The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Pardee School
Pardee School is a regular public elementary school in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Dearborn Heights School District #7. The school sits on Pardee Avenue in a residential section of an inner-ring suburb of Detroit, roughly a dozen miles west of downtown. Dearborn Heights is a car-dependent bedroom community with no traditional walkable downtown, civic functions and commercial strips dispersed along arterial roads, and two public libraries serving as community anchors. The city has been experiencing a modest population decline, and its housing stock is largely built out as an older suburban landscape.
The school enrolls a modest student body for its grade band. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the surrounding community. The student population is majority white, with Black and Hispanic students forming the next largest groups, and small numbers of Native American, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not available, so those figures cannot be characterized here.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments for the most recent school year, proficiency rates at Pardee were low across most subjects and grade levels. In math, roughly one in ten third and fourth graders reached proficiency, with fifth grade somewhat higher but still well under a quarter of tested students. English language arts results were somewhat stronger, with around a fifth of third graders and close to that share in fourth and fifth grades scoring proficient. Fifth-grade science stood out as the relative bright spot, with nearly a third of tested students reaching proficiency. Social studies proficiency among fifth graders was low. When measured against districts in Wayne County, Pardee's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint. A parent evaluating this school may want to ask the administration about current strategies for improving math and literacy outcomes and what supports are in place for students working below grade level.
Because Pardee is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the absence of that metric simply reflects the grade band served. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. Information on staffing ratios, course offerings, discipline practices, and attendance was also absent from the available data, so those dimensions of school life cannot be described here. Program details beyond the standard elementary curriculum were not provided.
The housing market around Pardee is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's ZIP code sit well below the state midpoint and roughly half the national level, and rents are similarly modest. The broader Wayne County housing market has seen a growing inventory of active listings and a slight easing of median listing prices over the past year, while homes continue to move at a moderate pace. For families considering buying, the price-to-income ratio in the area is lower than the national figure, meaning housing costs relative to local earnings are relatively approachable. Renters face costs that take up a modest share of typical household income.
Dearborn Heights is split among multiple school districts, which is unusual for a city of its size and stems from its history of incorporation from discontinuous sections of Dearborn Township. Pardee falls within District #7, one of several public districts serving different parts of the city. The district brief did not surface any recently confirmed parent-relevant changes such as bond elections, curriculum shifts, or facility projects, so there is nothing to report on that front.
For a family weighing Pardee, the picture is one of an affordable, diverse, working-class suburban elementary school in a stable but gradually shrinking community, with state assessment results that indicate real academic challenges in core subjects and a relative strength in fifth-grade science. Asking the school directly about intervention programs, classroom support, and any improvement plans would be a reasonable next step.
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