River Rouge Alternative Virtual Academy

River Rouge Alternative Virtual Academy is a K-12 virtual school in River Rouge, MI, serving 841 students within the River Rouge School District of the City of, a district that ranks in the bottom 4% of Michigan schools.

The most striking concern for parents is the school's extraordinary student-to-teacher ratio of 725:1, meaning students have virtually no direct access to teachers. This is dramatically different from Dearborn Public Schools Virtual K12, a similar virtual program just 4.57 miles away, which maintains a 29:1 ratio. The consequences are visible in the outcomes: only 46.0% of students graduate, compared to 85.4% at Dearborn Virtual, and the dropout rate of 26.9% is nearly four times the state average. Academic proficiency is also far below state averages—for example, only 13.2% of 5th graders are proficient in English Language Arts versus 43.8% statewide, and just 10.6% of 11th graders are proficient on the SAT reading section. Despite spending $19,114 per student—more than Dearborn Virtual's $13,829—the school achieves far worse results, suggesting funds are not being directed toward instructional support.

There are a few positive signs: chronic absenteeism has improved from 52.8% in 2022-2023 to 29.1% in 2024-2025, and 8th-grade PSAT English scores (35.3% proficient) actually exceed the district average. However, the contrast with nearby Universal Academy (3.67 miles away) is telling—Universal serves an even higher percentage of low-income students yet achieves a 97.9% graduation rate with a 0.0% dropout rate, using a 17.2:1 student-to-teacher ratio and spending less per student. For parents considering this school, the evidence strongly suggests that the virtual model at River Rouge lacks the teacher support necessary for student success, and exploring better-resourced alternatives like Dearborn Virtual or Universal Academy may be worthwhile.