DETROIT – A former hospital facility is set to become the new location of a Detroit high school.
Henry Ford Health donated the former Henry Ford Health Kingswood Hospital at 10300 Eight Mile Road to the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, according to a release from the hospital system.
Former hospital to be new location of Detroit high school
The former Royal Oak Township hospital was built in 1966 and became part of Henry Ford Health 20 years later.
It provided inpatient behavioral care for decades until it was closed earlier this year when the hospital system opened a new state-of-the-art behavioral healthcare facility in West Bloomfield.
“We’ve long said that it was crucial to us to find a use for the former Kingswood Hospital that contributed to the betterment of our community, and we couldn’t have found a better partner to make those goals a reality than the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy,” said Bob Riney, President and CEO, Henry Ford Health. “It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that generations of future leaders – even future Henry Ford Health nurses or physicians – will walk those halls. This partnership is a testament to our organization’s commitment to our community’s success and well-being.”
The facility is just over 70,000 square feet and has five floors.
The tuition-free public charter high school is currently located near 8 Mile and Greenfield roads, which is about two miles from the former hospital facility, according to the release.
When will students be relocated to former hospital building?
Students are expected to move into the former hospital building for the beginning of the 2027 school year, once retrofitting and demolition work are complete. The construction work is expected to start later this year.
The school will serve students from across Metro Detroit, according to the release.
“Since I founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in 2011, my singular focus has been to prepare our community’s young people to become leaders in whatever their future holds. As our vision and goals expand, so too does the space we need,” said basketball legend, Detroit native and academy founder Jalen Rose. “We are so very grateful to our friends at Henry Ford Health for giving us the perfect place to grow our family and impact. The sky’s the limit for our scholars, who will have the space to learn what they need in high school to succeed in college and careers.”
What will happen with the school’s building?
The high school’s former building is set to be converted into a middle school, marking the first time Jalen Rose Leadership Academy will serve 6th to 8th-grade students.
The school plans to launch a $20 million capital campaign to assist with funding renovations, but those details will be released in the future.
“To us, this is so much more than the donation of a building—this is the start of a meaningful partnership,” said Riney. “We are excited to look for additional ways we can work with Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, from mentorship programs to healthcare. We recognize a person’s wellbeing doesn’t just mean their health—and we aim to support JRLA students as holistically as possible.”