DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Just 5.5% of K-8 students in Detroit Public Schools Community Schools were proficient at math at grade level and 8.5% were reading at grade level, according to data the school district recently released.

Those test results were for the winter assessments of 2024-25.

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In seventh and eighth grades, more than half the students had fallen behind in reading by three or more grade levels.

The percentage of students proficient at math in K-8 ranged from as low as 2.9% in third grade to only as high as 8.2% in eight grade. Proficiency in reading in K-8 varied from as low a 5.9% for fifth graders to as high as 13.9% in the eighth grade.

Detroit’s public school district is spending money to improve their academic performance, including paying their students to come to class. Starting Jan. 6 and running through March 21, students can earn up to $1,000 for perfect attendance. Students who don’t miss a class or day over a two-week period get a $200 gift card.

Detroit Public Schools Community District received $27,449 per pupil in 2023-24, according to the Michigan Department of Education. That includes local, state and federal dollars. The state average was $15,206.