Frequently Asked Questions

The Detroit Schools Guide serves as the city’s one-stop-shop for thorough and actionable information about Detroit’s education landscape. The guide includes information about all K-12 district and public charter schools in the city and helps families find schools that meet their specific needs. It also features resources, insights, and articles that offer important information about Kindergarten readiness, enrollment, standardized testing, transition grades, special education, and more. 

Yes! Our site is available in English and Spanish. You can select your language preference at the top of the screen. If you have specific translation needs, please contact us at info@detroitschoolsguide.org

Sign up for our newsletter here for more information. If you'd like to reach the Detroit School's guide staff, email us at info@detroitschoolsguide.org

Please sign up for our newsletter here for more information. 
Our newsletter is shared every other week, but could become more frequent in the coming months. 

Our newsletter provides parents, families and community partners with information to help them navigate the school enrollment process, including school enrollment tips and resources, important upcoming school dates, school-related deadlines and events, local education news, and more. 

We will never share or sell your information. 

School communities have their own cultures and personalities. To best assess if a particular school culture is a fit for your family, nothing beats an in-person visit. Please see our school visit checklist to assist your planning on school visits.

A tuition-free, non-profit “public school academy” created by a written grant (charter) between an “authorizer” and an outside external group, that serves as its board. Charter schools can include grades K-12 in any combination. Charters are mission-driven schools, generally designed to meet a specific community need or have a particular curricular focus. Each charter is considered its own district and is governed independently. Detroit charters are open to all Michigan students, regardless of neighborhood, and must follow the same federal and state laws that govern traditional public schools.
 

A traditional, free-of-charge, tax-funded public school system. The Detroit Public Schools Community District replaced Detroit Public Schools in 2016. DPSCD’s 100+ schools are open to all kids who reside in the city, and each child is guaranteed a spot starting in kindergarten.

CEC’s GOAL Line is an innovative program providing high-quality afterschool enrichment and transportation to Detroit students. Students participate in engaging activities like swimming, cooking, martial arts, art, coding, STEM, and leadership building. GOAL Line serves as a community hub, connecting students and families to behavior supports and other resources across Detroit. For the 2019-20 school year, GOAL Line is partnering with fourteen K-8 district and public charter schools in Northwest Detroit and is serving 300 students after school. Visit our website https://www.goaldetroit.org/families to get more information about how to participate if you attend one of our partner schools. 

There are lots of things for you to consider. Please visit our guide to selecting a school to get started.

We are always looking for support from community partners to spread the word about Detroit Schools Guide and to share school enrollment resources with the students, parents and families that they serve. Please contact the Detroit School's guide staff, email info@detroitschoolsguide.org

All public schools are required to provide education to students regardless of the language they speak. If you do not speak English, your child will need an assessment. If needed, they will be placed in a program that supports their language and educational needs. Refer to our ELL (English Language Learners) resources to learn more. 

DPSCD has a number of application schools for which students need to apply and test to gain admission. More information is available on the website here.

DPSCD has a number of application schools for which students need to apply and test to gain admission. More information is available on the website here!

All Michigan public school students take the MStep grades 3-8 and grade 11, the PSAT8 in grade 8, the PSAT9 in grade 9, the PSAT10 in grade 10, and the SAT in grade 11. DPSCD students also take the ACT WorkKeys test in grade 11. Every school is required to also administer a growth measurement test. Many schools use the NWEA MAP Test and the iReady test for this purpose.

Yes. Every child residing in Michigan is entitled to a free public education without regard to immigration status. In Plyler v Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from denying equal access to public elementary and secondary schools to undocumented school-age children. A resident student who has met the age requirements and has not obtained a high school diploma may be counted in membership for purposes of state aid and cannot be denied a right to attend the resident district. A school district should determine whether a student is a resident of the school district without regard to the student’s immigration status. As a result of the Supreme Court decision, public schools may not:

• Deny admission to a student based on undocumented status or immigration status.
• Treat students differently to determine residency.
• Require students or parents to disclose or document their immigration status.
• Make inquiries of students or parents that may expose their undocumented status. School interactions, processes, and procedures must not expose an enrolling student’s documentation status or in any way discourage enrollment or full participation in the school community (referred to as creating a “chilling” effect). 

If your child has an IEP, and you are entering school for the first time, you have several options. If you wish to enroll your child in Detroit Public Schools Communtiy District (DPSCD), a team will be assigned to you to help place your student in a school, according to their IEP needs.

If you’d like to explore charter schools, you should talk to individual schools to discuss how they will be able to service the IEP.

For additional information and guidance, visit our special education resource guide.

Schools can update their school profiles at any time! The changes will be reflected on the website weekly on Wednesday evenings. We still ask that schools update their information on a quarterly basis - August, November, February, and May - to ensure we have the most relevant information. 

Schools may not have filled out all categories of their school profile or some responses might be blank if the question did not apply to them (alternate bell schedule, etc.). If you notice information is missing, that would be a perfect opportunity to reach out to the school directly for more information. Remember, the Detroit Schools Guide is a tool to help you begin your search, and should not be the end of it!