The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Siersma Elementary School
Siersma Elementary School sits on Donna Avenue in Warren, part of Warren Consolidated Schools, serving children from preschool through sixth grade. The enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary building in this part of Macomb County. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school among the higher-need buildings in its district. The student body is racially diverse, with Asian, white, and Black students each forming substantial portions of the population, and small numbers of Hispanic, multiracial, and American Indian students rounding it out.
State testing data comes from the most recent M-STEP administration. The picture across grades and subjects is uneven. In English language arts, proficiency climbs as students move up: third grade sits below a third of tested students, fourth grade is in a similar range, and fifth grade reaches nearly half. That upward trend in ELA is a genuine bright spot and suggests older students are benefiting from the literacy work the building has been doing. Math is more mixed. Fourth grade stands out as the strongest year, with nearly half of tested students proficient. Third and fifth grade math results are softer, with only about a quarter of students reaching proficiency. Science results for fifth grade land in the middle range, while social studies is the weakest subject, with only a small fraction of fifth graders proficient. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint among districts in Macomb County, though it is not near the bottom of that group.
A parent looking at these numbers may want to ask the school how it supports students in the earlier grades, particularly in math, and what interventions are in place for fifth grade math and social studies. The district began phasing in a science of reading literacy initiative a couple of years ago, with new curriculum materials, teacher professional development, and intervention programs for struggling readers. That effort aligns with the stronger ELA results in the upper grades and is worth asking about directly.
Warren is a large inner-ring suburb of Detroit and the largest city in Macomb County. It is an auto-oriented place, built around wide arterial roads, strip commercial corridors, and mid-century residential subdivisions. There is no traditional walkable downtown. The city's economy is dominated by automotive and defense employers, including the General Motors Technical Center, the U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal, and Stellantis facilities, making it one of the most industrially important suburbs in metro Detroit. Warren experienced explosive growth in the postwar decades, peaked some years back, and has been gradually declining in population since. It is a mature suburb dealing with an aging housing stock rather than fresh development.
The housing market around Siersma is relatively affordable. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are modest. The broader Macomb County market has been seeing more active listings and slightly longer days on market recently, with median listing prices drifting down modestly. For families looking to buy or rent near the school, the cost of living is lower than in many suburban Detroit areas.
Warren Consolidated Schools passed a bond in August that funds safety and security upgrades, technology infrastructure, roof replacements, HVAC improvements, classroom renovations, and athletic facility improvements across the district. The district structured the bond to use existing debt millage capacity, so property tax rates are not expected to rise. Families should see facility improvements at buildings like Siersma as that work rolls out.
Some data parents might look for was not available. Individualized education program rates, English learner rates, and participation rates on state tests were missing from the reported data. Title I status and chronic absenteeism figures were also not provided. These gaps often reflect how data is reported for individual buildings rather than anything about the school itself, but a parent may want to ask the school or district directly for current figures on special education services, English learner support, and attendance.
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