Amidst the boarded-up buildings and blighted street corners that are all too familiar in Detroit is a place where learning, inspiration and hope still thrives. Located virtually at the center of the Osborn Neighborhood just south of Detroit’s infamous 8 Mile Road, the Osborn High School campus serves more than 1,200 students in three separate learning academies operated by the Detroit Public Schools.
Just five years ago, Osborn was closed for financial considerations that overshadowed poor academic performance and safety concerns. It reopened within a year but remained known as a drop-out factory, sporting a graduation rate among the lowest in the country. But now, despite Detroit’s historic bankruptcy and the school district’s own emerging debt and fiscal crisis, nearly 80 percent of all students earn a diploma. And it’s among the noteworthy positives people talk about when they evaluate ‘new’ Detroit.