The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in Math. The lowest is 48% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Barnard Elementary School
Barnard Elementary School sits in the Troy School District, one of Oakland County's larger public systems, serving kindergarten through fifth grade on Forge Drive in Troy. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, and it draws from a community that is car-oriented and affluent by regional standards. Troy itself is a mature Detroit suburb with no traditional walkable downtown, built around office parks, regional malls like Somerset Collection, and residential subdivisions along wide arterial roads. The city grew rapidly in the postwar decades and has since plateaued as a largely built-out community where current development is infill and redevelopment along commercial corridors rather than greenfield expansion.
The school's enrollment is moderate for its grade band, with roughly even distribution across the six grades. Its student body is predominantly white and Asian, with a small Hispanic population and smaller still Black and multiracial groups. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well below what you would see in many Michigan elementary schools, which reflects the broader economic profile of Troy. The data we received does not include English learner or special education counts, so those population details are not available here.
On state assessments, Barnard posts strong results that place it in the top quartile among Oakland County districts for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. Third-grade math stands out as a particular strength, with a large majority of tested students reaching proficiency. English language arts results across grades three through five are solid, with a majority proficient in each grade. Math proficiency is strongest in third grade and softens somewhat in fourth and fifth grades, though a majority still meet the bar in fourth. Fifth-grade math sits near the midpoint, and fifth-grade social studies is the weakest reported result, with just under half of tested students proficient. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly how social studies instruction connects across the upper elementary grades. Science proficiency in fifth grade lands at a comfortable majority. Participation rates were not reported, and no multi-year trend data was available, so we cannot speak to whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time.
Because Barnard is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the grade range does not include the high school years where that metric applies. Chronic absenteeism data was not available for this school. Discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance details were also absent from the data we received, so those dimensions of school environment cannot be characterized here. Title I status was not reported. The Troy School District brief surfaced no major bond, referendum, curriculum, or tax changes that clear a lasting-impact threshold, so there is little to flag on the district policy front.
Housing in Barnard's zip code carries typical home values above the state benchmark and roughly in line with the national benchmark, with rents that sit below the estimated monthly mortgage cost. Oakland County's housing market shows active and new listing counts rising year over year, a modest increase in days on market, and a slight softening of median listing price. The affordability picture means a family buying here faces a price-to-income ratio above the national level, with mortgage rates in the mid-six-percent range. For renters, the cost burden is lighter relative to income. The market is active but not overheated, with supply and demand scores suggesting a reasonably balanced environment rather than a tight seller's market.
What Barnard offers a family is a well-resourced suburban elementary school with strong academic outcomes, a peer group drawn from a prosperous and diverse community, and a place in a district that appears stable. The gaps in the data, particularly around special populations and school climate measures, mean a parent would want to ask the school directly about support services, absenteeism, and discipline. The softening in math and social studies in the upper grades is worth a conversation too. For a family already in or considering Troy, Barnard reads as a school where most students are meeting academic expectations and where the community context is one of stability and economic strength.
See more original research from School Decision →