The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Chandler Park Academy Elementary
Chandler Park Academy Elementary is a charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade on Kelly Road in Harper Woods, an inner-ring suburb of Detroit. It is part of the Chandler Park Academy charter system, which operates as its own district in Wayne County. The school sits in a dense, primarily residential community that was built out in the mid-twentieth century and has no rail transit and limited walkability. The closure of Eastland Center, the area's major shopping mall, in 2021 left a large vacant commercial site and removed what had been the closest thing to a community gathering place. Harper Woods functions largely as a bedroom community, with public sector institutions such as the school district and a Wayne County Community College campus among the main institutional anchors. Housing in the school's zip code is well below the Michigan statewide benchmark, which may make the area relatively accessible for families looking to buy, though rents have been rising faster than home values in recent months.
The student body is large for an elementary charter school, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the grade levels that have reported counts. The population is nearly entirely Black, and nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those dimensions of the student population are not visible here. No information on specific academic programs, extracurricular offerings, or staffing was available in the data provided.
On state M-STEP assessments, the most recent results show proficiency rates that are low across every tested subject and grade. In English language arts, proficiency was reported in the low double digits in third and fourth grades and rose somewhat in fifth grade. Math results were lower still, with the third grade showing the strongest result among the three tested grades, and fourth and fifth grades recording only a handful of proficient students. Science and social studies, tested only in fifth grade, also showed limited proficiency. When placed against other districts in Wayne County using a countywide comparison set, the school's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile, well below the county median. A parent evaluating these results may want to ask the school directly about its instructional approach in early literacy and numeracy and what supports are in place to move more students toward grade-level expectations.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and that absence reflects the grade band served rather than a missing measure. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available. No multi-year trend data was provided, so it is not possible from this data alone to say whether results are improving, holding steady, or declining over time. The social studies assessment had a cut-score change flagged for the most recent year, which means trend comparisons for that subject would not be reliable even if prior years were present.
We looked for recent parent-relevant changes at the district level and found nothing that cleared a lasting-impact threshold, so nothing is reported on that front. Program offerings, course access, discipline, and attendance details were not available in the payload, and those gaps are named rather than filled.
For a family considering this school, the clearest picture from the available data is of a large, predominantly Black, high-poverty elementary charter school in an affordable but commercially diminished Detroit suburb, with state assessment results that point to real academic challenges. The school may fit families seeking a charter option in this area, particularly those drawn to the Chandler Park Academy system, but the academic data suggests a parent would want to look into the school's plans for strengthening instruction before enrolling.
See more original research from School Decision →