Detroit Public Schools Focuses on Retention and Enrollment Amid Challenges
Despite the summer heat, Toyia Diab brought her four grandchildren to the Summer on the Block event at Pulaski Elementary-Middle School to explore what the school had to offer. The family moved through a series of tables set up around the school’s lawn, where staff from the Detroit school district shared details about their resources while upbeat music played in the background.
This event was part of a broader effort by the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) to attract and retain families. Over the past two decades, the district has lost more than 92,000 students, prompting officials to use the summer months to promote the benefits of attending local schools. This year, the district increased its outreach significantly, sending 40 people into communities and hosting 19 events—nearly double the number from previous years. Additionally, the district launched new initiatives such as billboards across the city, with a total marketing budget of around $3.5 million for this year.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti emphasized that while recruitment efforts have been successful, the main challenge remains retaining students. He highlighted the importance of improving customer service and parent engagement to make families feel more welcome. “We fight harder to keep students at the schools they’re at rather than having an attitude of, ‘If you don’t like it here, then you can find another school,’” he said during a recent board meeting.
Sharlonda Buckman, assistant superintendent of family and community engagement, noted that the summer events have generated positive signs. Nearly 5,000 people attended the Summer on the Block events, which serve as both a recruitment tool and a way to connect families with free resources. These efforts resulted in 532 leads for enrollment, with around 80 students completing the process by mid-August.
While initial enrollment numbers show improvement, the full impact of these efforts will not be clear until the end of the 2025-26 school year. The district has faced several challenges over the years, including population decline, lower birthrates, state emergency management, and the pandemic. Additionally, competition from charter schools, where about half of Detroit's children attend, adds to the difficulty of maintaining enrollment.
Student mobility and chronic absenteeism also play a role in the district’s struggles. Enrollment dropped from over 156,000 in the 2002-03 school year to 49,000 last year. However, there has been some progress, with enrollment increasing to 50,890 students as of this month, according to Vitti.
The district has also focused on early enrollment, as the number of students recorded on "Count Day" is used to determine state funding. Early enrollment numbers often exceed official headcounts made in October.
Outreach Efforts and Community Engagement
Three days before the Summer on the Block event, more than 20 individuals gathered in a sunlit classroom at the Detroit School of Arts. They were part of a team contracted by the district to canvas homes in areas with low attendance compared to the number of school-aged children living there. This summer, canvassers visited over 78,000 homes to inform families about the district’s schools and programs.
At the event, participants received materials such as fliers listing Summer on the Block dates and pamphlets highlighting programs at application schools. Before heading out, they shared their experiences door-to-door, noting both positive responses and hesitations from residents. Laura Gomez, who has been canvassing for three years, mentioned that recent immigration-related issues, such as detentions and deportations, have affected some families’ willingness to engage with the district.
Tanya Shelton and her son David visited the Crary St. Mary’s neighborhood, where they asked families about their school districts and provided information about DPSCD. Many families were interested in the district’s free school lunches and academic support services. However, many doors went unanswered, and literature was left at numerous homes.
Families Consider Programming, Academics, and Transportation
At the Pulaski event, Alexa Franco-Garcia observed more students signing up for the school than in previous years. She noted that several families had already completed enrollment, while others left contact information to return later. Parents often asked about curriculum, extracurricular activities, class sizes, special education support, and transportation options.
Enrolling young learners remains a key strategy for the district, with 457 prekindergarten students enrolled by the beginning of August—an increase of about 10 compared to the same time last year. Diab, who brought four grandchildren to the event, learned about the district’s health hubs, parent academy, and mental health resources.
The event attracted more than 350 attendees, thanks to activities like fresh produce boxes, an ice cream truck, free books, and kids' activities. Linn Flake, the first second-grader to enroll at Pulaski, chose DPSCD over his previous charter school due to the availability of bus service. His mother, Roxanne Flake, appreciated the convenience of transportation, which she found essential without a car.
Diab said she would continue researching before making a final decision for her family. “We’re going to come here and figure everything out—ask questions, all of that stuff, and then if it’s the right fit for them, we’re gonna put them in,” she said.