Summary:
Zip code 48217 in Detroit, Michigan, is served by a single elementary school, Mark Twain ElementaryMiddle School, which educates students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade in a high-poverty area where over 91% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
As the only school in this zip code, Mark Twain ElementaryMiddle School serves a student body of 251 and operates within the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The school holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 11th percentile of Michigan elementary schools, placing it in the bottom tier academically. Proficiency rates on state assessments are significantly below state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, 4th grade English Language Arts proficiency is just 11.8% compared to the state's 41.3%, and 3rd grade math proficiency is 15.2% versus the state's 42.9%. The school also faces a severe chronic absenteeism crisis, with 59.6% of students missing substantial school time—more than double the state rate of 27.9%.
Despite these challenges, there are notable bright spots. Mark Twain ElementaryMiddle School actually outperforms its district in several key areas, including 5th grade ELA (19% vs. 17.1%), 6th grade math (19.4% vs. 12.1%), and 5th grade science (19% vs. 13.1%). The school also shows relative strength in upper grades, with 7th grade ELA proficiency exceeding the district rate. Per-student spending is high at $24,774, and the student-teacher ratio is favorable at 14.7:1. The school has improved from a 0-star rating in 2023-2024 to 1 star in subsequent years, suggesting some stabilization. However, with small cohort sizes, year-to-year performance can swing dramatically, and the combination of extreme poverty and chronic absenteeism remains the dominant factor shaping educational outcomes at this school.
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