Wayne County Districts: Detroit Public Schools Community District welcomed most students in 2024-25 school year

Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/

By Detroit City Wire

Apr 28, 2025

Detroit Public Schools Community District had the highest enrollment among Wayne County districts, welcoming 49,038 students during the 2024-25 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 50.5% of them were boys, and 49.5% were girls.

Data also showed that most of the students were African American, representing 79.3% of the Detroit Public Schools Community District total enrollment.

Among the 130 districts in Wayne County, Dearborn City School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 19,297 students, while Plymouth-Canton Community Schools welcomed 16,100 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Detroit Public Schools Community District roughly covers schools within Wayne County, with its main office in Detroit.

In the previous school year, Detroit Public Schools Community District also had the highest number of students among Wayne County schools.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,427,386 students enrolled in Michigan schools, a figure 4.8% below the pre-pandemic total of 1,499,552 in 2019-20, with white students seeing the largest decline of approximately 3%.

Academic performance in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the 2024 NAEP results, the share of students reaching the basic benchmark in core subjects is about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019—except for fourth-grade math, which saw a decline of just 2 points.

Achievement gaps between ethnic groups also persist. On average, Hispanic students scored 15 points below white students. The gap was even wider for Black students, who scored about 30 points lower than their white peers.

The 2025 education budget, approved by Gov. Whitmer last July, totals $23.4 billion—$900 million less than the previous year’s budget. K-12 schools are working with $20.6 billion, a reduction from the $21.5 billion allocated in 2024.

However, some school superintendents and educators were concerned about the new budget. "Schools cannot function properly without adequate funding for safety and mental health," stated Rep. David Martin, R-Davison, referring to a significant cut of around $301 million from school safety and mental health programs. Based on the current bill, the program will receive just $26.5 million.

Enrollment in Wayne County Over 10 Years

Enrollment in Wayne County Districts During 2024-25 School Year

District	City (Main Office)	Total Enrollment
Detroit Public Schools Community District	Detroit	49,038
Dearborn City School District	Dearborn	19,297
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools	Plymouth	16,100
Livonia Public Schools School District	Livonia	13,153
Wayne-Westland Community School District	Westland	9,879
Wayne RESA	Wayne	8,615
Northville Public Schools	Northville	7,052
Grosse Pointe Public Schools	Grosse Pointe Woods	6,440
Woodhaven-Brownstown School District	Woodhaven	5,689
Taylor School District	Taylor	5,412
School District of the City of Lincoln Park	Lincoln Park	4,934
School District of the City of Wyandotte	Wyandotte	4,292
Van Buren Public Schools	Belleville	4,274
Southgate Community School District	Southgate	3,761
Allen Park Public Schools	Allen Park	3,714
Crestwood School District	Dearborn Heights	3,688
Gibraltar School District	Woodhaven	3,654
Garden City Public Schools	Garden City	3,265
School District of the City of River Rouge	River Rouge	3,092
The School District of the City of Harper Woods	Harper Woods	3,046
Melvindale-North Allen Park Schools	Melvindale	2,997
School District of the City of Hamtramck	Hamtramck	2,878
South Redford School District	Redford	2,775
Riverview Community School District	Riverview	2,755
Trenton Public Schools	Trenton	2,604
Huron School District	New Boston	2,489
Dearborn Heights School District #7	Dearborn Heights	2,387
Cesar Chavez Academy	Detroit	2,294
Star International Academy	Dearborn Heights	2,098
Romulus Community Schools	Romulus	2,077
Chandler Park Academy	Harper Woods	2,019
Redford Union Schools District No. 1	Redford	2,018
Oakland International Academy	Detroit	1,992
University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)	Detroit	1,848
Flat Rock Community Schools	Flat Rock	1,754
Clarenceville School District	Livonia	1,633
Summit Academy North	Romulus	1,574
Westfield Charter Academy	Redford	1,564
Westwood Community School District	Dearborn Heights	1,513
Detroit Service Learning Academy	Detroit	1,504
Grosse Ile Township Schools	Grosse Ile	1,493
University Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD)	Detroit	1,441
Detroit Edison Public School Academy	Detroit	1,320
Voyageur Academy	Detroit	1,313
Bridge Academy	Hamtramck	1,304
University Preparatory Art & Design	Detroit	1,244
Advanced Technology Academy	Dearborn	1,207
Ecorse Public Schools	Ecorse	1,150
Frontier International Academy	Detroit	1,132
Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences	Detroit	1,033
Hope of Detroit Academy	Detroit	1,012
Old Redford Academy	Detroit	957
Riverside Academy	Dearborn	867
Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy	Plymouth	823
South Canton Scholars Charter Academy	Canton	822
Distinctive College Prep.	Harper Woods	811
Canton Charter Academy	Canton	774
Achieve Charter Academy	Canton	771
Detroit Achievement Academy	Detroit	770
Universal Learning Academy	Westland	761
Creative Montessori Academy	Southgate	759
Detroit Leadership Academy	Detroit	757
Legacy Charter Academy	Detroit	738
Grand River Academy	Livonia	727
David Ellis Academy West	Redford	725
Keystone Academy	Belleville	721
Detroit Merit Charter Academy	Detroit	720
Regent Park Scholars Charter Academy	Detroit	707
Detroit Premier Academy	Detroit	706
Ivywood Classical Academy	Plymouth	697
Universal Academy	Detroit	695
Detroit Enterprise Academy	Detroit	686
Quest Charter Academy	Taylor	683
Covenant House Academy Detroit	Detroit	682
Warrendale Charter Academy	Detroit	680
Hanley International Academy	Hamtramck	667
Detroit Community Schools	Detroit	665
American International Academy	Westland	660
Taylor Exemplar Academy	Taylor	660
Flagship Charter Academy	Detroit	655
Trillium Academy	Taylor	641
Canton Preparatory High School	Canton	612
Washington-Parks Academy	Redford	591
Caniff Liberty Academy	Hamtramck	590
Tipton Academy	Garden City	556
Hamtramck Academy	Hamtramck	549
Cornerstone Jefferson-Douglass Academy	Detroit	541
The Dearborn Academy	Dearborn	518
Dove Academy of Detroit	Detroit	487
Academy for Business and Technology	Melvindale	487
Henry Ford Academy	Dearborn	476
American Montessori Academy	Livonia	441
Hope Academy	Detroit	430
Escuela Avancemos	Detroit	425
Metro Charter Academy	Romulus	421
Jalen Rose Leadership Academy	Detroit	420
Taylor Preparatory High School	Taylor	405
Pembroke Academy	Detroit	390
University Yes Academy	Detroit	388
George Washington Carver Academy	Highland Park	372
MacDowell Preparatory Academy	Detroit	364
Highland Park Public School Academy System	Highland Park	362
Madison-Carver Academy	Detroit	344
George Crockett Academy	Detroit	341
Detroit Innovation Academy	Detroit	335
Barack Obama Leadership Academy	Detroit	329
Michigan Educational Choice Center	Detroit	302
Global Heights Academy	Dearborn Heights	274
Weston Preparatory Academy	Detroit	258
West Village Academy	Dearborn	242
Martin Luther King Jr. Education Center Academy	Detroit	234
Inkster Preparatory Academy	Wixom	220
SER YouthBuild Learning Academy	--	216
New Paradigm College Prep	Detroit	215
W-A-Y Academy	Detroit	211
New Paradigm Glazer-Loving Academy	Detroit	211
David Ellis Academy	Detroit	206
The James and Grace Lee Boggs School	Detroit	172
Joy Preparatory Academy	Detroit	161
Detroit Public Safety Academy	Detroit	156
WAY Michigan	Detroit	156
Rutherford Winans Academy	Detroit	152
Commonwealth Community Development Academy	Detroit	150
Pathways Academy	Detroit	145
Branch Line School	Livonia	141
Capstone Academy Charter School (SDA)	Detroit	136
KIPP Detroit Imani Academy	--	91
Vista Meadows Academy	Dearborn Heights	88
Fostering Leadership Academy	Redford	76
Clara B. Ford Academy (SDA)	Dearborn Heights	58