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

Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Q: Is Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School a good school?

Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School ranks in the bottom 2.4% of Michigan elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 455 students attended Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School?

Students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School are 97% African American, 2% Hispanic.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1456^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Thirkell Elementary-Middle School is a public PK-8 school in Detroit, MI, serving 455 students within the Detroit Public Schools Community District, where over 95% of students come from economically disadvantaged households.

Thirkell faces significant challenges, ranking in the 2nd percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year—among the lowest-performing schools in Michigan. Academic proficiency rates are critically low across nearly all subjects and grade levels. For example, only 5.88% of 3rd graders were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 14.1% for the district and 38.2% for the state. The school also struggles with crisis-level chronic absenteeism at 69.7%, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the district average and more than double the state average. This rate is also higher than nearby schools like Golightly Education Center (47.7%) and Sampson-Webber Leadership Academy (57.9%).

Despite these struggles, there are faint signs of hope. Eighth-grade students showed notably higher proficiency on the PSAT in English Language Arts (31.6%), nearly matching the district average of 32.1%. Chronic absenteeism has also decreased from a peak of 84.3% in 2021-2022 to 69.7% in 2024-2025. However, the contrast with Edmonson Montessori, just 1.67 miles away, is stark—Edmonson ranks in the 71st percentile statewide with 68.8% 3rd-grade ELA proficiency and a chronic absenteeism rate of only 16.3%. Thirkell spends a substantial $21,280 per student, higher than several neighboring schools, yet this funding has not translated into academic success. The school requires intensive, systemic intervention to address its foundational challenges and improve outcomes for its students.

455

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,280

Per pupil spending ?

95.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

7724 14th St
Detroit, MI 48206-2644

(313) 596-0990

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

Students who attend Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School usually attend:

High:

Northwestern High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

97.4%

Hispanic:

1.5%

Two or more races:

0.9%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — <1st percentile in 2024 → 2nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (11% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (70% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school11%

District avg16%

Michigan avg40%

Elementary school

1,456^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▲ up 2 pts since 2024

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

831^st of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 2 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

54^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	6.1	1456 of 1492	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.8	1428 of 1488	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.9	1481 of 1486	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	14.6	369 of 388	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.3	329 of 369	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	342 of 348	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	450 of 475	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	4.5	1440 of 1443	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.8	1330 of 1352	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.2	1266 of 1346	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	1375 of 1381	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.1	1377 of 1397	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	7.7	1385 of 1446	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	9.5	831 of 896	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.0	831 of 890	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.2	894 of 897	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	809 of 883	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	707 of 776	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	281 of 337	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.1	270 of 338	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	294 of 300	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	228 of 310	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.7	126 of 182	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.0	284 of 366	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.8	754 of 789	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.8	753 of 789	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	637 of 770	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.5	758 of 794	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	12.8	767 of 834	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.3	766 of 832	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.3	835 of 836	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	750 of 825	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	593 of 691	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	753 of 815	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	720 of 813	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	726 of 776	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	569 of 639	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.8	697 of 797	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)5th percentile~ school

Male (2018)4th percentile

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2018)<1st percentile

Middle school

African American (2026)17th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)11th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile~ school

Female (2026)4th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics13%-20 vs state

Social Studies12%-27 vs state

Math9%-27 vs state

English Language Arts8%-32 vs state

Science8%-32 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School and help other families decide.

Rate Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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 Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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 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/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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	7724 14th St	Detroit	48206	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 596-0990	455	27	16.9	95.2%	1 (0.2%)	443 (97.4%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	6.1	1456^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.4%		6.8	1428^th of 1488 public elementary schools	4.0%	28	31.6	13.2	5.9	1364.5	7.3	1571.9	11.4	6.1	14.5	5.6	1561.6	9.3	1472.9	7.5	5.6	20.0	$21,280	$1,663	$19,618
University Preparatory Elementary Ellen Thompson Campus	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-5	957 Holden St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 874-9800	438	22	19.9	81.7%	0 (0.0%)	434 (99.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	9.3	1382^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	7.4%		10.7	1341^st of 1488 public elementary schools	9.9%	41			10.1	20.7	19.5			8.7	17.1	7.8			7.8		1464.5		$00	$00	$00
University Preparatory Elementary Mark Murray Campus	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-5	435 Amsterdam St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 309-0552	467	23	20.3	74.3%	1 (0.2%)	461 (98.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	19.6	1180^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.9%		17.5	1209^th of 1488 public elementary schools	18.8%	29			22.2	30.9	29.4			23.3	21.0	20.0			15.3		10.6		$00	$00	$00
George Crockett Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	4851 14th St	Detroit	48208	Wayne County	George Crockett Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 896-6078	341	24	14.3	—	0 (0.0%)	338 (99.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	10.9	1355^th of 1492 public elementary schools	9.2%		11.4	1331^st of 1488 public elementary schools	10.6%	24	34.3	354.6	12.5	14.0	25.9	12.2	17.1	21.9	9.3	1471.3	1568.1	1669.4	14.8	22.9	11.1	20.0	$00	$00	$00
University Preparatory Art Design Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	10225 3rd St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Art & Design	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 826-1159	389	26	14.9	79.4%	5 (1.3%)	381 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	14.5	1287^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.7%		16.8	1225^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.7%	62			10.1	20.9	38.3			13.0	17.9	13.3			13.3		8.3		$14,825	$1,186	$13,639
Durfee ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	2425 Tuxedo St	Detroit	48206	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 252-3070	632	31	20.3	93.4%	2 (0.3%)	615 (97.3%)	7 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	8.6	1398^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.3%		5.2	1465^th of 1488 public elementary schools	1.5%	67	26.5	320.0	13.3	7.4	13.1	5.3	6.6	21.0	9.6	13.1	4.2	6.6	13.1	41.2	8.3	19.7	$20,981	$1,604	$19,377
SampsonWebber Leadership Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	4700 Tireman St	Detroit	48204	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 596-4750	330	26	12.6	95.2%	3 (0.9%)	282 (85.5%)	39 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	13.7	1301^st of 1492 public elementary schools	12.8%		10.4	1347^th of 1488 public elementary schools	9.5%	46	25.0	342.8	1266.7	1360.8	20.0	17.9	20.7	15.6	1358.8	14.3	1557.3	13.8	20.0	13.3	1464.4	20.0	$24,496	$1,758	$22,739
Edmonson Montessori	Public	PK, KG-8	1300 W Canfield St	Detroit	48201	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 332-4646	262	19	14.1	38.5%	63 (24.0%)	181 (69.1%)	6 (2.3%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.8%)	68.5	426^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.4%		73.2	366^th of 1488 public elementary schools	75.4%	60			68.8	61.8	45.8	66.7	63.2	71.9	38.2	25.0	50.0	42.1	37.5		12.5		$25,084	$2,691	$22,394
Keidan Special Education Center	Public	PK, KG-8	4441 Collingwood St	Detroit	48204	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	No	(313) 873-9400	105	16	6.5	84.8%	9 (8.6%)	80 (76.2%)	16 (15.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	$45,510	$5,027	$40,484
Golightly Education Center	Public	PK, KG-8	5536 Saint Antoine St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 870-1101	412	26	15.7	81.3%	2 (0.5%)	408 (99.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.2	1067^th of 1492 public elementary schools	28.5%		26.1	1063^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	28.6%	4	51.3	20.5	25.5	24.4	28.9	34.1	48.6	28.0	36.6	17.8	18.2	37.8	18.2	10.3	15.9	38.5	$21,146	$1,776	$19,370

Frequently Asked Questions about Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

How many students attend Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 455 students attended Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School.

Is Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School a good school?

Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School ranks in the bottom 2.4% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School?

Students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School are 97% African American, 2% Hispanic.

What district is Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

What schools do graduates of Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School attend?

Students who attend Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School usually go on to attend:

High : Northwestern High School

Rate Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School!

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 Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School!

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.