Frequently asked questions

We envision a neighborhood-centered educational ecosystem at Marygrove that serves Detroit students and families as a model of excellence in education that integrates their experience from cradle to career through a place-based approach and innovative partnerships.

With the Teaching School, we’re expanding the pipeline of educators in Detroit through high-quality, integrated preparation, field experiences and rigorous mentorship to prepare our teachers for success.

The early childhood and K-12 partnerships are developing confident, curious learners who have the skills and knowledge to be leaders in the 21st century.

Our P-20 model incorporates child and family services, providing holistic support for their academic, social-emotional, mental and physical health, and other needs.

We’re integrating education and community development to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and creating intentional connections between the campus, its partners and the neighborhood.

Marygrove College – prior to its closure at the end of 2019 – had a 92-year history of service to this neighborhood and a longstanding commitment to social justice. This cradle-to-career campus is yet another demonstration of Marygrove College’s commitment to its neighbors, through innovation and partnership. The School at Marygrove is focused on social justice and design thinking. The school’s official logo incorporates the historical Liberal Arts building as a permanent acknowledgement of legacy of the college and the founding IHM sisters.

The School at Marygrove will have a phased opening:

• The 9th grade class at the School at Marygrove began in September 2019.This is the first phase of the K-12 school.
• Kindergarten is slated to begin in fall 2021.
• The primary and secondary schools will then add a grade each year, until all grades K-12 are offered.

9th & 10th grades: The application window for the 2020-2021 school year will open on October 16 at 12 p.m. The deadline to apply will be 5 p.m. on November 17. The School at Marygrove is accepting students in 9th grade and has a limited number of openings for the 10th grade class. Visit the DPSCD website at https://www.detroitk12.org/examschools for more information or to apply.

Enrolled 2019-20 9th grade students completed a holistic examination and application process to attend the school. That process is the same that used for admission to DPSCD’s four other examination high schools (Cass Tech, Renaissance, King and Southeastern). However, students that reside in the surrounding Marygrove neighborhoods and current DPSCD students are given priority points in the application process.

Kindergarten: The elementary school will open in 2021 beginning with kindergarten. The district will share enrollment information for the 2021-2022 school year closer to the school’s open date.

To ensure this school serves families living in its surrounding neighborhood, students that reside in the surrounding Marygrove neighborhoods are given priority points in the high school application process.

• 10 bonus points will be awarded to students that reside within the school’s primary catchment area.
• 5 bonus points will be awarded to students that reside outside of the school’s primary catchment area, but within its secondary catchment area.
• Boundaries for the primary and secondary catchment areas can be found here.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District Police Department is the state’s only full-service school district police agency and includes 78 police officers patrolling schools 24-7. The DPS-PD also has 43 campus police officers assigned to all high schools and other critical sites. The school board has recently approved a plan to hire more security guards. There are also 91 full-time guards for 39 schools for the school year.

Campus-wide security will constantly evolve to ensure a safe environment. The focus will be achieving a secure campus while being thoughtful and inviting to the community. The Marygrove Conservancy is engaging a firm to develop the security framework. We will work closely with all of the partners and their resources to ensure a thoughtful, layered approach to campus security.

Early plans include the following:

• A pedestrian gate will be added at Marygrove Drive leading into the campus to allow walking parents and students faster/safer access to the campus in lieu of walking around the campus to McNichols
• Exterior cameras will be added to the buildings
• Card readers will be added to exterior doors
• Pre-registration with the campus guards prior to arrival will be available to visitors

The University of Michigan School of Education has developed an innovative approach for preparing new teachers in order to strengthen the teaching force, elevate the practice of teacher education, and provide rigorous and innovative educational opportunities to K-12 students. The teaching school concept is inspired by the teaching hospital, where students learn to practice under the watchful eye of experienced physicians, nurses and other medical professionals. Newly certified teachers, called residents, who are employed by DPSCD will receive support from U-M faculty members, as well as veteran teachers at the school, thus extending their education three years beyond their certification program. These teachers will also serve as near-peer mentors to student teachers who are still completing their certification programs.

This cradle-to-career campus is part of the Marygrove Conservancy’s commitment to serving the entire community in northwest Detroit. This campus will provide opportunities for business owners to engage with the campus partners, creating avenues for collaboration that generate interest in local businesses.

The conservancy will work with local partners – particularly the Live6 Alliance – to understand how the campus can strengthen and support the growth of the entire neighborhood, ensuring that the many activities along the Livernois and McNichols corridors and in the neighborhoods, including recent investments in public spaces, streetscapes and small businesses, are all integrated into a cohesive strategy to support neighborhood growth.

Furthermore, the School at Marygrove is looking forward to working with local businesses to identify how the school and its students can partner with them through its engineering and design thinking focus.

We are excited for as many residents to provide feedback about this cradle-to-career campus as possible! The Marygrove Conservancy website has a calendar of events for residents and stakeholders to be engaged.

We’ll be at your block club meetings, neighborhood celebrations and events, as well as hosting large meetings, to share more about the P-20 work and to get your vision on how this campus can best serve the community.

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