Summary:
The Westwood Community School District serves approximately 1,502 students across six schools in Dearborn Heights and Inkster, Michigan, including two elementary schools, one middle school, and three high schools, all facing significant academic challenges with the district ranking in the 3rd percentile statewide.
For parents, the standout bright spot is Daly School, which outperforms the district average in every subject despite 92.57% of its students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. In 5th-grade math, Daly's proficiency rate of 17.39% is nearly triple that of Thorne Elementary School (6.1%), and in Social Studies, Daly's 25% proficiency dwarfs Thorne's 7.3%. Among high schools, Robichaud Senior High School is the clear leader with an 82% graduation rate—far exceeding the district's 50.5% average—and 25% SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing proficiency. In contrast, Westwood North Academy graduates only 46.4% of students with a 28.5% dropout rate, while Westwood Virtual Academy has the lowest graduation rate at 30% despite having the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at 14.2%.
The district's most pressing issue is chronic absenteeism, affecting 55.4% of students—double the state rate. Tomlinson Middle School has the highest rate at 72.9%, followed by Robichaud at 61.3% and Thorne at 60.4%. Academic proficiency across all subjects remains critically low, with elementary math ranging from 3.41% to 17.39% proficiency versus state averages of 31-43%. Notably, Robichaud spends the most per student ($23,817) and achieves the best high school outcomes, yet Thorne spends $20,621 per student with some of the lowest scores, suggesting funding alone doesn't guarantee success. The middle school years appear to be a critical missed intervention point, as Tomlinson's performance drops sharply from elementary levels while its absenteeism peaks.
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