Warrendale Charter Academy, Detroit MI

Original Research by School Decision on Warrendale Charter Academy

Warrendale Charter Academy is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade charter school on Detroit's west side, on Sawyer Street in the 48228 zip code. It sits in a part of the city where housing values run far below both the Michigan and national benchmarks, making ownership accessible on modest incomes, though rents have softened slightly in recent months. The surrounding neighborhood is residential and car-dependent, typical of Detroit's outer areas, while the broader city has been seeing a modest population rebound after decades of decline, with new immigration and housing development contributing to growth for two consecutive years.

The school enrolls roughly the kind of student body you would expect for its location. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is overwhelmingly Black, with a small Hispanic presence and a modest share of students identifying as two or more races. White and Asian students are barely represented. The school is mid-sized for its grade band, with fairly even distribution across grades and a slight tapering in the upper elementary and middle years. We looked for data on English learners and special education populations but found none reported, so those figures are a gap rather than a zero. The same is true for discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance data, which were not available.

Academically, Warrendale's state assessment results from the most recent school year paint a mixed but nuanced picture. In English language arts, proficiency climbs as students move through the grades. The earliest tested grades land in the low twenties, but by seventh grade the proficiency rate rises to a level that stands out relative to the school's own earlier grades, and eighth grade shows a further jump, with half of tested students reaching proficiency on the PSAT. That upward trajectory in ELA is a genuine bright spot and suggests the school is doing something right with literacy instruction in the upper grades.

Math follows a different pattern. Proficiency across grades three through eight sits mostly in the teens, with no grade breaking much beyond the low twenties. Fifth grade math is the lowest point. The school does not show the same grade-to-grade improvement in math that it does in reading, and a parent weighing this school may want to ask how math instruction is structured and what interventions are in place for students who fall behind. Science and social studies results are also modest, with fifth grade social studies particularly low and eighth grade social studies somewhat stronger.

When placed against other districts in Wayne County using the county-based comparison set, Warrendale's overall proficiency index lands right at the midpoint. That means it performs at a typical level for the county, which includes a wide range of districts from some of the most challenged to some of the most affluent. For a charter school serving a nearly universally low-income student population in Detroit, landing at the county median is not a weak result, but the math outcomes remain an area where a family would want to look further.

Because Warrendale stops at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and that gap reflects the grade range served rather than any missing performance. No chronic absenteeism data was available either. We searched for recent parent-relevant changes at the district level but found nothing with lasting impact reported, so the school appears to be operating in a steady state.

Detroit itself offers a complex backdrop. The city is historically the center of the American automotive industry, with the Big Three automakers maintaining a major presence in the metro area. Revitalization efforts since the 2000s have brought restored theaters, new sports venues, riverfront development, and residential construction concentrated in areas like Midtown, Corktown, and the East Riverfront. Walkability varies sharply by neighborhood, with the core areas more navigable on foot and the outer residential stretches more car-dependent. Warrendale sits in the latter category.

For a family considering this school, the strongest argument is the ELA trajectory in the upper grades and the fact that, despite serving an almost entirely low-income population, the school holds its own at the county midpoint on overall proficiency. The clearest concern is math, where results stay low across all tested grades. Program offerings were not reported, so we cannot speak to extracurriculars, electives, or support services. A parent would want to visit and ask directly about math instruction, what happens after eighth grade, and what supports exist for students reading below grade level in the early years.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 12 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 20%

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

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 18%

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

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Social studies

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

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

This schoolWarrendale Charter 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.