Dwight Rich School of the Arts

Dwight Rich School of the Arts is a public magnet elementary school serving grades K-8 in the Lansing Public School District, with 627 students. Despite its focus on the arts, the school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Michigan, with a statewide ranking between 1232 and 1473 out of 1533-1580 schools over the past decade.

Dwight Rich faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 29.5% to 80.8% in recent years, far exceeding the district and state averages. Academically, the school's performance is poor, with only 8.8% of 3rd graders proficient in ELA and 5.6% proficient in math, compared to 20.6% and 38.9% proficiency rates in the district and state, respectively. The school's struggles are particularly pronounced for male, low-socioeconomic, and African American students, who rank in the bottom 10-15% of Michigan schools in those subgroups.

Interestingly, nearby Wexford Montessori Magnet School, Cavanaugh School, and Lewton School generally outperform Dwight Rich on academic metrics, despite serving similar student populations. Additionally, Dwight Rich's higher per-student spending of around $21,000 has not translated to improved outcomes, raising questions about resource allocation and utilization at the school.