Star International Academy, Dearborn Heights MI

Original Research by School Decision on Star International Academy

Star International Academy is a charter school serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade on a single campus in Dearborn Heights, an inner-ring suburb of Detroit. The school enrolls a sizable student body spread across all grade levels, with relatively even distribution from kindergarten through the upper grades, tapering somewhat in the high school years. The student population is overwhelmingly white, with very small representation from Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making this a school serving a predominantly low-income community. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here.

On Michigan's state assessments, Star International Academy shows a mixed academic picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates climb steadily from the early grades through middle school, with eighth grade standing out as a particular bright spot where a clear majority of tested students reached proficiency. Math tells a different story. Proficiency rates across grades three through eight sit below the share of students scoring proficient, with the weakest results in the upper middle grades. Science proficiency in the tested grades lands in a middling range, and social studies results vary, with fifth grade lagging but eighth grade reaching a stronger level. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Wayne County, which is a solid standing given the county's large and varied set of districts. A parent weighing this school may want to look into the gap between the stronger ELA results and the weaker math performance directly with the school.

No graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, course access, discipline, staffing, or program-specific data was available in the materials provided. The school serves high school grades, so a graduation rate would ordinarily be expected, and its absence here means families should seek that information from the school directly. The same applies to details about advanced coursework, career pathways, or extracurricular offerings, none of which appeared in the available data.

Dearborn Heights itself is a residential bedroom community about twelve miles west of downtown Detroit. Publicly reported sources describe it as car-dependent, with commercial strips along major roads and no traditional walkable downtown. The city's population has been declining modestly since the 2020 census. Housing in the school's ZIP code sits close to the statewide benchmark for home values, and rents run below national levels, making the area relatively affordable for metro Detroit. The broader employment picture draws heavily on nearby Dearborn, where Ford Motor Company is headquartered, and on Detroit itself. Most residents commute by car.

The school district brief did not surface any parent-relevant changes with clear lasting impact. Star International Academy operates as its own charter academy, so it functions independently of the traditional public school districts that carve up Dearborn Heights. Families considering this school are choosing a single-site charter that runs from the earliest grades through high school, which offers continuity but also means the whole experience rests on one institution. Given the very high poverty rate among students and the mixed academic results, a parent's best next step would be to ask the school directly about its math instruction, its high school completion outcomes, and what supports exist for students performing below grade level.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

90-94%Cohort of 83 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 329%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 38% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 33% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 25% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 30% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 24% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 26% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 34% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 38% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 34% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 34% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 69% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 37% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 34% · ▲ 3 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 22% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

This schoolStar International 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income40%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income42%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income50%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income25%2 pp gap