Birmingham Public Schools

Birmingham Public Schools is a top-ranked Michigan district (97th percentile) serving approximately 6,617 students across 13 schools in the affluent communities of Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Bingham Farms, and Troy, including 8 elementary schools (PK-5), 3 middle schools (grades 6-8, with one spanning grades 3-8), and 2 high schools (9-12).

The district’s standout is Birmingham Covington School, ranked the #1 middle school in Michigan for two straight years with 96% ELA and 90% Math proficiency on the 8th grade PSAT, plus the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism (5.1%). Among high schools, Ernest W Seaholm High School leads with a 96.7% graduation rate, a perfect 0% dropout rate, and stronger SAT scores (82.7% ELA, 65.7% Math) than Wylie E Groves High School (71.3% ELA, 51.5% Math), though Groves excels in science. At the elementary level, Pierce Elementary School and Harlan Elementary School post the highest 5th-grade ELA scores (81.8% and 79.5%), while Greenfield Elementary School trails at 62.8%.

A striking finding is the inverse relationship between spending and performance: top-ranked Covington spends just $18,723 per student (2nd lowest), while lower-ranked Greenfield spends $24,908 (2nd highest). Socioeconomic factors appear influential—top performers like Covington, Pierce, and Quarton Elementary have free/reduced lunch rates under 5%, versus Greenfield’s 26.2%. Notably, high schools show a paradox: despite the district’s highest chronic absenteeism (12.7-13.7%), both maintain excellent graduation rates. Elementary rankings also fluctuate sharply year-to-year (e.g., Quarton dropped 100 spots; Harlan jumped 124), likely due to small cohorts. Overall, the district excels statewide, but internal gaps—especially at Greenfield and Berkshire Middle School (19.3% FRL)—suggest opportunities to replicate the success of Pierce and Covington across all schools.