Central Academy, Ann Arbor MI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Central Academy

Central Academy is a public charter school in Ann Arbor serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade on a single campus along South Industrial Highway. It is chartered through Central Michigan University and operates as its own district. The school serves a modest enrollment spread fairly evenly across grade levels, and nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, making this a school serving a predominantly low-income community. The student body is majority white, with Black, Asian, and Hispanic students also represented. The school sits in one of Michigan's most expensive housing markets. Typical home values in the surrounding zip code run well above both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are similarly elevated. For a family considering this school, the cost of living nearby is a real factor, and the affordability gap between this area and much of the rest of the state is wide.

Ann Arbor itself is a university town shaped heavily by the University of Michigan. Publicly reported descriptions portray a walkable city where the campus intermingles with downtown, filled with sidewalk dining, bookstores, and cultural amenities. The university and its medical complex are major employers, and the local economy leans on high-tech research and development, with startup activity and offices for several major corporations. The city is experiencing ongoing growth, though the pace and direction of development are a subject of local political debate. Parks and the Nichols Arboretum provide green space, and buses connect the campus corridors with the central business district. For a family at Central Academy, this means the surrounding community is rich in civic and cultural resources, even if the school itself sits on a commercial corridor rather than in a residential neighborhood.

On state assessments, Central Academy's results are low across subjects and grade levels. In math, proficiency rates across third through eighth grade sit in a range from the single digits to the mid-twenties, with most grades landing well below what families in Washtenaw County typically see. English language arts results show a similar pattern, with one grade landing near zero and most others in the teens to low twenties, though eighth grade stood out with a comparatively stronger showing. Science and social studies results were also low, with one bright spot in eighth-grade social studies where a larger share of students reached proficiency. The neighbor comparison places Central Academy in the bottom quartile among districts in Washtenaw County for overall proficiency. This is a school whose academic results, as measured by state tests, are below what most nearby districts post. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking what instructional supports and interventions are in place and how the school plans to strengthen outcomes.

Several data fields that would help round out the picture are missing. No graduation rate was available, so it is not possible to characterize how students fare at the end of high school. Chronic absenteeism data was not reported, nor were figures for special education enrollment or English learner status. The school's Title I status was not available, and there was no information on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, or attendance patterns. Program offerings were not provided in the data, though publicly reported material mentions an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme designation, an Arabic language offering, and one-to-one Chromebook access. We looked for recent district-level changes but found little that was specific and lasting, so we left that out rather than guess.

What the data does tell you is this: Central Academy is a small, charter, pre-kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade school serving an almost entirely low-income student population in one of Michigan's most affluent and educated cities. Its state test results are low compared with surrounding districts. Families drawn to a charter option in Ann Arbor, particularly one offering a continuous K-through-twelve pathway and language programming, may find the school worth visiting, but the academic performance data warrants direct conversation with school leadership before making an enrollment decision.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 43 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,027 schools plotted. 80 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 39%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 49%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

This schoolCentral Academy, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.