The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in English language arts. The lowest is 53% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on University Hills Elem School
University Hills ElementarySchool sits in Rochester Hills, a sprawling residential suburb north of Detroit in Oakland County. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and operates as a regular public school within the Rochester Community School District. Rochester Hills is a car-oriented community of rolling hills, separated residential subdivisions, and commercial strips along arterial roads. There is no traditional downtown within the city limits; the neighboring city of Rochester serves that role for the broader area. Oakland University and Rochester Christian University give the city an institutional presence that many suburbs lack, and the Clinton River and Paint Creek run through the area as natural amenities. The community reads as family-oriented and largely built out, with limited remaining undeveloped land.
Academically, University Hills posts strong state assessment results. In English language arts, the majority of third and fourth graders scored proficient or above on the most recent M-STEP, and fifth grade was close behind. Math results were solid in third grade, dipped somewhat in fourth, and dropped further in fifth, where roughly half the class reached proficiency. Science proficiency in fifth grade landed above the halfway mark, and social studies was the weakest area, with about half of fifth graders proficient. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Oakland County, a comparison set of about fifty districts. That is a strong standing in a county with many well-resourced school systems. The school's ELA results are a particular bright spot, while the fifth-grade math slide is the one area a parent may want to look into further with the school, especially as students prepare to transition to middle school.
The student body is moderate in size for an elementary school. White students make up the largest share, with Asian students representing a substantial minority and Hispanic students a smaller but present group. A small number of Black students and students of two or more races round out the enrollment. A modest fraction of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well below what many Michigan elementaries see, which reflects the affluent suburban setting. Data on English learners and special education populations was not available, so those figures cannot be characterized here. No graduation rate applies, since the school does not serve high school grades. Chronic absenteeism data was also not reported.
Housing in the surrounding zip code is expensive relative to the state and nation. Typical home values sit well above Michigan's statewide benchmark and moderately above the national figure, and rents are similarly elevated. The market has seen modest year-over-year price growth, with a recent softening in median listing prices and a slight increase in days on market, suggesting the pace has cooled a touch from earlier highs. Estimated monthly mortgage costs run notably higher than rents, and both consume a meaningful share of typical household income. For families considering a move into the attendance area, this is a market where buying carries a real premium. Public transit in Rochester Hills is limited, and daily life runs on car travel, so proximity to the school on Croydon Road matters mostly in terms of commute convenience rather than walkability.
The Rochester Community School District did not surface any parent-relevant changes meeting a lasting-impact threshold in recent searches, so there is nothing to report on bonds, boundary shifts, or curriculum overhauls. University Hills reads as a stable, high-performing elementary school in an established, affluent suburb. It fits families looking for strong early literacy instruction, a peer group drawn from a relatively advantaged community, and a school that stands near the top of its county cohort academically. The one open question is whether the fifth-grade math dip is a one-year pattern or something more structural, and that is worth asking about directly.
See more original research from School Decision →