Flint Community Schools


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

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. It became Central High School when Flint Northern High School was built in 1928.
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. 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.
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.
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.
In November 2012, Superintendent Linda Thompson announced her retirement. 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. 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.
In December 2012, Lawrence Watkins Jr. was selected to serve as the Districts Interim Superintendent. 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. On April 8, 2015, Mr. Watkins announced his retirement.
In August 2018, Flint Community Schools selected Derrick Lopez, JD as its new Superintendent. 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.

Schools

Source:
SchoolAddressBuiltNotes
Accelerated Learning Academy1602 S. AverillFormerly Scott Elementary School
Anderson Elementary SchoolJanet Higgins Dr.1965Closed in 2009, sold in 2015 to Empowered Enterprise Inc., abandoned
Brownell Elementary School6302 Oxley Dr.Grades K-2, STEM School
Bryant Elementary201 E. Pierson RoadFormerly Bryant Jr. High, closed in 2013
Bunche Elementary4121 Martin Luther King Blvd.Now Bunche Community Center
Carpenter Road ElementaryClosed in 2015
Central High School601 Crapo St1923Closed in 2009
Civic Park Elementary School1402 W. Dayton St.1922Closed in 2009, abandoned
Cook Elementary500 Welch Blvd.Closed in 2002
Coolidge Elementary School3615 Van Buren Ave.1928Closed in 2011, sold to Communities First Inc. for office and housing use
Cummings Elementary SchoolBecame Great Expectations Early Childhood Center in 2016
Dewey Elementary School4119 N. Saginaw St.Now the Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village
Doyle/Ryder Education Center1040 N. Saginaw St1902Incorporates 1902 Doyle School
Dort Elementary601 E. Witherbee St.Closed in 2013
Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School1518 University Ave.Active elementary school
Eisenhower Elementary School1235 Pershing StreetActive elementary school
Freeman Elementary School4001 Ogema AveActive elementary school
Garfield Elementary School301 E. McClellan St.1928Closed in 2009
Gundry Community Elementary School6031 Dupont St.Closed 2008, Now Cathedral of Faith Ministries
Holmes STEM Middle School Academy6602 Oxley Dr.Formerly Holmes Elementary
Jefferson Elementary School5306 North StreetLast used as Northridge Academy, later 2nd Chance Baptist Church of Flint, abandoned
Johnson Elementary School5323 Western Road1967Closed in 2006, last used as Johnson AAA School
King Elementary School520 W. Rankin St.Closed
Lawndale Avenue Elementary School3115 Lawndale AvenueNow St. Luke's N.E.W. Life Center
Lincoln Elementary School2820 S. Saginaw St.Became International Academy of Flint charter school in 1999
Longfellow Middle School1255 N. Chevrolet Ave.Closed in 2006
Lowell Jr. High3301 N Vernon Ave1929Alternative middle school from 1988-2003, abandoned
Manley Elementary School3002 Farley StreetAbandoned
McKinley Middle School4501 Camden Ave.1929Closed in 2012
Merrill Elementary School1501 W. Moore St1953Closed in 2009
Neithercut Elementary School2010 Crestbrook Ln.Active elementary school
Northern High School3284 Mackin Rd.1971Renamed Northern Academy, closed in 2014
Northwestern High SchoolG-2138 Carpenter Rd.1964Renamed Flint Junior High in 2018, closed in 2020
Oak Elementary School1000 Oak Street1890Closed in 1976, reopened in 2014 as Oak Street Senior Housing
Pierce Elementary SchoolNow Pierce Creative Arts Community School charter school
Potter Elementary School2500 N Averill Ave.Active elementary school
Selby AcademySold and became Eagles Nest Academy in 2015
Sobey Elementary School3701 N. Averill AvenueClosed 2003, now Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint
Southwestern Classical Academy1420 W 12th St.1959Formerly Southwestern High School
Stewart Elementary School1950 Burr Blvd.1955Closed in 2009
Summerfield Elementary School1360 Milbourne Ave.1970Closed in 2012, reopened as early childcare center
Whittier Middle School800 Crapo Street1925Closed in 2008
Wilkins Elementary121 E. York Ave.Closed in 2010
Williams Elementary3501 Minnesota Ave.Closed in 2010
Zimmerman Elementary School2421 Corunna Rd.Closed in 2013

SchoolAddressBuiltNotes
Clark Elementary SchoolHarrison St1912Closed in 1977, demolished in 2014
Cody Elementary School3201 Fenton RoadClosed in 2003, demolished in December 2012
Northern High School later Emerson Jr. HighMcClellan St.1928Later became The Flint Academy, demolished
Homedale Elementary School1501 Davison Road1914Closed in 2003, added onto in 1922 & 1966, burned on September 11, 2010, now a vacant lot
Kennedy SchoolSaginaw StreetAlternative school, after closing Schools of Choice opened as a replacement, demolished in 2011
Lewis Elementary School1911Became Lowell Jr. High Annex in 1978, demolished in 1991
Washington Elementary School1400 N. Vernon Avenue1922Closed in 2013, burned down October 7, 2021, demolished
Martin Community Elementary School6502 Stafford Place1924Closed in 2002, razed in 2011, now vacant lot
Pierson Elementary School300 E. Mott Ave.Closed in 2002, demolished in 2013
Stevenson Elementary School6th Ave.1911Became Rankin School, demolished
School of Choice517 E. 5th AvenueFormerly St. Michael's High School, became The Center For Hope in 2010, demolished in 2017