Multicultural Academy, Ann Arbor MI

Original Research by School Decision on Multicultural Academy

Multicultural Academy is a charter school on Ann Arbor's south side, serving prekindergarten through tenth grade on Platt Road. It is a small school by enrollment, with roughly thirty students per grade in most bands, and every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is majority white, with Black, Asian, and Hispanic students making up the next largest groups. The school's own grade band explains why there is no graduation rate: it does not extend through twelfth grade. IEP and English-learner rates were not reported, so those population details are absent here.

On Michigan's M-STEP and PSAT assessments from the most recent school year, the school's proficiency results are weak across most tested grades and subjects. In math, third grade was the strongest showing, with just under half of tested students reaching proficiency, but every other grade from fourth through eighth landed at or near the bottom of the range, with several grades showing only a handful of proficient students. ELA results followed a similar pattern: third grade was the relative high point, while fourth through eighth grade proficiency stayed low, with two grades reported in a range that begins at zero. Science results were low in fifth grade and modest in eighth. Social studies was the one standout: eighth-grade proficiency was strong, with most tested students clearing the bar, though fifth-grade social studies was low. When the school's overall proficiency is placed against the comparison set of districts in Washtenaw County, it sits below the midpoint. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand how the curriculum supports students from one grade to the next, given the drop-off after third grade and the isolated strength in eighth-grade social studies.

No chronic absenteeism figure was available, and no staffing, course access, or discipline data was provided, so the picture of school climate and resources here is incomplete. The school's charter status means it operates independently of the surrounding Ann Arbor Public Schools district, with its own governance and enrollment process. No magnet or Title I status was reported. Program offerings were not listed in the data, so families would need to contact the school directly to learn about any specialized curriculum, extracurriculars, or supports tied to its multicultural identity.

The surrounding community is one of the most educated and economically active in Michigan. Ann Arbor is defined by the University of Michigan, which along with its medical complex is the region's dominant employer. A high-tech economy has grown around the university's research activity, with offices for Google, Toyota, Ford, General Motors, and Domino's among the corporate presence. The downtown and campus areas are walkable, with sidewalk dining, bookstores, and independent shops, and civic life is integrated into the center of the city. The housing market reflects all of this. Typical home values in the school's zip code are well above both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are similarly elevated. A family considering this school should know that while Ann Arbor offers a rich cultural environment and strong employment base, housing costs are steep relative to most of Michigan.

The district brief did not surface any confirmed recent changes to the school's programs or operations. A publicly reported note suggested the school may have expanded its grade range, but this could not be confirmed within the available data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 10%

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

Grade 716%

School 16% · District 16%

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

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 13%

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

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 25%

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

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 10%

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 18%

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

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 13%

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 55 pts below county median

Science

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

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

Social studies

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

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

This schoolMulticultural 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

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income46%3 pp gap