David Ellis Academy West, Redford MI

Original Research by School Decision on David Ellis Academy West

David Ellis Academy West is a charter school in Redford Township, an inner-ring suburb of Detroit in Wayne County. It lists a grade span from prekindergarten through twelfth grade, though the current enrollment shows students only in kindergarten through eighth, with no high school grades populated. That means the school functions as an elementary and middle school in practice, and the absence of a graduation rate reflects that no high school students are enrolled rather than any shortfall in outcomes.

The school serves a predominantly Black student body, and a very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The total enrollment makes it a mid-sized school for its grade band. The school's stated identity, publicly reported on its own website, centers on a shift toward the Leader In Me framework, built around Stephen Covey's 7 Habits. That signals an emphasis on student leadership development and life skills woven through the culture across all grade levels. Families drawn to a whole-school character and leadership model may find that framing appealing, while those looking for a traditional or strictly academic pedagogy will want to ask how the model translates into daily classroom practice.

On Michigan's M-STEP assessments, math proficiency is low across every tested grade. Third grade and fourth grade sit highest among the elementary grades, with proficiency dropping sharply in fifth and sixth before settling at single-digit proficiency by eighth grade on the PSAT math measure. English language arts results tell a different story. Fourth grade stands out as a relative bright spot, and eighth grade ELA proficiency is strikingly strong, with more than half of tested students reaching proficient or above. Fifth, sixth, and seventh grade ELA results are more modest but generally stronger than the corresponding math scores. Science proficiency in the two tested grades is low to moderate, and social studies follows a similar pattern, with eighth grade outpacing fifth grade by a wide margin.

Against Wayne County's districts, the school's overall proficiency index lands below the midpoint. The county set includes a large number of districts, and this school's composite proficiency sits beneath the median but above the floor. The strongest results are concentrated in eighth grade ELA, which is a genuine bright spot in an otherwise challenging academic profile. Math is the clearest area of concern. A parent considering this school may want to ask directly how the school supports math instruction, what interventions are in place, and how the Leader In Me model connects to academic skill-building.

Several data points we would normally draw on are missing. No IEP or English learner counts were reported. Civil rights, discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance data were not available in the payload. Program offerings beyond the Leader In Me framework were not listed. Without these, it is hard to characterize the school's special education services, its gifted or advanced coursework, or its extracurricular life. Families should ask the school directly for that information.

Redford Township itself is a car-dependent suburb with no traditional walkable downtown. Civic life centers on the town hall complex and the Redford Marquee, an open-air market and amphitheater carved out of a former library building. The township has more than a dozen parks, a district library on West Six Mile Road, and seasonal community events. Housing here is modest relative to both state and national benchmarks, with home values well below the Michigan median and rents likewise affordable. The township has undergone demographic change over the past two decades, transitioning from a predominantly white community to a racially diverse one with a substantial African American population. Public education in Redford is split among three traditional districts plus charter options like this one.

For a family weighing David Ellis Academy West, the school offers a small, nearly entirely Black student community with a leadership-oriented culture and a few genuine academic bright spots in upper-grade ELA. Math outcomes are a concern worth pressing on. The surrounding area is affordable and suburban, with housing costs that sit well below regional norms, though it is a place where a car is a necessity. The gaps in available data mean a full picture requires direct conversation with the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 15%

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

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 21%

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

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 7%

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

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 8%

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

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 10%

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

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 6%

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

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 16%

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

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

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

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

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

Grade 724%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 10 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 55%

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

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 16%

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

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Social studies

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 7%

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

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 17 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolDavid Ellis Academy West, 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 6Lower-income29%Higher-income33%5 pp gap