RIVER ROUGE, Mich. – Several years ago, you couldn't pay a parent to send their child to a school in the River Rouge School District.
Now, enrollment is up.
"People used to think of stereotypes, how Rouge is like 'ghetto' and what not. Now they are starting to figure out how good the school district is," said student Reggie Pearson.
From 2002 to 2012, the district's enrollment dropped from about 2,400 students to 900. Failing academics, financial troubles and corruption involving district officials all helped fuel the mass exodus.
"Both dealt with administrators here in the district -- misappropriation of funds, charges of corruption and extortion," said Superintendent Derrick Coleman.
Coleman took over as superintendent in 2012. He said the deficit has now turned into a surplus. Enrollment is up to 1,750 this school year.
This school year the district added 500 new students, including some from the now defunct Highland Park School District.
"We meet them where they are. We understand they are going to have significant deficits whether they are economic, social, emotional," said Coleman.
Devynn Williams is a senior at the high school. He is bussed in from Highland Park. He's the outcome of the district's recruitment efforts.
"First they said they have a nice football team, so I am like, 'That is first.' And second they told me their academics was nice here. So I am like, it will be a better change from me than staying in Highland Park," said Williams.