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Bow ElementaryMiddle School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1352^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Bow Elementary-Middle School is a public PK-8 school in Detroit, MI, serving 459 students within the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The school faces significant challenges, with a 1-star rating and a statewide ranking in the bottom 10th percentile over the past four years.

The most pressing issue at Bow is an extraordinarily high chronic absenteeism rate of 75.1%—nearly three times the state average and dramatically higher than nearby high-performing schools like Pembroke Academy (31.2%) and Detroit Achievement Academy (18.2%). This means the vast majority of students are missing significant instructional time, making academic progress nearly impossible regardless of resources. Notably, Bow spends $23,437 per student—among the highest in the area and nearly double what Detroit Achievement Academy spends—yet outcomes remain in the bottom 10% statewide. This high-cost, low-outcome model raises questions about how funds are being utilized. The contrast with Pembroke Academy, located just 0.12 miles away, is striking: Pembroke ranks in the 92nd percentile with a 5-star rating, despite serving a similarly high percentage of low-income families. This comparison shows that high poverty does not have to dictate low performance.

Despite these challenges, there are signs of progress. Bow's statewide percentile rank has improved from 2nd to 9th over the past two years. Middle school grades show a modest uptick, with 6th-grade ELA proficiency rising from 10.2% to 19.3%, and 8th-grade science proficiency (17.8%) now exceeds the district average and several nearby schools, including Emerson Elementary-Middle School and John R King Academic and Performing Arts Academy. However, 5th-grade math proficiency dropped sharply, with no data reported for the most recent year. For parents, the key takeaway is that attendance is the single biggest factor affecting student success at Bow, and while there are pockets of improvement, the school's overall performance remains far below local alternatives.

459

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,437

Per pupil spending ?

91.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

19801 Prevost St
Detroit, MI 48235-2356

(313) 852-0500

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

Students who attend Bow ElementaryMiddle School usually attend:

High:

Henry Ford High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

99.1%

Hispanic:

0.7%

Two or more races:

0.2%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Bow ElementaryMiddle School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2023 → 9th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (15% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (75% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg16%

Michigan avg40%

Elementary school

1,352^nd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 2 pts since 2023

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

775^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 7 pts since 2023

From bottom 7% (2023) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

33^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	11.0	1352 of 1492	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	1346 of 1488	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.4	1454 of 1486	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	1367 of 1470	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	26.3	295 of 388	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.7	266 of 369	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	327 of 348	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	257 of 321	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	419 of 475	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	9.2	1268 of 1338	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.7	1256 of 1321	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.6	1409 of 1443	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.1	1202 of 1352	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.0	1202 of 1346	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	1343 of 1381	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	1239 of 1350	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.9	1353 of 1397	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	11.1	1262 of 1372	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.6	1246 of 1366	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.3	1304 of 1347	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.6	1267 of 1334	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.0	1402 of 1446	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.8	775 of 896	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.2	789 of 890	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	826 of 897	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.6	824 of 883	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	34.5	203 of 337	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.8	221 of 338	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.6	237 of 300	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.1	252 of 310	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	317 of 366	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.7	701 of 789	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	7.1	761 of 789	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	709 of 771	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.3	741 of 770	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.6	770 of 794	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	20.2	686 of 834	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.3	744 of 832	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	758 of 836	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	741 of 825	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.9	774 of 815	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.7	719 of 813	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.8	690 of 798	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	734 of 786	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	692 of 776	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.0	754 of 797	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)24th percentile+15 vs school

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

Male (2026)8th percentile~ school

Female (2025)5th percentile-4 vs school

Middle school

African American (2026)40th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

Female (2026)11th percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science16%-24 vs state

Math15%-21 vs state

English Language Arts14%-26 vs state

Social Studies12%-27 vs state

Mathematics9%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bow 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/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
Bow ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	19801 Prevost St	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 852-0500	459	31	15.0	91.5%	0 (0.0%)	455 (99.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11	1352^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	9.4%		10.4	1346^th of 1488 public elementary schools	9.5%	6	29.5	9.1	8.9	9.1	13.6	19.3	17.1	13.3	1364.1	1454.5	16.1	1658.8	13.6	17.8	6.8	17.8	$23,437	$1,695	$21,743
Pembroke Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	19940 Mansfield St	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Pembroke Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 243-0092	390	26	15.0	84.6%	1 (0.3%)	340 (87.2%)	7 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	40 (10.3%)	90.8	119^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.0%		88	157^th of 1488 public elementary schools	89.4%	38	489.0	70.0	56.5	76.0	92.1	1617.7	1718.4	68.1	56.0	52.6	70.0	82.1	68.4	1816.4	73.7	1826.0	$17,556	$1,759	$15,797
Vernor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	13726 Pembroke Ave	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-7342	340	20	17.4	92.4%	1 (0.3%)	333 (97.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	14.3	1293^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	13.3%		11.8	1319^th of 1488 public elementary schools	11.4%	26	24.2	328.2	1262.5	21.6	22.0	14.3	12.0	19.5	17.1	1464.9	1564.7	1661.6	17.1	1770.7	14.6	1776.6	$20,201	$1,754	$18,447
Detroit Achievement Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	7000 W Outer Dr	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Detroit Achievement Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 468-9518	352	21	16.7	84.4%	8 (2.3%)	340 (96.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	21.7	1146^th of 1492 public elementary schools	23.2%		24.2	1091^st of 1488 public elementary schools	26.7%	55	48.1	22.2	12.8	15.2	40.8	25.0	52.0	25.5	13.0	14.6	29.2	44.0	25.0	18.5	16.7	23.1	$12,938	$1,259	$11,678
Oak Park Service Learning Academy OPSLA	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	21700 Marlow St	Oak Park	48237	Oakland County	Detroit Service Learning Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 539-4115	212	14	15.0	—	0 (0.0%)	212 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	12.5	322.1	1270.1	22.7	1466.1	1569.1	11.4	1265.3	1362.1	1450.9	1560.6	1660.8	1462.1	16.7	1465.4	12.5	$11,056	$741	$10,316
Einstein Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14001 Northend Ave	Oak Park	48237	Oakland County	Oak Park School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 336-7640	387	24	16.3	80.6%	10 (2.6%)	361 (93.3%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	7	1439^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.6%		6.8	1430^th of 1488 public elementary schools	3.9%	9			12.9	8.1	19.0			11.4	1365.5	4.8			9.5		4.8		$20,001	$1,554	$18,447
Foreign Language Immersion and Cultural Studies	Public	PK, KG-8	6501 W Outer Dr	Detroit	48235	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 651-2400	715	43	16.4	66.4%	2 (0.3%)	703 (98.3%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	60.9	541^st of 1492 public elementary schools	63.7%		53.9	660^th of 1488 public elementary schools	55.6%	119	84.5	48.3	41.8	39.2	52.5	50.6	59.7	65.4	43.0	36.3	40.7	45.2	33.8	39.7	25.0	67.2	$20,223	$1,671	$18,553
Emerson ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	18240 Huntington Rd	Detroit	48219	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 831-9688	532	36	14.7	91.0%	2 (0.4%)	521 (97.9%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	7	1436^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.8%		6.4	1439^th of 1488 public elementary schools	3.3%	3	26.4	6.9	15.5	14.3	11.9	7.0	18.2	14.5	6.3	1453.3	1560.6	9.1	9.2	11.4	1464.8	14.3	$22,631	$1,780	$20,851
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
Lessenger Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	12901 Albany St	Oak Park	48237	Oakland County	Oak Park School District of the City of	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(248) 336-7690	54	10	5.5	79.6%	0 (0.0%)	53 (98.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	$25,310	$2,436	$22,873

Frequently Asked Questions about Bow ElementaryMiddle School

What schools do graduates of Bow ElementaryMiddle School attend?

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

High : Henry Ford High School

How many students attend Bow ElementaryMiddle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 459 students attended Bow ElementaryMiddle School.

What district is Bow ElementaryMiddle School in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

Is Bow ElementaryMiddle School a good school?

Bow ElementaryMiddle School ranks in the bottom 9.4% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Bow ElementaryMiddle School?

Students at Bow ElementaryMiddle School are 99% African American.

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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.