Detroit Public Schools Today

Dianne Feeley

Special needs children constitute approximately 15% of Detroit’s public school students. Photo: Jim West

[This short article was written as a response and update on the review of The Containment,]

Today’s Detroit, with a population of 645,000, is half of what it was then, and the percentage of Black families stands at 77%. Children represent 25% of the city’s population, with 44.2% of them living below the poverty line. That’s more than double the state’s rate.

Of the 95,350 children in Detroit schools, 48,271 attend public school while 50,460 are enrolled in the charter schools. But one in four schoolchildren attend public and charter schools outside the city limits.

Ninety percent of those who attended neighborhood schools in 2023 were classified as economically disadvantaged and come from families whose average earnings were $21,733. (By comparison, those who attended charter schools within the city were 87% economically disadvantaged and came from families with earnings of $28,787.)

Those who passed the academic test to attend the city’s selective public schools were 67% economically disadvantaged, even though their family income jumped to $47,513.

Children who attended neighborhood schools come from families who do not own a car. With Detroit’s transportation system inadequate and relatively expensive, one third of Detroiters have no car, which limits access to various resources. Given that schools are not required to provide transportation for all students, It is no wonder why two-thirds of Detroit students are chronically absent.

Another reason for absenteeism is that 16% of schoolchildren are either in unstable housing or are homeless. Further, due to toxic pollution Detroit children suffer higher rates of asthma in comparison to children throughout (14.6% vs. 8.4%), and when tested show higher rates of lead poisoning. One in four Detroit children experience significant trauma before they enter kindergarten. These factors have implications for learning, and threaten their mental and physical health throughout their lives if not addressed.

This February, two children died in a van parked overnight in a casino garage. The homeless Black family — five children and two adults — slept there during a below-freezing night but the heater turned off when the gas ran out. In the morning the mother discovered Darnell Currie Jr., 9, and A’millah Currie, 2, dead. Autopsies revealed they died from the carbon monoxide.