heavily on which teacher and grade level their child encounters.

692

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,558

Per pupil spending ?

92.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8145 Puritan St
Detroit, MI 48238

(313) 494-3830

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

Students who attend Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School usually attend:

High:

Mumford High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

98.1%

Hispanic:

0.9%

Asian:

0.3%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2023 → 6th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (13% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (57% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school13%

District avg16%

Michigan avg40%

Elementary school

1,404^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▬ steady since 2023

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

813^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 4 pts since 2023

From bottom 5% (2023) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

43^rd 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	8.2	1404 of 1492	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	1340 of 1488	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	1209 of 1486	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.6	1377 of 1470	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.9	336 of 388	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.5	267 of 369	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.7	184 of 348	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.5	272 of 321	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.2	1301 of 1343	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.9	1245 of 1338	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	1111 of 1342	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	1186 of 1321	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	10.9	1282 of 1352	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.2	1184 of 1346	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	1047 of 1381	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	1238 of 1350	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.1	1308 of 1372	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	1202 of 1366	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	1244 of 1347	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.1	1311 of 1334	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	11.3	813 of 896	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.7	797 of 890	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	770 of 897	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	837 of 883	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	261 of 337	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.9	230 of 338	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	196 of 300	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.2	262 of 310	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.6	640 of 789	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.0	726 of 789	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	693 of 771	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.1	734 of 770	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	15.4	739 of 834	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.3	736 of 832	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.7	681 of 836	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	756 of 825	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.0	779 of 813	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	692 of 798	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	652 of 786	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.3	754 of 776	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)13th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)5th percentile~ school

Female (2026)3rd percentile-3 vs school

Middle school

African American (2026)23rd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2026)19th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies36%-3 vs state

English Language Arts14%-26 vs state

Math11%-25 vs state

Science7%-33 vs state

Mathematics4%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School

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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
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	$22,558	$1,634	$20,924
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
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		$19,996	$1,654	$18,342
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	$20,253	$1,577	$18,676
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		$13,222	$1,635	$11,587
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
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	$22,495	$1,827	$20,669
Flagship Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	13661 Wisconsin St	Detroit	48238	Wayne County	Flagship Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 933-7933	655	33	19.8	93.9%	3 (0.5%)	574 (87.6%)	14 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (9.6%)	14.7	1281^st of 1492 public elementary schools	14.1%		12.8	1302^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	12.5%	21	37.3	5.8	8.0	19.5	29.1	21.2	21.8	9.3	24.7	12.7	9.1	9.1	23.6	15.8	9.1	24.6	$14,094	$2,171	$11,923
John R King Academic and Performing Arts Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	15850 Strathmoor St	Detroit	48227	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-9600	879	49	17.9	94.8%	3 (0.3%)	842 (95.8%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.7%)	13.4	1305^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.5%		9.6	1365^th of 1488 public elementary schools	8.3%	60	35.5	12.4	13.5	9.1	20.2	10.7	17.5	23.3	18.6	21.7	9.8	15.7	23.8	9.9	8.3	22.3	$20,464	$1,583	$18,880
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	$15,217	$71	$15,145

Frequently Asked Questions about Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School

How many students attend Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 692 students attended Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School.

What district is Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

Is Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School a good school?

Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School ranks in the bottom 5.9% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School?

Students at Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School are 98% African American.

What schools do graduates of Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School attend?

Students who attend Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School usually go on to attend:

High : Mumford High School

Rate Mary McLeod Bethune ElementaryMiddle School!

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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.