Southfield Public School District, MI

Original Research by School Decision on Southfield Public School District

Southfield Public School District serves students from prekindergarten through twelfth grade across a set of schools in Oakland County, Michigan. The district's buildings include traditional elementary schools, several K-through-eighth academies, a middle school, and two high school options: Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology and University High School Academy. There is also a Southfield Regional Academic Campus and a Kennedy Learning Center, which suggest alternative or specialized placements within the system. The enrollment is sizable for the area, and the student body is predominantly Black, with small representation from other racial and ethnic groups.

On state assessments from the most recent school year, the picture is mixed and leans toward the lower end. In English language arts, proficiency rates are moderate in the elementary grades and rise by eighth grade, where nearly half of tested students met proficiency on the PSAT. Math tells a different story. Proficiency starts around a third of third graders and drops steadily through the middle grades, landing in the low teens by eighth grade. Science and social studies results are also low across the tested grades. When measured against the county's other districts, Southfield sits below the midpoint on overall proficiency. A parent weighing this district may want to ask school leaders how math instruction is structured across the grade bands and what interventions are in place for students who fall behind early.

Chronic absenteeism is another area where the district trails many of its Oakland County peers, sitting below the midpoint in a direction that is not favorable. High absenteeism and low math proficiency together can compound, so understanding what the district is doing to improve daily attendance would be a reasonable question for families exploring enrollment.

On the resource side, per-pupil spending sits in the upper range among the county's districts. The district also benefited from a bond issue that voters passed to improve and right-size school facilities, a capital investment that shapes the physical learning environment and carries property-tax implications for residents. The district's specialized buildings, including the K8 international academy, the arts-and-technology high school, and the university-affiliated high school academy, point to a range of programmatic offerings that go beyond a standard comprehensive model, though the data provided does not detail specific course catalogs, AP access, or career pathways.

The housing market across the district's zip codes is relatively affordable for Oakland County. The weighted typical home value sits below both the state and national benchmarks, with the most affordable areas concentrated in Southfield proper and higher values in pockets like Lathrup Village and a sliver of Beverly Hills. Rents are moderate, and the rent-to-income ratio suggests rental housing remains within reach for working families. The county-level market shows healthy listing activity with homes moving in roughly a month, giving prospective residents a reasonably active market to shop in.

Some data gaps are worth naming. Free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, special education rates, and English learner figures were not available in the data provided. Graduation rate was also missing from the comparison set, so a parent looking for that metric should consult the district or state report card directly. No locale brief was provided for Southfield or Lathrup Village, so community-level detail about the towns themselves is limited here.

What the assembled evidence suggests is a district with real programmatic variety and solid financial investment, operating in an affordable housing market, but working through academic and attendance challenges that place it below the midpoint of its county peers on key outcomes. Families drawn to the district's specialized academies and its commitment to facility improvement may find good reasons to look closely, particularly if they are prepared to ask direct questions about math achievement and attendance supports.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

4,809

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 3%

Black 92%

White 2%

Asian 1%

Two+ 2%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

29%

43%

Gr 4

34%

37%

Gr 5

35%

37%

Gr 6

22%

35%

Gr 7

30%

38%

Gr 8

43%

56%

Math

Gr 3

25%

44%

Gr 4

20%

26%

Gr 5

10%

20%

Gr 6

20%

Gr 7

15%

23%

Gr 8

15%

Science

Gr 5

24%

26%

Gr 8

15%

25%

Social studies

Gr 5

16%

22%

Gr 8

24%

34%

Schools in this District

13 schools are officially reported under this district.

Southfield Regional Academic Campus

Adlai Stevenson Elementary School

Glenn W Levey Middle School

MacArthur K8 University Academy

Vandenberg Elementary School

Morris Adler Elementary School

McIntyre Elementary School

University High School Academy

Alice M Birney K8 School

Thompson K8 International Academy

University Middle School Academy

Kennedy Learning Center

Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

32%

Grade 3

22%

Grade 4

13%

Grade 5

14%

Grade 6

19%

Grade 7

11%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

34%

Grade 3

35%

Grade 4

36%

Grade 5

27%

Grade 6

34%

Grade 7

48%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

25%

Grade 5

19%

Grade 8

Social Studies

2 grades reported

18%

Grade 5

28%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$252,547

Year-over-year change+2.1%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$228K to $633K

vs. state typical0.96x

vs. national typical0.69x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
48033	Southfield	$228K	+2.2%	34.8%
48075	Southfield	$239K	+1.3%	25.1%
48076	Lathrup Village	$298K	+1.7%	23.7%
48034	Southfield	$259K	+3.5%	16.4%
48334	Farmington Hills	$359K	+3.5%	0.1%
48025	Beverly Hills	$633K	+6.8%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,571/mo

Year-over-year change+0.9%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,423 to $1,794/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
48033	Southfield	$1,480	-1.1%	34.8%
48075	Southfield	$1,586	+5.7%	25.1%
48076	Lathrup Village	$1,794	+3.6%	23.7%
48034	Southfield	$1,423	-5.8%	16.4%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,274/mo

Home price / national median income3.0x

Annual rent / national median income22.5%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$297/mo

Market Activity: Oakland County

Median listing price$419,950

Median listing price YoY-4.5%

Median price per sq ft$234

Median price per sq ft YoY-1.3%

Median days on market34.5 days

Median days on market YoY+13.1%

Active listings2,605

Active listings YoY+19.8%

New listings2,060

New listings YoY+9.3%

Pending listings1,928

Pending listings YoY+7.2%

Hotness: median listing price$399,450

Hotness: median listing price YoY-7.6%

Supply score89.0

Supply score YoY-2.6%

Demand score74.6

Demand score YoY-8.6%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

Comparison

State typical home value$263,590 (+4.2% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.