Dr. Nikolai Vitti is the superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), the second-longest-serving superintendent in its history. In strong partnership with the school board, Dr. Vitti has rebuilt the district following two decades of disinvestment under state-controlled emergency management. He was named National Urban School District Superintendent of the Year in 2022.

Through the development, implementation, and refinement of a strategic plan, DPSCD has seen its first improvements in decades in key areas, including enrollment, student achievement, attendance, teacher recruitment, retention and pay, leadership development, student programming—particularly in the arts—and financial stability. These gains have led to reduced levels of oversight and monitoring by both federal and state governments.

Under Dr. Vitti’s leadership, DPSCD has emerged as one of the most improved districts in the nation post-pandemic in literacy and mathematics. Aggregate learning loss in both subjects has been eliminated, and performance at or above grade level has reached all-time highs for DPS/DPSCD, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The district’s progress has outpaced that of the state, many suburban districts, city charter schools, and large urban school systems nationwide. Since beginning its rebuilding process, the district has improved its standing in all statewide student achievement indicators, with 35 schools exiting the state’s lowest-performing category and avoiding closure.

Graduation rates have risen to 78%, a 14-percentage-point increase over the past three years—just four points below the state average. Additionally, more than 60% of high school students are now enrolled in and passing skilled trades and/or college-level courses, including dual enrollment and Advanced Placement. DPSCD is currently undertaking a $700 million capital improvement plan, funded by ESSER/COVID relief dollars, to modernize school facilities with upgraded HVAC systems, roofing, and masonry.

Before arriving in Detroit, Dr. Vitti served as superintendent of Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), the 20th-largest school district in the nation, with approximately 130,000 students in 200 schools and a $1.7 billion budget. During his four and a half years at DCPS, the district ranked among the top four highest-performing urban districts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Graduation rates increased from 67% in 2012 to 78.8% in 2016, with DCPS surpassing all Florida urban districts in African American graduation rates. Under Dr. Vitti’s leadership, DCPS expanded offerings in the arts, foreign languages, and innovative school programming, while advancing mental health and progressive discipline strategies. He also secured more than $40 million in local philanthropic funding to improve the district’s historically lowest-performing schools, with a focus on human capital and technology integration. As a result, many of those schools avoided sanctions and closure.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Vitti served as chief academic officer and assistant superintendent for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, as well as deputy chancellor at the Florida Department of Education. He has also worked as a principal, dean of students, and teacher.

Dr. Vitti holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in education from Wake Forest University. He received a Presidential Scholarship to attend the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Urban Superintendents Program, where he earned a second master’s degree and a doctorate in educational leadership.