The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Math. The lowest is 28% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Kerby Elementary School
Kerby Elementary School sits in Grosse Pointe Farms, one of the Grosse Pointe communities stretching along Lake St. Clair east of Detroit. The setting is an established, upscale residential suburb where housing ranges from older bungalows to grand lakefront estates. A walkable downtown on Kercheval Avenue, with its blend of historic buildings and newer neo-traditional storefronts, serves as the community's commercial heart. Schools here are not set apart on isolated campuses. Kerby, along with Brownell Middle School, Grosse Pointe South High School, and Père Gabriel Richard Elementary, is woven into the neighborhood fabric. The Grosse Pointe Public Library's Central Branch is nearby, and civic landmarks like the Grosse Pointe War Memorial and Pier Park anchor the community along the lakeshore. The school district itself is the largest employer in the Farms, followed by the Country Club of Detroit.
Kerby serves kindergarten through fourth grade and has a modest enrollment for its grade band, with students spread fairly evenly across the five grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small representation from other racial and ethnic groups. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, consistent with the affluent character of the surrounding community. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so those populations could not be characterized here.
On the most recent state assessments, Kerby's results are strong. Third and fourth graders posted high proficiency rates in both math and English language arts, with fourth grade math standing out as particularly high. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency lands in the top quartile relative to districts in Wayne County, which is a broad set that includes Detroit and its surrounding suburbs. These are recent results, and the school performs well above what is typical for the county.
Science and social studies results were also reported but come from much earlier testing years and warrant caution. A fourth grade science result dates back several years and showed low proficiency, though the age of that data makes it difficult to read as a current indicator. A fifth grade social studies result also exists from an older year, but the school now stops at fourth grade, so that measure does not reflect the current grade band. A parent looking for a fuller picture of science instruction may want to ask the school directly about current practices, since recent science proficiency data was not available.
No multi-year trend data was provided, so it is not possible to say whether proficiency has been rising, falling, or holding steady. Participation rates for the most recent assessments were also missing from the available data. Information on staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, and Title I status was not available. Because Kerby is an elementary school serving only through fourth grade, it has no graduation rate, and that absence reflects the grade band rather than any gap in performance.
The housing market in the school's zip code carries typical home values above the state benchmark and somewhat above the national benchmark, with modest year-over-year appreciation. Rents in the area are moderate relative to the broader region. Wayne County's overall housing market shows a large inventory of active listings with a median listing price well below the local zip code values, reflecting the wide range of communities the county contains. The Grosse Pointe Farms market is distinctly more expensive than the countywide picture.
The district, Grosse Pointe Public Schools, has not had parent-relevant changes flagged in recent years. Publicly reported information notes that two elementary schools elsewhere in the district, Poupard and Trombly, were closed due to declining enrollment, though that occurred outside the recent window and did not directly affect Kerby.
For a family considering Kerby, the picture is of a small, well-resourced elementary school in an affluent, established suburb with strong academic outcomes in the core tested subjects. The community offers a tight civic fabric with walkable amenities, and the school benefits from being embedded in that setting rather than isolated from it. The main question a parent might bring to the school directly is what current science instruction looks like, given that the available proficiency data for that subject is dated.
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