The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 48% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Pembroke Academy
Pembroke Academy is a single-school district serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Wayne County, Michigan, in the Detroit area. It operates as a charter school and a Title I school, managed by National Heritage Academies. The enrollment is small for a district, and the grade distribution is heavily concentrated in the early grades, with far fewer students in the middle grades. The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller group identifying as two or more races.
The academic results from the most recent state assessments are a clear strength. Across the tested grades in elementary and middle school, proficiency in both English language arts and mathematics runs well above what is typical for Wayne County, and the school sits in the top quartile among the county's districts on an overall proficiency index. English language arts results are particularly strong in the upper elementary grades, where most tested students reached proficiency. Mathematics results are solid and consistent through the tested elementary grades, with a slight dip in sixth grade. Science results in the tested elementary grade are also strong. Social studies in the tested elementary grade is the softest spot, with fewer than half of tested students reaching proficiency, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school.
For the seventh and eighth grade results, the state reported proficiency only as a range rather than a precise figure, because so few students were tested in those grades. This is a function of the very small class sizes in the upper grades, not a withholding of results. The small tested counts mean those figures should be read with caution, as a single student's performance can shift the picture considerably.
Pembroke Academy was publicly recognized as a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, with the added distinction of Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing School. According to the school's operator and the Blue Ribbon program, it is only the fourth Detroit elementary school to earn this recognition. That distinction signals that the academic quality and gap-closing work caught federal attention, and it aligns with the strong proficiency numbers visible in the state data.
The school's chronic absenteeism rate sits right around the Wayne County median, which means a substantial share of students are missing enough school to be flagged. This is a common challenge across the county, and at Pembroke it is not an outlier either way, but it is something a parent would want to ask about. Per-pupil spending is in the upper range among the county's districts.
Several pieces of information a parent might look for were not available in the data provided. Free or reduced-price lunch counts were missing, though the school's Title I status signals it serves a population with economic need. Special education and English learner rates were also missing, as were participation rates for the state assessments. No program offerings, course access, staffing, discipline, or attendance detail beyond the chronic absenteeism figure were provided. No locale or community economic context was available, so the housing market picture is not addressed here. There were no multi-year trend data, so whether these results are improving, holding steady, or fluctuating over time could not be assessed.
Because Pembroke serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. That metric does not apply to this district's grade band.
For a family considering this school, the picture is one of strong academic outcomes in a small, predominantly Black charter setting with a national recognition for closing achievement gaps. The heaviest enrollment is in the earliest grades, which suggests many families join at kindergarten and some transition elsewhere before middle school. The upper-grade cohorts are very small, which affects both the social environment and the reliability of test data at those levels. A parent with a younger child would find a stronger evidence base in the state results, and a parent of an older child would want to ask directly about class size, peer group, and the transition plan to high school.
See more original research from School Decision →