DETROIT SCHOOLS OFFERED $100 A WEEK FOR PERFECT ATTENDANCE
Detroit’s school district put $100 a week behind perfect attendance and expanded its “Perfect Attendance Pays” program to middle schoolers.
The Source reported on August 18, 2026 that Detroit Public Schools Community District was bringing middle-school students into the program for the 2026–27 school year. High-school students could earn $100 for each qualifying week of perfect attendance. Middle schoolers could earn $50.
The district said the approach had “already been proven with our students and families to reduce chronic absenteeism,” in a statement quoted by the New York Post.
The program did not run all school year. Michigan Public reported that it ran for ten weeks, from January through March.
It was not new to the district. Michigan Public described the expansion as bringing middle schoolers into a program that had paid high-school students for perfect attendance for two years.
What students had to do
The bar was high. Students had to attend every class hour every day during the qualifying week, Michigan Public reported.
MLive reported that arriving late, leaving early or missing any class could disqualify a student for that week, even with an excused absence. School-sponsored activities such as field trips were an exception.
Stack up every qualifying week and the top payout hits $1,000 for high schoolers and half that for middle schoolers, FOX 2 Detroit reported.
Middle-school rewards go to a student’s parent or guardian, MLive reported.
Where the money comes from
The cash did not come from state or federal education funds. MLive reported it came from interest accrued on money set aside for facility projects.
The district described it as “interest generated through District funds awaiting to be used for facility projects,” in a statement quoted by the New York Post.
FOX 2 Detroit described the initiative as an effort to increase enrollment and attendance in the district.
What happened next
On September 13, 2026, MLive reported that district officials would monitor middle-school attendance and whether high-school chronic absenteeism kept declining. The district was also assessing whether the middle-school expansion would produce similar results.
Three days later, on September 16, 2026, Michigan Public reported that attendance during the program period rose more than 2% compared with before the program was introduced. The outlet attributed the figure to the district.
