North Hills Middle School, Bloomfield Hills MI

Original Research by School Decision on North Hills Middle School

North Hills Middle School sits in Bloomfield Hills, an affluent, almost exclusively residential suburb of Detroit in Oakland County. The school serves grades six through eight and operates as a regular public school within Bloomfield Hills Schools. It occupies the former Lahser High School building on Lahser Road, which was renovated and expanded in fall 2023 as part of a districtwide facilities reconfiguration. That same reshuffling renamed the district's other middle school South Hills and relocated several elementary and preschool programs, redrawing attendance boundaries across the district. A parent considering this school is looking at a relatively new physical setup in a building with a high school's footprint, which likely means more space and amenities than a typical middle school campus.

The student body is moderate in size for a middle school, with the great majority identifying as white and a smaller but visible Asian and Black presence. A small fraction of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is consistent with the surrounding community's socioeconomic profile. The school does not report data on English learners or students with individualized education programs, so those seeking detail on special populations will want to ask the school directly.

Academic results from the most recent state assessments are strong across the board and stand out even within Oakland County, a county with many high-performing districts. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts countywide, and its index sits above the county's reported maximum for that set. In English language arts, the strongest results come at eighth grade, where proficiency is remarkably high. Sixth and seventh grade ELA proficiency is solidly above the state's proficient threshold as well. Math results follow a similar pattern, with sixth grade proficiency highest, tapering somewhat at seventh and eighth grades but remaining well above what most Michigan schools post. Eighth grade science and social studies proficiency are also healthy. The one pattern a parent might probe is the slight dip in math from sixth to eighth grade, though the eighth grade math measure uses the PSAT rather than the M-STEP, which makes direct comparison imprecise. A parent may want to look into this further with the school.

No chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, or course access data was available, and this school does not report a graduation rate because it serves only middle grades. The absence of those measures reflects the grade band rather than any weakness in the school. No multi-year trend data was reported, so it is not yet possible to judge whether these results are improving or holding steady.

The community context is distinctive. Bloomfield Hills is car-dependent with no walkable retail core, no traditional downtown, and a built environment defined by large wooded estates and institutional campuses. The Cranbrook Educational Community, a National Historic Landmark, anchors civic and cultural life with a science museum, art academy, gardens, and private schools. The city's official stance is explicitly anti-growth, favoring stability over expansion, and the community is essentially built out. Public transit does not serve the city, and the nearest public library is in neighboring Bloomfield Township.

Housing here is expensive relative to both the state and the nation. Typical home values in the school's zip code are well above the county median and roughly double the state benchmark, and estimated monthly mortgage costs far exceed typical rents. The broader county market has seen inventory rise recently with homes spending a bit longer on the market than a year ago, but Bloomfield Hills itself remains a premium, low-turnover setting. Families drawn to this school are generally choosing the lifestyle that comes with it: privacy, large lots, institutional prestige, and a school that performs near the top of its county cohort.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 74% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 66% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 70% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 71% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 70% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 887%

School 87% · District 89% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 68% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 75% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

This schoolBloomfield Hills Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income70%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income71%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income76%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income75%51 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income71%Higher-income91%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income79%48 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income60%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income80%40 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income74%46 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income73%38 pp gap