The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Madison Elementary School
Madison Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Madison Heights, a working-class inner-ring suburb of Detroit. It sits within Madison District Public Schools, one of two public districts operating in the city, the other being Lamphere Public Schools. The school draws from a community where single-family homes and condominiums dominate the residential landscape, but a substantial share of the tax base comes from commercial and light-industrial property. The city has been experiencing a slow, steady population decline for decades, and the housing market here sits well below state and national benchmarks for typical home values, making it one of the more affordable entry points into Oakland County.
The student body is small for an elementary school spanning six grade levels. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the surrounding community. The enrollment is racially mixed, with Black and white students each representing close to half the population and smaller groups of Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students rounding out the rest. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those dimensions of the school's support structure cannot be characterized here.
On state assessments, Madison Elementary's proficiency results are low across every tested grade and subject. In mathematics, third-grade proficiency was in the teens, fifth-grade proficiency was in the single digits, and fourth-grade results fell into the lowest reported range. English language arts results were somewhat higher but still low, with roughly one in seven or fewer students reaching proficiency at each grade level. Fifth-grade science and social studies results were similarly low. Measured against other districts in Oakland County, the school's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile. These are difficult numbers to look past. A parent considering this school may want to ask the administration directly about what interventions and instructional strategies are in place, and what the school's improvement plan looks like.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and that is expected for an elementary building. Chronic absenteeism data, discipline information, course access details, and staffing figures were not available in the provided data, so the picture of school climate and resources is incomplete. Program offerings were not reported either, which means there is little here to describe beyond the standard elementary curriculum.
Madison Heights itself is an auto-oriented suburb shaped by its highway access. Interstate 75 runs along the western edge and another interstate forms the southern border, making regional commuting straightforward. The city lacks a traditional walkable downtown. Civic life centers on the municipal complex on Thirteen Mile Road, and commercial activity spreads across multiple shopping centers and arterial road corridors rather than concentrating in one place. The city is part of Oakland County's Automation Alley tech corridor, and it carries a strong commercial and industrial footprint with multiple industrial parks, though specific large employers beyond Hungry Howie's Pizza, which has its corporate headquarters here, were not identified in available sources. The housing market is affordable relative to the county and state, with home values well below Oakland County norms and rents that compare favorably to mortgage costs for buyers. The county-level market has been seeing more active and new listings recently, with homes moving at a moderate pace.
The district brief turned up little about recent strategic changes or capital investments. A search for parent-relevant developments found that the most significant district-level changes predate the recent several-year window, so there is no fresh initiative to point a parent toward.
What this school appears to be is a small, economically challenged elementary school in an affordable, auto-dependent suburb, producing state test results that are low by both absolute and county-relative standards. Families for whom proximity, cost of living, and community ties matter most may find the location and housing affordability appealing, but the academic data suggests a parent would want to have a direct conversation with school leadership about instruction, support services, and the path forward before committing.
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