Known for having late singer songwriter Aaliyah as part of its alumni, the Detroit High School for…read morethe Fine and Performing Arts is a one of a kind public school in Motown. Offering not only general education studies, but more importantly art classes in a variety of mediums, this 9-12th grade school is herald as the best of the best among local public schools. Opened over a decade ago by Denise Darcel Davis, this premiere public school offers students studies in dance, television communications, theater, visual arts and more on top of math, science, English, etc. Students are accepted only on an audition/portfolio basis, so the stakes are high, but definitely worth it. The school moved in early 2000 to its multi-million dollar facility off of Cass Ave in Midtown. For those seeking a one up in the field of art this is the Detroit school to do it in. As an alumni myself I would first recommend attending for the brilliant art teachers and the advantage students receive in their field of study. The school days are a bit longer, but students of DSA receive the advantage, DSA students consistently score higher on Michigan standardized test than any local public school.

During the past year we had an exchange student who attended the Detroit School of the Arts, so…read morethere were lots of opportunities for us to interact with the teachers, staff and other students. Some of the pluses: 1) It's a beautiful campus. The building is new. It's bright and airy. It's very clean. There's a huge stage for preformances. 2) The counseling staff really seem to care about the students. Our student made a lot of adjustments on her class schedule and they were always willing to work with her. 3) The art-related classes are very good and they have a wide variety of options. On the downside: 1) Despite being given such a good opportunity, some of the students just aren't that serious about their art or their academic classes. There was a lot of skipping school to hang out at Wayne State or Starbucks. 2) The building itself is very tall with lots of stairs. If I was a student there I would not be happy about going up and down five or six flights 8-10 times a day. The elevator is only for students with medical disabilities that prevent them from taking the stairs. 3) I got a real shock when the first report card arrived and I saw that our student had a number of skipped classes and more than a dozen tardies. Frankly, I think the school should call you the first time your student misses class or is unually late with no reasonable excuse. I would have liked significantly more communication rather than having to hear about things way after the fact.

Cass Technical High School is a very nicely designed building.  From the exterior it exudes…read moreconfidence and ability.  The parking is more than adequate on the grounds but in the surrounding neighborhood it is difficult to find parking.  Approach to the building is difficult especially during the limited rush hours that occur.  It is an important school in the area and focuses on preparatory courses and activities for those students seeking to continue on to college. The school building is a bright point in the area it is located in.  The green and orange colors reflect and shine in the morning and afternoon hours.  It is used for large community gatherings as well as it has adequate seating in its auditorium and gymnasium structure.

Not a real Montessori school, demonstrates blatant disregard for student well-being. Your money…read morewon't go towards your child's education here. We withdrew after 7 weeks. Where to start... When my older son was so riddled with anxiety one day he refused to get out of the car at drop-off I knew I had to spend some time in the classrooms to see first-hand what was going on. Up until this point we had heard stories from the kids, were suspicious of the lack of work being done, and had already had a meeting with the headmaster over a separate safety issue that was going on at school. What I found when I visited the classrooms was virtually no academic work being done, the core components of a Montessori program not being delivered, and a hazardously frigid cold building. HAZARDOUS SCHOOL BUILDING. At $17k+ tuition, you'd think a school would have basic necessities like heat. I've attached a photo of the thermostat from inside my 2nd graders classroom on the day we pulled him out of this place. 52 degrees in the 3rd week of October. I was told it was "too early" to turn on the heat. See attached violation from the City of Pontiac building department for no heat and not maintaining a temperature of 68 degrees. This citation was a week after we left. Let that sink in that another week went by before they corrected the issue of freezing cold classrooms. FALSE CLAIMS TO BE A MONTESSORI PROGRAM. This school claims to be "fully accredited" and we were told (in writing) that they were a member of AMS (The American Montessori Society), yet when I verified their membership status (see attached letter from AMS) I found out they haven't even been members since 2020. NO INDIVIDUALIZED OR CHILD LED LEARNING (i.e. not Montessori). Kids had same lessons assigned. The Upper Elementary and Middle School are grouped together under the same lead teacher (we were not told this when we signed up). Montessori should have a 3 year age range, not 5. I observed my 4th grader and my 7th grader working on the same materials, and that work was way below even the 4th grade level. The teacher (Ms. Carey) admitted to giving my 7th grader the wrong math and science work for the previous 7 weeks. Ms. Carey admitted that our kids at 7 weeks into the program did not have the materials or the adult support to work on anything beyond what was setup for the classroom for the start of the school year. CHAOTIC STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENT. A Montessori learning environment is supposed to provide a peaceful and quiet environment where students can work uninterrupted for long periods of time. This environment was so chaotic and full of constant interruptions (including flying sharp objects being thrown across the room and other safety issues) that my kids were nervous wrecks. My older son's friend was hit in the face with a pair of scissors that someone threw. DOCUMENTED LEARNING LOSS. In the 7 weeks we attended this school, my kids went from having great grades and high scores on their academic testing from the end of the previous school year in Math, to failing the math placement tests for the school they attended last year. We now are paying for weekly private tutoring to get caught up. This is all well documented.

No academic for earlier years , treated as a daycare , huge waste of time and money!!!! every…read moretime I asked my son what he learnt that day , he would say nothing I was just allowed to play with dolls!!!!!!!!

Every spring, the high school students at DSA spend months preparing for their annual performance…read more Someone creates their costumes. The kids help design the set and they spend hours, weeks, and months in preparation for the public. They outdo themselves every year. If you haven't been, you're missing out!

t has been a true privilege to work alongside Gwen Thomas and Fresh Perspectives Seminars in her…read morerole as a coach to high school and college students on their journey to career readiness. Gwen's unwavering commitment to guiding students toward success is nothing short of remarkable. She was able to help my grand daughter secure more a $350,000 scholarship to pay for her undergraduate studies. Her work--both in the U.S. and internationally--is creating a lasting impact by bridging the academic and wealth divide for families of color. Gwen's dedication to empowering students, coupled with her innovative approach, is truly transforming lives and helping to level the playing field for future generations.

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As a social worker I spend a lot of time going in and out of Detroit public schools. I see some…read morethings that really make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. And then, occassionally, I see a few gems. This school is one of those gems. UPA and University Prep High School both use project-based learning so that kids can really focus on the things that interest them. All students do regular internships which are supervised by a local field instructor and a teacher (they get school credit for the internship). This gives them a chance to refine their interests and get exposed to the work world. But, a few things to note. UPA is a bit overrated in terms of it's academic rigor. Although it is a world above most of the DPS schools I visit, not all graduates are going to be prepared to start at a mid-range or top tier university. I've seen kids advanced from grade to grade (particularly in math) who really don't have the basics down well enough. And, another important thing to remember about UPA is that their teaching approach does not work for all students. Some kids need a lot more structure and will flounder when given so much academic freedom and responsibility for their own education. Parents of UPA students need to stay in close contact with the teachers and review their student's work on a very regular basis. Overall, this is a great school. The campus is well laid out, the rooms are clean and things are in repair. There's not a lot of violence. The teachers and staff are very good at communicating with parents and they take a personal interest in their students.

I think its good for the city. Nice looking charter school. We went to take my god daughter b-day…read morecupcakes. You sign in and have to call to confirm. They require the kids to do an expedition project every month which is a good thing for kids to do in my opinion helps them to discover something new. You have to stand in a long line of cars just to pick up your kid but that's better than leting them run around and risk someone taking them. Great School Donate today!!!