Flint Community Schools

Flint Community Schools
Address
923 E. Kearsley St
Flint
, Genesee, Michigan, 48503
United States
District information
TypePublic
GradesPreK–12[1]
SuperintendentKevelin B. Jones II[2]
Schools10 schools, including 3 secondary schools[3]
BudgetOperating expenditures 2021-2022 $67,530,000[1]
NCES District ID2614520 [1]
Students and staff
Students2,886 (2023–2024)[1]
Teachers143.3 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Staff445.86 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Student–teacher ratio20.14:1[1]
Other information
Websitewww.flintschools.org

Flint Community Schools is a school district headquartered in Flint, Michigan, United States. Its boundary includes almost all of the city limits.[4]

In the last fifty years, the Flint Community Schools district has endured the same hardships that have shaped the city of Flint. Due to the role of General Motors, the city had nearly 200,000 residents and 47,867 public school students in 1968. Enrollment numbers dropped steadily until the 2022-2023 school year, when there were 2,840 students and about 80,000 residents.[5][6]

History

A union school district was organized in Flint in the 1870s, and the town chose the unfinished city hall, at the corner of Saginaw and Third Streets, to be the high school in 1875. Flint's high school was located in this building until a new building, Flint High School, was built in 1923.[7] It became Central High School when Flint Northern High School was built in 1928.[8]

As the Great Migration increased the Black population in Flint, Flint Community Schools practiced racial segregation into the 1960s. Although there was no written policy of discrimination, the district reinforced de facto segregation that existed in the neighborhoods. Boundaries of school attendance areas were often drawn according to race, and majority-Black schools were overcrowded while all-white schools nearby were under capacity.[9] To address a federal desegregation order, the district created a system of magnet schools in the early 1970s that any student could attend. This system contributed to the lifting of the desegregation order in 2002.[10]

The current mission statement of "developing a community of learners who are prepared to live, work, and contribute to an ever changing society" was developed by Walter Milton, who became Superintendent in 2005. Milton subsequently wrote a book entitled Me in the Making which included a chapter on his stormy tenure in Flint.[11]

For the 2011-2012 school year, the Flint Community Schools had both middle schools, four elementary schools and one high school placed in the bottom 5% of all schools in the State of Michigan based on student achievement and attendance.[12]

In November 2012, Superintendent Linda Thompson announced her retirement.[13] Thompson assumed the Superintendentship in 2008 and set about downsizing the District by closing schools. In late 2011 the District was found to be running a deficit of 3.7 million dollars by the accounting firm of Yeo and Yeo.[14] In early 2012 the Flint School Board opted not to extend Superintendent Thompson's contract beyond the current year, citing the deficit and her previous effectiveness rating of 2.7 out a possible 4.0 points.[15]

In December 2012, Lawrence Watkins Jr. was selected to serve as the Districts Interim Superintendent.[16] Larry Watkins helped the Flint School District usher in a comprehensive educational plan, negotiate concessions from bargaining units and collaborate with community organizations to bring back the community education model. At the same time, Watkins saw Flint schools' deficit grow from $4 million to $21.9 million in a little over two years, thousands of students leave the district and numerous school buildings closed.[17] On April 8, 2015, Mr. Watkins announced his retirement.[18]

In August 2018, Flint Community Schools selected Derrick Lopez, JD as its new Superintendent.[19] One of his first acts was to secure funding from the Elon Musk Foundation in the amount of $480,350 to replace each water fountain in all of the Flint Community Schools with new water stations and two filtration systems: carbon filtration to remove the lead and ultraviolet filtration to remove other chemicals and soluble particulates.

As of December 2018, Flint Community Schools have agreed to switch to the balanced school calendar for the 2019-2020 school year. This will affect all schools in the district. Freeman was the only school with a balanced calendar before the change.

In June 2020, Anita Steward took over the helm at Flint Community Schools. Before becoming the superintendent, Mrs. Steward was the Assistant Superintendent.[20]

Schools

Source:[21]

School Address Built Notes
Accelerated Learning Academy 1602 S. Averill 1951 Formerly Scott Elementary School
Brownell Elementary School 6302 Oxley Dr. 1958 Grades K-2, STEM School (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
Doyle/Ryder Education Center 1040 N. Saginaw St 1902 Incorporates 1902 Doyle School
Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School 1518 University Ave. 1923 Active elementary school
Eisenhower Elementary School 1235 Pershing Street 1966 Active elementary school
Freeman Elementary School 4001 Ogema Ave 1954 Active elementary school
Holmes STEM Middle School Academy 6602 Oxley Dr. 1962 Formerly Holmes Middle School
Potter Elementary School 2500 N Averill Ave. 1953 Active elementary school
Southwestern Classical Academy 1420 W 12th St. 1959[22] Formerly Southwestern High School
Repurposed Schools
School Address Built Notes
Bunche Elementary 4121 Martin Luther King Blvd. 1967 Now Bunche Community Center
Coolidge Elementary School 3615 Van Buren Ave. 1929 Closed in 2011, sold to Communities First Inc. for office and housing use
Cummings Elementary School G-2200 Walton Avenue 1956 Became Great Expectations Early Childhood Center in 2016
Dewey Elementary School 4119 N. Saginaw St. 1921 Now the Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village
Gundry Elementary School 6031 Dupont St. 1955 Closed 2008, Now Cathedral of Faith Ministries
Lawndale Elementary School 3115 Lawndale Ave. 1951 Built 1951 as St. Luke Catholic School, leased to Flint Schools in 1995, Closed 2004. Now St. Luke’s N.E.W. Life Center
Lincoln Elementary School 2820 S. Saginaw St. 1918 Became International Academy of Flint charter school in 1999
Oak Elementary School 1000 Oak Street 1890 Closed in 1976, reopened in 2014 as Oak Street Senior Housing
Pierce Elementary School 1101 W. Vernon Drive 1958 Closed in 2025, Now Pierce Creative Arts Charter school
Selby Elementary School 5005 Cloverlawn Drive 1956 Sold and became Eagles Nest Academy in 2015
Sobey Elementary School 3701 N. Averill Avenue 1962 Closed 2003, now Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint
Summerfield Elementary School 1360 Milbourne Ave. 1970 Closed in 2012, reopened as early childcare center
Walker Elementary School 817 E. Kearsley St. 1960 Closed 1988, now Walker Center office building
Closed Schools
School Address Built Notes
Anderson Elementary School 3248 Mackin Road 1965 Closed in 2009, abandoned
Bryant Jr. High 201 E. Pierson Road 1958 Reopened as Elementary in 2002, closed in 2013, abandoned
Carpenter Road Elementary 6901 N. Webster Rd 1965 Closed in 2015, abandoned
Civic Park Elementary School 1402 W. Dayton St. 1922 Closed in 2009, abandoned
Cook Elementary 500 Welch Blvd. 1917 Closed in 2002, abandoned
Dort Elementary 601 E. Witherbee St. 1976 Closed in 2013, abandoned
Garfield Elementary School 301 E. McClellan St. 1928 Closed in 2009, abandoned
Jefferson Elementary School 5306 North Street 1926 Closed in 1988, Last used as Northridge Academy, later 2nd Chance Baptist Church of Flint, abandoned
Johnson Elementary School 5323 Western Road 1967 Closed in 2006, last used as Johnson AAA School, abandoned
King Elementary School 520 W. Rankin St. 1970 Closed 2006, abandoned
Longfellow Jr. High 1255 N. Chevrolet Ave. 1928 Closed in 2006, abandoned
Lowell Jr. High 3301 N Vernon Ave 1929 Alternative middle school from 1988-2003, closed in 2003, abandoned
Manley Elementary School 3002 Farley Street 1969 Closed in 2004, Abandoned
McKinley Middle School 4501 Camden Ave. 1929 Closed in 2012, abandoned
Merrill Elementary School 1501 W. Moore St 1953 Closed in 2009, abandoned
Neithercut Elementary School 1010 Crestbrook Ln. 1955 Closed in 2025, abandoned
Northern High School 3284 Mackin Rd. 1971 Renamed Northern Academy, closed in 2014, abandoned
Northwestern High School G-2138 Carpenter Rd. 1964 Renamed Flint Junior High in 2018, closed in 2020, abandoned
Stewart Elementary School 1950 Burr Blvd. 1955 Closed in 2009, abandoned
Wilkins Elementary 121 E. York Ave. 1972 Closed in 2010, abandoned
Williams Elementary 3501 Minnesota Ave. 1969 Closed in 2010, abandoned
Zimmerman Jr. High 2421 Corunna Rd. 1924 Closed in 2013, abandoned
Demolished Schools
School Address Built Notes
Central High School 601 Crapo St 1923 Closed in 2009, demolished in 2026
Clark Elementary School 1519 Harrison St. 1912 Closed in 1971, demolished in 2014
Cody Elementary School 3201 Fenton Road 1925 Closed in 2003, demolished in December 2012
Fairview Elementary School 1300 Leith St. 1915 Closed 1971, later served as Alternative Junior High School, then Flint Schools of Choice. Demolished 1976
Hazelton Elementary School 1301 W. 2nd St. 1843 Closed in 1964, Demolished in 1966
Homedale Elementary School 1501 Davison Road 1914 Closed in 2003, added onto in 1922 & 1966, burned on September 11, 2010, now a vacant lot
Kennedy School 1541 N. Saginaw Street 1940 Built as St. Paul Lutheran School, sold to Flint Schools in 1963 and named Mary Street School. Renamed John F. Kennedy School in 1966. Closed 1977, Demolished 2011
Northern High School / Emerson Jr. High 401 E. McClellan St. 1925 Became Emerson in 1971 after new Northern High School was built. Later became The Flint Academy, demolished 1989
Lewis Elementary School 3218 N. Franklin Ave. 1911 Became Lowell Jr. High Annex in 1978, demolished in 1991
Washington Elementary School 1400 N. Vernon Avenue 1922 Closed in 2013, burned down October 7, 2021, demolished
Martin Community Elementary School 6502 Stafford Place 1924 Closed in 2002, razed in 2011, now vacant lot
Parkland Elementary School 3319 North St. 1913 Closed in 1976, demolished in 1997
Pierson Elementary School 300 E. Mott Ave. 1928 Closed in 2002, demolished in 2007
Stevenson Elementary School 510 W. 6th Ave. 1909 Became Rankin School, demolished 1982
School of Choice 517 E. 5th Avenue 1927 Formerly St. Michael's High School, became The Center For Hope in 2010, demolished in 2017
Whittier Middle School 800 Crapo Street 1925 Closed in 2008, demolished 2026

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Flint School District of the City of". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  2. ^ Flint Community Schools. "Superintendent's Office". Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  3. ^ Flint Community Schools. "Schools". Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  4. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Genesee County, MI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Ballotpedia. "Flint City School District, Michigan". Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  6. ^ Adams, Dominic (October 7, 2015). "The rise and fall of Flint School District enrollment over a century". MLive. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  7. ^ Hinterman, Peter (May 3, 2021). "Education and Excellent: Flint Central High School". My City.
  8. ^ The students of Flint Central High School (1928). The 1928 Prospectus (Flint Central High School 1928 Yearbook. p. 3-5.
  9. ^ Michigan Civil Rights Commission (February 17, 2017). "The Flint Water Crisis: Systemic Racism Through the Lens of Flint" (PDF). Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  10. ^ Adams, Dominic (May 16, 2014). "60 years after landmark court ruling four Flint schools 'intensely segregated'". MLive.
  11. ^ Journal|accessdate=February 11, 2008 http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal|publisher=Flint Journal|accessdate=February 11, 2008
  12. ^ "Priority Schools List" (PDF). State of Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  13. ^ "Flint Schools Superintendent Linda Thompson will retire, submits 90-day notice". MLive.com. November 16, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  14. ^ Campbell, Robert (November 17, 2011). East Village Magazine. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ Thorne, Blake (March 28, 2012). The Flint Journal. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ "Larry Watkins selected as interim superintendent at Flint School District". MLive.com. December 19, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  17. ^ "'Right time' to exit, says retiring Flint schools chief Larry Watkins". MLive.com. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  18. ^ "'Right time' to exit, says retiring Flint schools chief Larry Watkins". MLive.com. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  19. ^ "New Flint schools superintendent inks three-year contract". August 17, 2018.
  20. ^ Keefer, Winter (June 20, 2020). "Anita Steward takes over as Flint Community Schools superintendent".
  21. ^ Flint Community Schools. "Schools". Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  22. ^ Flint Community Schools (1960). Spectrum 60 (Southwestern High School 1960 Yearbook. p. 3-5.
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