Brick Elementary School

Brick Elementary School is a K-5 school in Ypsilanti, MI, serving 500 students within the Lincoln Consolidated School District, where 71% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Brick Elementary faces significant academic challenges, with overall state rankings in the bottom quintile of Michigan elementary schools over the past several years. Proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math are well below state averages across all grade levels. For example, 4th-grade math proficiency was just 17.1% in the most recent school year, compared to the state average of 32-43%. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism, with 41.2% of students chronically absent—dramatically higher than the 28.3% at nearby Childs Elementary School and the 33.5% at Bishop Elementary School. This has been a persistent issue, with rates above 38% for four consecutive years.

Despite these challenges, there are notable bright spots. Brick Elementary shows a relative strength in serving its Hispanic students, who ranked in the 61st percentile statewide—a stark contrast to other subgroups. Additionally, 5th-grade students outperformed their district peers in both ELA and math in the most recent year, suggesting some grade-level teams are finding effective strategies. However, the school's support for special education students is a critical concern, with this subgroup ranking in the bottom 4% statewide. Interestingly, Bishop Elementary, located just 0.12 miles away with nearly identical demographics and resources, consistently outperforms Brick in most subject areas—pointing to school-specific factors like leadership or climate rather than purely demographic explanations. Brick's per-student spending of $18,722 is also notably higher than nearby charter schools like Keystone Academy ($12,245) and South Arbor Charter Academy ($12,425), which achieve proficiency rates 2-3 times higher, raising important questions about resource allocation and effectiveness.