Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Detroit Public Schools Community District

This page covers 71 elementary schools in Detroit Public Schools Community District. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

71
Schools Ranked
Michigan
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 71
1
rank
Keidan Special Education Center
Grades PK–0898 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (5.5:1) · above-average investment ($22,389/student)
72
/100
Student:Teacher
5.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
86%
High economic need
2
rank
Cooke STEM Academy
Grades PK–06334 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($22,389/student)
59
/100
Student:Teacher
13.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
81%
High economic need
3
rank
Ann Arbor Trail Magnet School
Grades 01–08150 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.5:1) · above-average investment ($22,389/student)
59
/100
Student:Teacher
12.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
91%
High economic need
4
rank
Maybury Elementary School
Grades PK–05255 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($22,389/student)
59
/100
Student:Teacher
13.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
82%
High economic need
5
rank
AL Holmes Academy of Blended Learning
Grades PK–08391 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1) · above-average investment ($22,389/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
95%
High economic need
6
rank
Chrysler Elementary School
Grades PK–05136 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($22,389/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
14.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
78%
High economic need
7
rank
Bunche Preparatory Academy
Grades PK–08401 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.9:1) · above-average investment ($22,389/student)
58
/100
Student:Teacher
12.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
93%
High economic need
8
rank
Carstens ElementaryMiddle School
Grades PK–08303 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($22,389/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
14.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
95%
High economic need
9
rank
Henderson Academy
Grades PK–08520 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($22,389/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
14.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
91%
High economic need
10
rank
Harms Elementary School
Grades PK–05236 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($22,389/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
14.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$22,389
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
90%
High economic need
61 more elementary schools in Detroit Public Schools Community District not shown here.
View all schools in Detroit Public Schools Community District
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
71
Elementary Schools
107
Total Schools
72
#1 Score
49
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Other School Levels
Compare Detroit Public Schools Community District with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.