Pulaski Elementarymiddle School, Detroit MI

Original Research by School Decision on Pulaski Elementarymiddle School

Pulaski Elementary-Middle School sits on the east side of Detroit, serving kindergarten through eighth grade as part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. It is a neighborhood regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is modest for a building spanning nine grade levels. The grade distribution is fairly even from kindergarten through eighth, which gives the school a continuous pathway feel rather than a top-heavy or bottom-heavy one.

The student body is almost entirely Black, with a very small number of students from other racial backgrounds. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places Pulaski firmly among schools serving the highest-poverty communities in the city. Data on English learners and special education populations was not available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about services in those areas.

On state assessments from the most recent school year, proficiency is low across every subject and grade tested. In math, most grades showed only a sliver of students reaching proficiency, with several grades reporting proficient students in the single digits. English language arts results were slightly stronger but still modest, with the eighth grade standing out as the relative bright spot. Science and social studies results were similarly low. Against the comparison set of districts in Wayne County, Pulaski's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile. This is a factual picture of where the school stands academically. A parent considering Pulaski may want to look into what targeted supports, tutoring, or intervention programs the school offers, and how the district's broader improvement strategies are reaching this building.

Because Pulaski does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. That gap reflects the grade band, not a missing result. Similarly, chronic absenteeism data was not available in the provided data set, though in a community with Pulaski's economic profile, attendance is often a factor worth asking about.

The surrounding neighborhood is in a part of Detroit that has experienced decades of disinvestment, and the housing market reflects that. Home values in the school's zip code are far below both the state and national benchmarks, and they have been declining modestly over the past year. Rents are also low relative to broader regional figures. For a family looking to buy, this is one of the most affordable housing markets in metropolitan Detroit, though the trade-off is a market where demand is soft and appreciation has been limited. The broader city context matters here. Detroit has seen two consecutive years of population growth as of recently reported figures, the first sustained increase since the middle of the last century, driven largely by immigration and new housing construction concentrated in areas like Midtown, Corktown, and the East Riverfront. Those gains have not yet reached every neighborhood equally. The city anchors a large regional economy with major employers in automotive, health care, and finance, but the east side where Pulaski sits is farther from the downtown and Midtown corridors where revitalization has been most visible.

At the district level, Detroit Public Schools Community District has announced a multi-year facilities improvement plan to renovate and modernize school buildings, funded through capital projects and grants. For a Pulaski family, this could mean building upgrades in coming years, with the possibility of some disruption during construction. It is worth asking school leadership where Pulaski falls in that timeline.

Pulaski is a school serving a community with deep economic needs, in a neighborhood where housing is inexpensive but where broader reinvestment has been slower to arrive. Its academic results are among the lowest in Wayne County on state measures. Families for whom proximity, a familiar neighborhood environment, and a K-through-eight continuous pathway matter may find it fits, but a parent would want to have a direct conversation with the school about academic supports, attendance patterns, and how the district's facility plans will affect the building.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 411%

School 11% · District 13% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 13% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 10% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 15% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 512%

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

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 17 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 710%

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

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

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 31% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 17% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 10% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 21% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 18 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.