The Abandoned Schools of Detroit
While some schools in Detroit began closing rapidly in 2005, most schools closed between 2007 and 2012. The cause was the shift of Detroit residents choosing charter schools over public schools, which was also expedited by the significant population loss from the early 2000s into the 2010s in Detroit. CEO of Detroit Public Schools Kenneth Burnley (CEO from 2000 to 2005) tried to save many schools from closing and witnessed the impending demise of Detroit Public Schools. His goal was to restore confidence in the Detroit Public Schools District as a whole. He accomplished this by investing resources into students' hands to learn modern material and help improve the test scores of students, which were very poor even by year two of Burnley 's five-year term . By this point, much of the money allocated to the school district was a mystery as to where it had gone . Much of the money was likely to have been misappropriated during Kwame Kilpatrick's reign of fraud against the city of Detroit while he was mayor from 2002 to 2008. Burnley left office leading Detroit Public Schools in 2005. During Burnley's time, the district lost a quarter of its enrollment in just five years. By 2009, Detroit Public Schools declared a deficit of over $400 million to Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm. In response , Granholm declared an emergency for the district . By this point, it was too late, and schools had been downsizing, merging, and closing rapidly . Many parents fought to keep numerous schools open; some succeeded, while many did not, including those that succeeded initially but ultimately closed later between 2007 and 2012. At the beginning of mass closures in the district, many schools, like Jane Cooper Elementary ( closed in 2007) and Joy Middle School ( closed in 2006), felt the wrath of scrappers, who claimed the resources and assets left inside the schools at closure. The schools closed early on were not properly secured and faced extensive scrapping. Many schools that closed later in the timeline were spared much of the damage experienced by some of the earlier closed schools. Detroit Public Schools Police began cracking down on scrappers and thieves inside the schools around 2009. This was accomplished using a camera system called Videofied , along with standard intrusion systems such as motion sensors and the use of VPS boards, which are metal boards designed to be hard to remove by vandals looking to access vacant properties. To this day, abandoned DPSCD property owned by the district is still heavily guarded, and anyone found inside the abandoned schools of Detroit owned by the district is likely to be arrested on the spot. The difference is with city-owned property, of which does not have the same intrusion methods as the DPSCD owned schools, of which 39 of the approximately 200 abandoned schools are. In 2015, the city of Detroit purchased many properties from Detroit Public Schools, mainly to pay off overdue utility bills on the schools. Many of these sold schools were elementary schools, with a few middle schools and one high school. In 2025, many of the abandoned schools closed from 2007 to 2012 still stand in a variety of conditions.
Kenneth Burnley CEO of Detroit Public Schools
2000-2005
Closed 1980, 1993
Is the oldest standing Detroit Public School, built in 1897. It originally closed under DPS in 1980, however a year later it reopened as a Islamic school that used the space until 1993.
Closed 2004
was a elementary school on the East Side of Detroit that was amidst some of the earliest closures in the Detroit Public Schools system, when it closed in 2004 due to serve population decline around the neighborhood, it was once called the most modern school in Detroit.
Closed 2005
Was a small elementary school on the west side of Detroit, the school was closed due to declining enrollment on its final year of operation it only had a student population of 144.
Closed 2007
Was a elementary school on the northeast central side of Detroit, it was known for its music program, and hosted two gyms, to date is it still one of the biggest abandoned Detroit schools, especially elementary schools
Was a small elementary school on the west side of Detroit, it is named after Tadeusz Kościuszko an American hero of the revolutionary war
Closed 2008
was a elementary school on the northeast side of Detroit, it is known as one of the first schools in Detoit to integrate races.
Closed 2009
was a elementary school on the east side of Detroit, that was closed due to declining enrollment since being abandoned it has faced significant water damage, it is known for its 22 foot tall auditorium ceiling with a english G on the curtain.
was a small elementary on the east side of Detroit that was closed due to declining enrollment, it was kept open after almost closing in 2007, but ultimately closed in 2009.
Closed 2010
was a high school on the west side of Detroit that closed due to the low enrollment compared to the size of the building and high maintenance costs with such a small student pool, today it stands as the largest abandoned school in Detroit and one of the biggest schools in Michigan
was a middle school and later a K-8 School on the Northwest side of Detroit that closed due to a significant decline in enrollment.
was a elementary school that later served as a vocational school and a adult education facility located on the east side of Detroit. It was closed due to problems with the facility, and the presence of several other nearby schools under capacity.
was a elementary on the west side of Detroit, that closed due to declining enrollment since being abandoned it has faced significant scrapping.
was a elementary school on west side of Detroit that closed due to declining enrollment. It received a very late addition in 1999, just over 10 years before it was closed.
Closed 2011
was a elementary school on the east side of Detroit that closed due to a downsizing effort by Detroit Public Schools.
was a K-8 school, later a special education facility for young adults ages 20 to 26 named the John Deiter Center later renamed to the Detroit Transition Center West. It was closed when the program was transferred to the Drew School.
was a girls only school, later a special education school, it was known for its anchor position of the neighborhood it was built in. Along with being one of the biggest elementary schools in Detroit it was also built before most Detroit Public Schools, it was originally slated to close in 2010, but the neighborhood fought to keep it open and would ultimately close in 2011.
Closed 2012
was a elementary school on the west side of Detroit, it was built as a Brady plan school. It was closed due to declining enrollment and remains one of if not the worst shape schools in Detroit
Closed 2013
Oakman Elementary Orthopedic School
was a special education school on the west side of Detroit, unique due to its 1 story floor plan and square shape with a courtyard in the middle, the school was part of a big controversy when it closed in 2013. Due to new accommodations not present in the schools the students would be transferred to.
was a elementary school on the east side of Detroit originally slated to close in 2008, but was revived when it took over students and programs from other schools closing, however it would close in 2013.
was a very unique elementary school on the east side of Detroit, that hosts many murals of various scenes including a Rosa Parks Memorial. The school closed due to declining enrollment.
Abandoned Private Schools of Detroit
From the late 1960s into the early 70s many catholic parochial schools closed. This was largely caused by Detroit’s population decline into the 1970s, many churches once built from the workers of these neighborhoods were slowly becoming ghost towns as many white folks fled Detroit for the new suburbs. John Francis Dearden the Archbishop of Detroit from 1958 to 1980, ordered 56 of the 269 schools to close after Michigan voters amended the state constitution to bar all taxpayer aid to private schools in 1970, Dearden ordered all parishes in his diocese to examine their finances and determine if their schools were a financial drain due to declining enrollment. Many schools would be in this closure including St. Cyril, St. David High School, and many more. Schools like St. Rita and St. Margaret Mary closed in 1969 and 1970 before the order from the Archbishop. Some schools like Holy Redeemer High School and St Luke survived into the late 80s and even 2000s. Many Parochial High Schools played under the Catholic High School League of Detroit.
St Cryil Sanctuary (photo by David Kohrman of forgottendetroit.com) St Cyril was demolished in 2003
John Francis Dearden (October 15, 1907 – August 1, 1988) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Detroit from 1958 to 1980, and was created a cardinal in 1969. He previously served as Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1950 to 1958. During his tenure in Pittsburgh, Dearden earned the nickname
"Iron John" for his stern
manner of administration.
In Detroit, Dearden was
active in community
causes, supporting
equal employment
opportunities
and better racial
relations in the city.
He played an influential role at the Second Vatican Council. Dearden also served as the first president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Following the death of Cardinal Edward Mooney, Dearden was appointed the second Archbishop of Detroit on December 18, 1958. He was active in community causes such as supporting equal employment opportunities and encouraging his diocese to work for better racial relations in Detroit. His commitment to racial justice frequently put him at odds with priests and lay Catholics at the parish level who organized to fight neighborhood integration. Dearden in 1967 concluded that "the Negro-white confrontation in American cities is in great part a Negro-Catholic confrontation.”
When Michigan voters amended the state constitution to bar all taxpayer aid to private schools in 1970, Dearden ordered all parishes in his diocese to examine their finances and determine if their schools were a financial drain due to declining enrollment. Examining this data, he ordered the closing of 56 of the 269 schools in 1971. This raised an outcry from affected parishioners who were especially vexed as he was head of the bishops' conference at the time.
Three years after suffering a heart attack, he resigned as Detroit's archbishop on July 15, 1980, after twenty-one years of service. On August 1, 1988, Dearden died from pancreatic cancer in Southfield, Michigan, at age 80. He was still a member of the Roman Curia's Congregation for the Sacraments at the time. He is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield.
St Albertus Parish School
Closed 1966
was a parish Elementary School on the east side of Detroit in the Poletown East neighborhood, that closed in 1966 with serve declining enrollment. It was a very important school in the history of Poletown East, a high school was proposed but was never built, and it remained a Elementary School for its time as a school. When the parish closed in 1990 volunteers reopened the church and monitored the school for many years. However vandals have began making there way inside in the last 15 years or so. Most things remain in acceptable shape and it remains one of the better condition private schools in Detroit.
St Margret Mary Parochial School
Closed 1970
was a catholic private parochial school on the east side of Detroit that closed in 1970, due to declining enrollment. It is important to note that St Margret Mary never had a sports program and was not part of the Catholic High School League in Detroit.
St. Rita Parochial Elementary and High School
Closed 1972, 1975
was a parochial school on the northeast side of Detroit that closed its High School program in 1972 and Elementary program in 1975, however in 1979, it was leased to Detroit Public Schools and used as the Helen Field Learning Center until 2005. St. Rita was part of the Catholic High School League with the nickname of the Vikings.
St David Parochial School
Closed 1990
(High School closed in 1971 out of a building that was built across the street)
was a parochial school on the east side of Detroit that closed in 1990 due to declining enrollment, interestingly the gymnasium and auditorium space of St David was once the church sanctuary until 1948. The High School later operated out of a building built across the street that opened in 1959. St David High School was part of the Catholic High School League with the nickname of the Aviators.
St Luke Parochial School
Closed 1989, 2013
was a parochial school on the west side of Detroit that closed in 1989 under the order of the Archdiocese another name for archbishop, its gymnasium and auditorium was once the church sanctuary until around 1936. A couple private schools used the former St. Luke School until 2013. It appears maintenance and repairs are still regularly done on the school and it remains in very good shape. It does not appear St Luke was part of the Catholic High School League.
Bethleham Temple of Inkster
Closed around 2010
was a private school in the suburb of Detroit, Inkster MI that closed around 2010 due to serve distrust in the schools around Inkster, and declining enrollment, just 3 years later the Inkster School District would be dissolved.