Priest Elementarymiddle School, Detroit MI

Original Research by School Decision on Priest Elementarymiddle School

Priest Elementary-Middle School sits on Wagner Street in Detroit, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade as part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. It is a regular public school in a neighborhood setting, drawing a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with White and Black students forming the next largest groups. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions in the surrounding community. The school's enrollment is moderate for a Detroit school spanning this many grade levels, with fairly even distribution across the grades.

On state assessments, Priest's results are low. In math, proficiency rates across the tested grades from third through eighth are consistently in the single digits to high teens, with the strongest showing in seventh and eighth grade. The same pattern holds in English language arts: the earliest grades post very low proficiency, but seventh and eighth grade results rise to levels that, while still modest, are notably stronger than the elementary grades. Science and social studies results follow a similar arc, with fifth grade scores in the lowest reported band and eighth grade scores somewhat higher. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places Priest in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Wayne County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand what is driving the improvement in the upper grades and whether that momentum carries into high school.

Because Priest does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and that metric does not apply here. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, staffing, and Title I status was not available, so those dimensions of school life could not be assessed. Information on special populations, including students with individualized education programs and English learners, was also missing from the available data. Program offerings were not reported, so there is no basis to describe enrichment, extracurriculars, or specialized academic pathways.

The school sits in a part of Detroit where housing is among the most affordable in the region. The typical home value in the surrounding zip code is well below the Wayne County median listing price and far below the state and national benchmarks. For families looking to buy, monthly housing costs here are low relative to income, which may appeal to parents for whom housing affordability is a pressing concern. The broader county housing market has been softening in listing prices while inventory has grown, giving buyers more options than in the recent past.

Detroit itself is a major urban center, historically the heart of the American automotive industry, with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis all anchored in the metro area. The city has seen two consecutive years of population growth after decades of decline, with revitalization concentrated in Midtown, Corktown, and the East Riverfront. Major development projects, including the Hudson's site downtown and the Gordie Howe International Bridge, are reshaping parts of the city. The district has announced a multi-year facilities improvement plan to renovate and modernize school buildings, which may affect the learning environment at schools like Priest in coming years, along with some potential disruption during construction.

For a family considering Priest, the practical picture is of a neighborhood school in an affordable, historically working-class part of Detroit, serving a diverse student body with high economic need. State test results are low across the board but show some upward movement in the later grades. The missing data on staffing, programs, discipline, and attendance means a parent would need to contact the school directly to understand the full picture of what the day-to-day experience looks like and what supports are in place for students.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 310%

School 10% · District 16% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 48%

School 8% · District 13% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 9% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 10% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 716%

School 16% · District 13% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 10% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 35%

School 5% · District 13% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 15% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 17% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 65%

School 5% · District 17% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 16% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 31% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 17% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 21% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below 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.