The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pd Chatterton Middle School
PD Chatterton Middle School sits in Warren, a large inner-ring suburb of Detroit and the largest city in Macomb County. Warren is an auto-oriented place defined by wide arterial roads, mid-century subdivisions, and major industrial employers. Publicly reported sources identify General Motors, the U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal, and Stellantis among the city's top employers, giving Warren an identity rooted in automotive engineering and defense manufacturing. The city has no traditional walkable downtown; its civic functions cluster around the Warren Civic Center, and schools sit on separated campuses spread across the city's large footprint. Warren grew explosively in the postwar decades and has been experiencing a gradual population decline since, with an aging housing stock and no major new housing boom. Fitzgerald Public Schools is one of several districts serving Warren, reflecting the city's decentralized layout.
Chatterton is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight. Its enrollment is modest for a middle school, with roughly even distribution across the three grade levels. The student body is diverse: Black students make up the largest share, followed by White and Asian students at similar proportions, with smaller Hispanic and multiracial populations. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, pointing to a predominantly low-income student population. The school is not a charter or magnet school. We looked for data on special education and English learner populations but found none reported, so those figures are not included here.
State assessment results from the most recent school year paint a mixed academic picture. In English language arts, proficiency rises meaningfully from sixth grade through eighth, with eighth-grade results standing out as the school's strongest showing. The eighth-grade ELA assessment uses the PSAT rather than the M-STEP used in lower grades, and Chatterton's eighth graders posted a proficiency rate well above the school's own sixth and seventh-grade levels. Math tells a different story. Proficiency is low across all three grades and declines as students move from sixth to eighth grade, with the weakest results in eighth-grade math. Eighth-grade science and social studies proficiency rates land in a similar low range. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Macomb County. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports math instruction across the middle grades, given the declining pattern from sixth through eighth.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a shift from prior years or a longer-standing pattern. Participation rates were also not reported. Because Chatterton is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report; that metric does not apply to this grade band.
We searched for information on program offerings, course access, staffing ratios, attendance patterns, and discipline data, but none was available in the provided materials. The district brief for Fitzgerald Public Schools turned up little of lasting impact regarding recent changes, so there is nothing to relay on that front. Civil rights data was not available either.
The housing market around Chatterton is relatively affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below the state median, and rents are similarly modest. At the county level, the housing market shows steady activity with a healthy supply of listings and moderate days on market. Homes here sell for less than they would in many surrounding communities, which may appeal to families seeking entry-level homeownership. The trade-off is a mature suburb with a declining population and limited walkability rather than a community experiencing rapid growth or reinvestment.
For a family evaluating Chatterton, the clearest strengths and concerns both come from the assessment data. Eighth-grade ELA results suggest some students are reaching proficiency at a rate that outpaces the school's other subjects. Math outcomes are the soft spot, with proficiency declining across the middle grades and falling below county norms. The school serves a predominantly low-income, racially diverse student body in an affordable but aging suburban setting. Families considering Chatterton would benefit from asking the school directly about math supports, enrichment or intervention programs, and any recent instructional changes that the public data does not capture.
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