Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Summary:

Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School is a public school in Detroit, Michigan, serving 501 students in grades PK-8. The school is part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which is ranked 563 out of 610 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. With over 98% of students identifying as African American, Thirkell faces significant challenges, including extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, very low academic performance, and a student population that is predominantly from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Thirkell's chronic absenteeism rates have consistently ranged from 43.2% to 84.3% over the past 5 years, significantly higher than the surrounding schools, which have rates ranging from 25.9% to 81.9%. Academically, the school's performance is extremely low, with only 4.55% of 3rd graders proficient in Math in 2023-2024, compared to 43.4% statewide and 15.1% in the district. While Thirkell has relatively high spending per student, ranging from $14,839 to $21,041 over the past 4 years, this does not appear to be the primary driver of the school's poor performance, as nearby schools like Edmonson Montessori and Golightly Education Center perform slightly better on academic measures, though still below state averages.

Addressing the root causes of Thirkell's struggles, such as attendance, family engagement, and instructional quality, will be crucial to improving outcomes for the school's students. While the school's funding and staffing levels are comparable to or higher than nearby schools, the school's performance lags far behind, suggesting that deeper systemic issues may be at play. Continued efforts to support and invest in Thirkell's students and community will be essential to ensuring they receive the high-quality education they deserve.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

 7724 14th St
       Detroit, MI  48206-2644


(313) 596-0990

District: Detroit Public Schools Community District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1481st of 1,486 Michigan Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $20,967 Help


Students who attend Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School usually attend:

High:    Northwestern High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.8 Help
Number of students:  501

Racial breakdown:

African American:
98.6%
Hispanic:
0.6%
White:
0.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  91.2% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School ranks worse than 99.7% of elementary schools in Michigan. It also ranks 62nd among 64 ranked elementary schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 3.92. (See more...)
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Compare Details Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School ranks worse than 99.7% of middle schools in Michigan. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 4.24. (See more...)
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Chronic absenteeism in a high 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
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (98.6%), Hispanic (0.6%), Asian (0.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 91.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School is 16.8. 41 elementary schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
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Compare Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School employs 29.8 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School is $20,967. 35 elementary schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School 1481st of 1486 Michigan public elementary schools. (See Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
African American students:

SchoolDigger ranks Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School 894th of 897 Michigan public middle schools. (See Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School 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 563rd of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 3.92 1481st 1486 0.3%
See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.08 1377th 1397 1.4%
2024 5.00 1375th 1381 0.4%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 4.48 1440th 1443 0.2%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.73 1385th 1446 4.2%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 18.74 450th 475 5.3%
2024 12.23 342nd 348 1.7%
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 Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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Rank History for all middle school students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 11.43 707th 776 8.9%
2023 9.46 809th 883 8.4%
2024 4.24 894th 897 0.3%
See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 12.03 753rd 815 7.6%
2022 19.38 593rd 691 14.2%
2023 12.66 750th 825 9.1%
2024 4.32 835th 836 0.1%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.46 758th 794 4.5%
2023 19.40 637th 770 17.3%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 13.81 697th 797 12.5%
2019 15.02 569th 639 11.0%
2023 9.43 726th 776 6.4%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school African American students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 25.01 284th 366 22.4%
2022 30.71 126th 182 30.8%
2023 26.25 228th 310 26.5%
2024 12.08 294th 300 2.0%
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.

Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 







Data source: Michigan Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2017 2 581 2 5 0 0 1 0 591
2018 5 547 0 3 0 0 3 0 558
2019 2 546 0 3 0 0 1 0 552
2020 2 575 0 4 0 0 0 0 581
2021 1 558 0 4 0 0 0 0 563
2022 2 490 0 4 0 0 0 0 496
2023 1 494 1 3 0 1 1 0 501

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 Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2017 591 32.0 18.4 84.4
2018 558 28.7 19.4 92.1
2019 552 30.0 18.4 91.5
2020 581 33.0 17.6 89.5
2021 563 35.5 15.8 90.4
2022 496 33.0 15.0 91.1
2023 501 29.8 16.8 91.2

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 Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2017 591 32.0 18.4 84.4
2018 558 28.7 19.4 92.1
2019 552 30.0 18.4 91.5
2020 581 33.0 17.6 89.5
2021 563 35.5 15.8 90.4
2022 496 33.0 15.0 91.1
2023 501 29.8 16.8 91.2

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 Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,737 (12.3%) $12,408 (87.7%) $14,145
2020 $4,115 (27.7%) $10,724 (72.3%) $14,839
2021 $2,182 (13.2%) $14,330 (86.8%) $16,512
2022 $6,572 (31.2%) $14,470 (68.8%) $21,041
2023 $6,590 (31.4%) $14,376 (68.6%) $20,967

Data source: Michigan Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

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.

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School)6.310.3
 4%
   3rd Grade Math (Detroit Public Schools Community District)1613.9
 2.1%
   3rd Grade Math (Michigan)46.742.9
 3.8%
7th Grade Math (Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School)12.87.1
 5.7%
   7th Grade Math (Detroit Public Schools Community District)8.87.9
 0.9%
   7th Grade Math (Michigan)35.731
 4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School)36.728.9
 7.8%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Detroit Public Schools Community District)24.524
 0.5%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)61.959.7
 2.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students552501
 9.2%
African American546494
 9.5%
American Indian00
Asian01
Hispanic33
Pacific Islander01
White21
 50%
Two or More Races11
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients91.5%91.2%
 0.3%


Schools Near Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School









Frequently Asked Questions about Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School

Students at Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School are 99% African American.

Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School ranks in the bottom 0.3% of Michigan elementary schools.

In the 2022-23 school year, 501 students attended Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School.

Students who attend Thirkell ElementaryMiddle School usually go on to attend:

High : Northwestern High School


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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.





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