The Dearborn Academy

The Dearborn Academy is a single-school district in Dearborn, MI, serving grades PK through 8 with 518 students, and it faces significant academic challenges alongside a very high rate of economic disadvantage.

For parents considering The Dearborn Academy, the most important takeaway is that the school consistently performs well below state averages in every subject and grade level. Proficiency gaps range from roughly 5 to 27 percentage points below the state, with the most severe deficits in 3rd grade math (-27.4 points) and 5th grade ELA (-26.8 points). Math is particularly weak, especially in upper grades—6th grade math proficiency is just 7.02%, and 8th grade PSAT math is only 8.77%. The school does show some relative bright spots: 7th grade ELA proficiency (33.3%) is just 5.1 points below the state average, representing a strong year-over-year improvement from 17.0%. Additionally, 4th grade ELA and math both improved significantly. However, 8th grade performance is concerning, with science proficiency dropping dramatically from 17.6% to 5.26% and PSAT ELA falling from 41.2% to 28.1% year-over-year.

Context is critical here. With 94.21% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, this school serves an extremely economically challenged population, and the chronic absenteeism rate of 33.1% means one in three students misses significant instructional time. The school spends a notably high $18,563 per student—roughly 40-50% more than the state average—yet achievement remains in the bottom 13% of Michigan schools. While the state ranking has improved for three consecutive years (from the 7th to the 13th percentile), progress is slow. Parents should also note that with roughly 50-60 students per grade, year-over-year changes of 10+ percentage points may represent only a handful of students, so some apparent swings may not be statistically meaningful. Overall, this is a school facing substantial hurdles, where economic disadvantage and absenteeism likely compound academic struggles, and where high spending has not yet translated into strong outcomes.