Blanche Kelso Bruce Academy is the name given to several charter schools within the Detroit Public Schools in Detroit, Michigan, currently serving 345 students in grades 5-12. They function as alternative schools for Youth Outside the Educational Mainstream (YOEM). Most of the schools are strict-discipline academies for students who have been expelled from regular schools. The schools are named after Blanche Bruce, the first African American to serve a full term as a United States Senator.
Schools operating under the Blanche Kelso Bruce Academy umbrella include:
Blanche Kelso Bruce Academies are chartered through Wayne RESA and are managed by Blair Evans of Evans Solutions. The Blanche Kelso Bruce Academy School District's central offices are located at 8045 Second Ave., Detroit, MI 48202
In June 2011 the Blanche Kelso Bruce Academy organization was selected to run the Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women as a charter school. The academy for pregnant teens and young mothers had been slated for closure for budgetary reasons. Blanche Kelso Bruce Academy also took over operation of the Gladys Barsamian Preparatory Center and the Hancock Center.