The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in Science. The lowest is 9% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Carleton Elementary School
Carleton Elementary School sits on Detroit's east side, in the 48224 zip code, and operates as a neighborhood public elementary school within the Detroit Public Schools Community District. It serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, though the reported enrollment shows no pre-kindergarten students currently attending. The school's enrollment is moderate for a Detroit elementary, with fairly even distribution across kindergarten through fourth grade and a smaller fifth-grade cohort.
The student body is nearly entirely Black, with only a handful of students identifying as white or Hispanic. Nearly every child at Carleton qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the economic conditions in the surrounding neighborhood. The data does not include information on students with individualized education programs or English learners, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessment for the 2024-25 school year, Carleton's proficiency rates were low across every tested subject and grade. Math proficiency hovered in the single digits to low teens across third, fourth, and fifth grades. English language arts results followed a similar pattern, with the strongest showing in fifth grade but still well below what most schools post. Fifth-grade science and social studies results were also modest. When Carleton's overall proficiency is compared against districts in Wayne County, the school lands in the bottom quartile. This is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school, asking what improvement strategies are in place and how the school supports students working below grade level.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a decline, stability, or gradual improvement. Participation rates were also missing from the state data, which limits the picture somewhat.
Because Carleton is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not have chronic absenteeism data in the provided records, and no information was available on discipline practices, course offerings, staffing ratios, or attendance patterns. Program offerings were not reported, so parents would need to contact the school directly to learn about any extracurricular activities, after-school programs, or specialized supports.
The surrounding neighborhood is in a part of Detroit where housing is among the most affordable in the region. Home values in this zip code sit far below both the state and national benchmarks, and values have been declining modestly over the past year. Rents are low relative to the broader metro area. Wayne County's housing market as a whole shows a moderate supply of active listings with cooling demand, and median listing prices in the county have dipped slightly year over year. For a family considering a move near Carleton, the housing costs would be a relatively small barrier to entry, though the area has experienced the kind of long-term disinvestment that has shaped many Detroit neighborhoods.
Detroit itself is a major urban center undergoing a period of renewed growth after decades of population decline. The city recently recorded consecutive years of population increases for the first time since the 1950s, driven partly by immigration and new housing construction. Revitalization has been concentrated in areas like Midtown, Corktown, and the East Riverfront, while neighborhoods farther from downtown have seen slower investment. The city's economy remains anchored by the automotive industry and major employers including Henry Ford Health, the Detroit Medical Center, and Rocket Mortgage. Cultural institutions such as the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Riverwalk are concentrated in and near the downtown core, a distance from the city's east-side neighborhoods.
At the district level, Detroit Public Schools Community District has announced a multi-year facilities improvement plan aimed at renovating and modernizing school buildings, funded through capital projects and grants. Parents should be aware that this could mean construction-related disruptions at some schools in the coming years, though the specific impact on Carleton has not been detailed in the available information.
Carleton fits a family looking for a neighborhood public elementary in a close-knit east-side community where housing is very affordable. The academic results are a clear area of concern, and a parent considering this school would benefit from asking direct questions about how the school plans to strengthen instruction and what supports exist for students who are below proficiency.
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