Nichols Elementarymiddle School, Detroit MI

Original Research by School Decision on Nichols Elementarymiddle School

Nichols ElementaryMiddle School sits on Burns Street on Detroit's east side, part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in a single building, offering a continuous K-through-8 pathway that lets children stay in one place from their earliest years through middle school. The school's enrollment is modest for a Detroit public school, with roughly thirty students per grade in most years. The student body is overwhelmingly Black, and a very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions of the surrounding neighborhoods. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here.

On state assessments, the most recent results paint a picture of a school working from a low base with uneven performance across subjects and grades. In English language arts, third grade stands out as a relative bright spot, with proficiency well above the school's other grades. From fourth grade onward, ELA proficiency drops and stays low through eighth grade. Math results are consistently low across every tested grade, with fifth grade and eighth grade falling into a reported range that tops out at a low ceiling. Science and social studies show a split: fifth grade science and fifth grade social studies both fall into low reported ranges, while eighth grade social studies is a genuine standout, with a clear majority of tested students reaching proficiency. That eighth grade social studies result is the strongest single data point in the school's profile.

Compared with other schools and districts in Wayne County, Nichols sits below the midpoint on overall proficiency. The comparison set, drawn from county districts, places the school in the lower portion of the distribution. No graduation rate applies here, since the school does not serve high school grades. Chronic absenteeism data was not available, so that piece of the school environment picture is missing.

The surrounding community is Detroit's east side, a part of the city that has seen decades of disinvestment but also pockets of reinvestment. The zip code where the school sits has some of the most affordable housing in the metro area. Typical home values here are far below both the state and national benchmarks, and the area has seen a notable year-over-year decline in values. Rents are also low relative to broader metro Detroit. For families, this means housing costs are not a barrier to living in the neighborhood, though the low values also reflect the broader economic challenges that shape the school community. The county-wide housing market shows more activity, with a growing number of listings and a median listing price that sits below the state figure.

Detroit itself is in a period of cautious optimism on the growth front. After decades of population decline, the city has posted two consecutive years of population growth, attributed to immigration and new housing development, with residential investment concentrated in areas like Midtown, Corktown, and the East Riverfront. The east side where Nichols sits is not the primary focus of that wave of development, but the citywide shift matters. The Detroit Public Schools Community District has announced a multi-year facilities improvement plan aimed at renovating and modernizing school buildings across the district, which could eventually affect Nichols directly.

What the data does not tell us is equally important. No program offerings were reported, so whether Nichols offers arts, music, extracurriculars, or accelerated coursework cannot be confirmed from the available information. Staffing data was absent, as were attendance figures and any civil-rights reporting. The school's Title I status was not specified, though the free and reduced-price lunch rate suggests it would likely qualify. Parents considering Nichols would want to ask the school directly about what happens inside the classroom beyond test results, what support services are available, and how the district's facilities plan might reach this building.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 16% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 13%

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

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 10% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 13% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 13% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 15% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 17% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 17% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 16% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 31% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 21% · ▲ 42 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

This schoolDetroit Public Schools Community District, 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.