Summary:
Zip code 48201 in Detroit, Michigan, is served by two elementary schools—Spain Elementary-Middle School and Edmonson Montessori—both part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which ranks in the bottom 13% of districts statewide.
These two schools, located just blocks apart, offer vastly different educational experiences. Edmonson Montessori is the clear standout, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 71st percentile statewide. Its students significantly outperform both the district and state averages—for example, 68.8% of 3rd graders are proficient in English Language Arts compared to the state average of 38.2%, and 71.9% are proficient in math versus 42.9% statewide. In contrast, Spain Elementary-Middle School holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 20th percentile, with proficiency rates in the teens and twenties across most subjects. The achievement gap between the two schools is striking—in 3rd grade ELA, Edmonson outperforms Spain by nearly 53 percentage points.
Demographics help explain some of this divide. At Spain, 85.4% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch and 46% are chronically absent, compared to 38.6% and 16.3% at Edmonson. Spain also spends about $2,500 less per student. However, Spain shows promising improvement, doubling its percentile rank from 10th to 20th over two years with gains in nearly every subject. For parents, Edmonson offers a proven, high-performing option that exceeds state averages despite its district's struggles, while Spain is a school on an upward trajectory that still faces significant challenges related to poverty and attendance.
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