The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on The Dearborn Academy
The Dearborn Academy is a single-school district in Wayne County, Michigan, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a small enrollment setting, with roughly even class sizes across each grade from kindergarten on up. The student body is majority white, with a large Hispanic share and a smaller Black population. A few students identify as American Indian, Asian, or two or more races. The district did not report free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, special education rates, or English learner figures, so those pieces of the picture are gaps a parent would need to ask the school about directly.
On state assessments, The Dearborn Academy's results sit below the midpoint among Wayne County's districts. Math proficiency is the clearest concern. Across grades three through eight, the share of students scoring proficient in math is low in every grade, with the weakest results in the middle grades. English language arts tells a more mixed story. Proficiency in the upper elementary grades is modest, but eighth grade stands out as a relative bright spot, with a notably higher share of students reaching proficiency on the PSAT-based reading and writing measure. Science and social studies results are also low, though eighth grade social studies shows a somewhat stronger result than the earlier grades.
A parent reading these results might want to look into how the school supports students who are working below grade level, particularly in math across the intermediate grades. The gap between the weaker middle-grade math numbers and the comparatively stronger eighth grade ELA result suggests the academic experience varies by subject and grade, and a conversation with school staff about instructional focus and intervention strategies would help clarify what is happening in the classroom.
Chronic absenteeism is above the midpoint among Wayne County's districts, which means a substantial share of students miss enough school to fall into the chronically absent category. This is worth understanding in context. High absenteeism can both reflect and contribute to academic challenges, and a parent would want to know what the school is doing to improve attendance and keep students engaged day to day.
On the financial side, per-pupil current spending is in the upper range among Wayne County's districts. This means the district invests at a comparatively high level per student relative to its neighbors. How that spending translates into classroom resources, staffing, and support services is something a family could explore, since the spending level does not by itself explain the academic results.
Because The Dearborn Academy does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. That is simply a function of the grade band. Students would move on to a high school elsewhere after eighth grade, and a parent would want to ask about the transition process and which high schools graduates typically attend.
The district brief turned up little publicly reported information about recent changes or strategic priorities, so there is not much to say about new programs, leadership shifts, or facility updates. The locale and community context were not available either, which limits what can be said about the surrounding area, housing, or neighborhood character. Rather than fill those gaps with guesses, the honest account is that this information was not provided.
What the evidence does show is a small, single-school district with a diverse student body, a high level of per-pupil investment, and academic results that trail most of its Wayne County peers. The eighth grade ELA and social studies results suggest some students find their footing in the upper grades. For a family considering this school, the most useful next step would be a direct conversation about how the school addresses its weaker areas, what supports exist for students below proficiency, and how attendance is being handled.
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