Marion Law Academy

Summary:

Marion Law Academy is an elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Detroit, Michigan, with a predominantly African American student population. The school faces significant challenges, including low academic performance, extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, and a student population with high levels of economic disadvantage.

Academically, Marion Law Academy struggles compared to state and district averages, with proficiency rates in M-Step English Language Arts and Math assessments that are often 20 percentage points or more below the Michigan state averages. For example, only 17.1% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA, compared to the state average of 39.6%. The school also has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 51.0% to 90.7% over the past 5 school years, much higher than the state and district averages. Additionally, over 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage.

While Marion Law Academy's student population is nearly 100% African American, the nearby schools, such as Pulaski Elementary/Middle School, Mason Academy, and Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts, also struggle academically, with proficiency rates well below state averages. This suggests that the challenges faced by Marion Law Academy are not unique but are reflective of the broader educational landscape in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which is ranked 563 out of 610 districts in the state. In contrast, the nearby Legacy Charter Academy and Dove Academy of Detroit generally perform better than the traditional public schools in the area, highlighting the potential impact of school choice and alternative educational models.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

19411 Cliff St
Detroit, MI 48234-3257

(313) 866-3400

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1309^th of 1,486 Michigan Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,672

Students who attend Marion Law Academy usually attend:

High:

Osborn High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.3

Number of students: 362

Racial breakdown:

African American:

99.7%

Asian:

0.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 90.9%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Marion Law Academy ranks worse than 88.1% of elementary schools in Michigan. It also ranks 21^st among 64 ranked elementary schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.99. (See more...)

Compare Details Marion Law Academy ranks worse than 95.1% of middle schools in Michigan. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.87. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (99.7%), Asian (0.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 90.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Marion Law Academy is 16.3. 37 elementary schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Marion Law Academy employs 22.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Marion Law Academy is $21,672, which is the 26^th highest among 64 elementary schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Marion Law Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Marion Law Academy 1309^th of 1486 Michigan public elementary schools. (See Marion Law Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Marion Law Academy 853^rd of 897 Michigan public middle schools. (See Marion Law Academy in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

African American students:

Detroit Public Schools Community District:

SchoolDigger ranks Detroit Public Schools Community District 563^rd of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Marion Law Academy

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Marion Law Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	11.99	1309^th	1486	11.9%

See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Marion Law Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	18.26	1176^th	1381	14.8%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Marion Law Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	13.07	1196^th	1342	10.9%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Marion Law Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	14.27	1183^rd	1347	12.2%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Marion Law Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	34.01	215^th	348	38.2%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Marion Law Academy

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Rank History for all middle school students at Marion Law Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	11.14	794^th	883	10.1%
2024	7.87	853^rd	897	4.9%

See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Marion Law Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	20.98	681^st	825	17.5%
2024	11.37	775^th	836	7.3%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at Marion Law Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.46	233^rd	310	24.8%
2024	19.34	266^th	300	11.3%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Marion Law Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	Two or More Races	Total
2018	2	472	1	1	0	476
2019	2	414	1	6	2	425
2020	0	387	0	3	0	390
2021	0	405	0	2	0	407
2022	0	346	0	1	1	348
2023	0	361	1	0	0	362

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Marion Law Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	476	26.0	18.3	89.3
2019	425	26.0	16.3	88.2
2020	390	29.5	13.2	87.4
2021	407	25.5	15.9	89.7
2022	348	24.0	14.5	89.1
2023	362	22.2	16.3	90.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Marion Law Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	476	26.0	18.3	89.3
2019	425	26.0	16.3	88.2
2020	390	29.5	13.2	87.4
2021	407	25.5	15.9	89.7
2022	348	24.0	14.5	89.1
2023	362	22.2	16.3	90.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Marion Law Academy

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$2,107 (16.1%)	$11,008 (83.9%)	$13,116
2020	$4,881 (31.3%)	$10,698 (68.7%)	$15,579
2021	$2,524 (14.9%)	$14,408 (85.1%)	$16,932
2022	$7,276 (33.0%)	$14,751 (67.0%)	$22,028
2023	$6,261 (28.9%)	$15,411 (71.1%)	$21,672

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Marion Law Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	425	362	14.8%
African American	414	361	12.8%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	1	1
Hispanic	6	0	100%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	2	0	100%
Two or More Races	2	0	100%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	88.2%	90.9%	2.6%

Schools Near Marion Law Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				PSAT English Language Arts (2024)	PSAT Mathematics (2024)	M-Step English Language Arts (2024)					M-Step Math (2024)					M-Step Science (2024)		M-Step Social Studies (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Marion Law Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	19411 Cliff St	Detroit	48234	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-3400	362	22	16.3	90.9%	0 (0.0%)	361 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12	1309^th of 1486 public elementary schools	11.9%					(n/a)	19.2		17.1		22.9	7.0	16.7	20.0		14.3	6.7		22.9				$21,672	$6,261	$15,411
Mason Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	19955 Fenelon St	Detroit	48234	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-3600	381	26	14.9	92.1%	2 (0.5%)	373 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	5	1464^th of 1486 public elementary schools	1.5%					(n/a)	10.6		8.5			5.6		10.6									$21,025	$6,354	$14,671
Legacy Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	4900 E Hildale St	Detroit	48234	Wayne County	Legacy Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(877) 223-6402	739	41	18.2	98.4%	2 (0.3%)	693 (93.8%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.7%)	31.1	1004^th of 1486 public elementary schools	32.4%		17	1207^th of 1470 public elementary schools	17.9%	203	39.4	15.2	40.5	27.1	36.8	11.5	38.0	44.3	31.8	33.8	12.8	21.1	13.2	24.2		10.6	$12,426	$1,941	$10,485
Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts	Public	PK, KG-8	18440 Hoover St	Detroit	48205	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-6700	793	38	20.8	92.6%	3 (0.4%)	783 (98.7%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6.6	1423^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	4.2%		4.2	1461^st of 1470 public elementary schools	0.6%	38	15.6	4.7	5.5	21.2	8.1	10.2	8.3		3.6			5.6		7.6			$18,705	$6,254	$12,452
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	K-5	22100 Federal Ave	Warren	48089	Macomb County	Van Dyke Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(586) 758-8342	355	26	13.6	96.9%	58 (16.3%)	250 (70.4%)	8 (2.3%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.3%)	11.4	1322^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	11.0%		20.7	1133^rd of 1470 public elementary schools	22.9%	189			22.2	15.6	19.7			25.5	15.6	9.8			10.0		4.9		$17,580	$3,405	$14,175
Mound Park Elementary School	Public	4-5	5356 Toepfer Rd	Warren	48091	Macomb County	Fitzgerald Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(586) 757-7590	260	20	12.9	87.3%	49 (18.8%)	109 (41.9%)	17 (6.5%)	45 (17.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (15.4%)	12.1	1307^th of 1486 public elementary schools	12.0%		13.6	1252^nd of 1470 public elementary schools	14.8%	55				24.7	17.5				12.2	14.8			17.2		5.5		$17,214	$4,301	$12,913
Dove Academy of Detroit	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	20001 Wexford St	Detroit	48234	Wayne County	Dove Academy of Detroit	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 366-9110	477	29	16.4	91.8%	0 (0.0%)	475 (99.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.9	1391^st of 1486 public elementary schools	6.4%		5.1	1442^nd of 1470 public elementary schools	1.9%	51	31.0		5.6	13.6	9.1	18.4	16.2	7.4	9.1		14.3		6.8	10.3			$12,304	$3,411	$8,893
Trix Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	20045 Joann St	Detroit	48205	Wayne County	Michigan Educational Choice Center	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 426-1020	255	16	15.9	99.2%	0 (0.0%)	254 (99.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	15.0																$14,842	$4,623	$10,219
Commonwealth Community Development Academy	Public, Magnet, Charter	PK, KG-8	13477 Eureka St	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Commonwealth Community Development Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 366-9470	159	11	15.1	94.3%	6 (3.8%)	152 (95.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	53.9			18.8				28.6						30.8			$13,920	$5,995	$7,925
Pulaski ElementaryMiddle School	Public	K-8	13840 Lappin St	Detroit	48205	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 866-7022	355	24	15.0	98.0%	4 (1.1%)	336 (94.6%)	5 (1.4%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	7.4	1404^th of 1486 public elementary schools	5.5%					(n/a)	26.7	13.3			11.8	10.8	14.3	15.4				10.2	11.8	23.3			$20,439	$6,357	$14,082

Frequently Asked Questions about Marion Law Academy

What schools do graduates of Marion Law Academy attend?

Students who attend Marion Law Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Osborn High School

What is the racial makeup of Marion Law Academy?

Students at Marion Law Academy are 100% African American.

Is Marion Law Academy a good school?

Marion Law Academy ranks in the bottom 11.9% of Michigan elementary schools.

What district is Marion Law Academy in?

Detroit Public Schools Community District

How many students attend Marion Law Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 362 students attended Marion Law Academy.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.