The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in Science. The lowest is 11% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Da Vinci Schools 612
Da Vinci Schools 612 is a charter school on Jackson's Springport Road serving grades six through twelve. It is a small school for its grade span, with a student body that leans heavily toward the high school years rather than the middle grades. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and the enrollment is predominantly white, with Black students and students of two or more races making up most of the remainder. The school sits within the Da Vinci Schools charter district, an independent entity rather than part of the traditional Jackson public school system. We looked for information on the district's recent strategic changes and found little that met a lasting parent-relevant bar, so we left that out rather than guess.
On state assessments from the most recent year, math results were very weak across all three tested middle-grade levels, with proficiency rates in the lowest reported band at each grade. English language arts showed a similar pattern in sixth and seventh grade, where only a small fraction of tested students reached proficiency. Eighth grade told a different story on the PSAT-based ELA measure, where a much larger share cleared the proficiency bar, and science results for eighth grade landed in a middling range. Social studies proficiency for eighth grade was also low. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Jackson County. Participation rates were not reported. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand what supports are in place for the large cohort of students who are not yet scoring proficient in math.
We looked for graduation rate data and chronic absenteeism figures and did not find them in the available records. The same was true for information on individualized education program rates and English learner counts. Course access, staffing levels, and discipline data were also absent. Program offerings such as Advanced Placement, career pathways, or dual-enrollment options were not provided, though publicly reported material on the district mentions virtual learning, dual enrollment, and individualized education plans as longstanding features. Without specifics in the data we received, we cannot say how those translate into concrete offerings at this campus.
Jackson itself is a mid-sized industrial city and the county seat of Jackson County. It was an early automotive manufacturing center, and the auto parts industry remains one of the largest employers of skilled machine operators in the county. The city has seen steady population decline since the mid-twentieth century as heavy industry restructured, though the broader metropolitan area has held more stable. Downtown Jackson has a compact core with the Bright Walls mural project, two historic Coney Island restaurants near the train station, and the Michigan Theatre as a cultural landmark. The Michigan Central Railroad Jackson Depot, the nation's oldest train station in continuous active use, sits on East Michigan Avenue. Outside that core, the city is built around highway junctions and is largely auto-oriented. Major employers include CMS Energy, Henry Ford Health, and Eaton Corporation, along with Michigan Automotive Compressor and the state prison complex just north of the city limit.
Housing in the school's zip code is modestly priced relative to the state benchmark and well below the national one, with home values and rents both sitting lower than broader Michigan averages. Rents have been rising faster than home values in recent months. Mortgage rates hover in the mid-sixes, and the national unemployment rate sits in the low fours.
For a family weighing this school, the academic data points to real challenges in the tested middle grades, especially in math, alongside a brighter eighth-grade ELA result. The school's small size and charter structure may appeal to families looking for an alternative to the traditional district, but the gaps in publicly available information on programs, staffing, graduation, and student supports mean a visit and direct questions to the school would be an important next step.
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