WAY Academy Chicago Site

WAY Academy Chicago Site, a very small high school in DETROIT, Michigan, operated by W-A-Y Academy, enrolls 76 students, covering grades 6 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 83% smaller than the state mean of about 460.

Within W-A-Y Academy, which oversees 2 schools and 211 students, WAY Academy Chicago Site is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, WAY Academy Chicago Site logs that nearly all students (97%) are Black; the rest looks like 3% Hispanic. By comparison, Wayne County as a whole is about 37% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

On the resource side, An estimated 95% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Wayne County runs at roughly 66%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Wayne County) records that the typical household earns roughly $60,539 per year, about 28% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 16%. Across Wayne County's 573 public schools (combined enrollment of about 259,786 students), WAY Academy Chicago Site is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: KIPP Detroit Imani Academy, around 0.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The campus sits in a high-density setting. As a public charter, WAY Academy Chicago Site runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school. As a virtual school, attendance and instruction happen remotely rather than in person.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at WAY Academy Chicago Site has decreased 42%, going from 130 students in 2018 to 76 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for WAY Academy Chicago Site typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.