Two charter schools in Michigan have been named 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education – the highest honor a public school in America can earn.
Pembroke Academy in Detroit and Chandler Woods Charter Academy in Belmont (near Grand Rapids) were among 12 Michigan schools honored with the Blue Ribbon School designation for 2024. Both charter schools are managed by National Heritage Academies.
Pembroke Academy is authorized by Central Michigan University while Chandler Woods Charter Academy is authorized by Grand Valley State University.
Pembroke Academy is one of only four elementary schools in Detroit ever to be named a National Blue Ribbon School and the first since 2001. It has by far the highest M-STEP scores in the city.
“We are really building something special here in Detroit, and not just for our students but our community,” said Principal Salwa Kinsey of Pembroke, which opened in fall 2018. “We are a team, and this has been made possible because each one of us believes in our students. I am so proud of our staff, students, and parents.”
The success of Pembroke is born out of intentionality – open, transparent communication and partnerships, Kinsey said, adding, “For us, the focus has always been true grade-level proficiency. How do we close achievement gaps, and how do we keep students focused on learning?
“It first starts with building trust,” she shared, noting that one-on-one conversations with parents from the first day they step on campus helps foster those open and transparent conversations about the individual needs of students. From those early conversations, parent-staff-student relationships bloom.
This award is especially meaningful for Kinsey and her team with the school earning the added distinction of an Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing School. Schools that earn this recognition are ones that excel in narrowing achievement gaps between different student groups and the overall student body.
Chandler Woods Charter Academy is one of the highest-performing schools in West Michigan, with some of the highest M-STEP scores in the Grand Rapids area. On the most recent M-STEP test, 69.9% of third-graders and 79.2% of eighth-graders scored proficient in English Language Arts.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona shared, “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are raising the bar for our nation’s students, serving as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities. As we celebrate their achievements, let us look to these schools for inspiration as we champion education as the foundation of a brighter future for every child.”
The other Michigan schools to earn the Blue Ribbon School designation for 2024:
- Dearborn STEM Middle School, Dearborn
- Hamilton Elementary School, Troy
- Handley Elementary School, Saginaw
- Hill Elementary School, Davison
- Hughes Elementary School, Marshall
- Lake Hill Elementary School, Grand Haven
- Meadow Ridge Elementary School, Rockford
- Moraine Elementary School, Northville
- Pellston Elementary School, Pellston
- Rosy Mound Elementary School, Grand Haven
