Summary:
The six middle-level schools in the Livonia Public Schools School District, serving grades 4 through 8 across a mix of traditional middle schools and upper elementary buildings, collectively enroll about 3,705 students in a suburban Detroit area. The district itself is a 4-star system, ranking in the 86th percentile statewide, but academic outcomes vary widely between buildings.
For parents, the standout choice is Holmes Middle School, which ranks in the 90th percentile of Michigan middle schools. Holmes posts the district’s best 8th-grade science (62.6% proficiency) and social studies (72.5%) scores, plus a strong 83.1% PSAT ELA rate, all while having the lowest economic disadvantage rate (16.42% free/reduced lunch). Frost Middle School is a close competitor, leading in 7th-grade ELA (52.4%) and 8th-grade math (52.0%), but it spends the most per student ($18,868) without clearly outperforming Holmes, which spends about $3,800 less. Riley Upper Elementary is the best option for 5th-6th graders, with the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism (15.1%) and solid 5th-grade ELA scores. Emerson Middle School is the most improved, jumping 170 ranking spots in one year—its 8th-grade math proficiency more than doubled to 39.5%—though it still trails Frost and Holmes.
The main concern is Johnson Upper Elementary, which has the highest absenteeism (29.3%) and consistently scores below district averages. Cooper Upper Elementary performs comparably to Riley despite having double the poverty rate, suggesting that attendance and instructional quality matter more than demographics alone. The widest achievement gap is in 8th-grade science, with a 29-point spread between Holmes and Emerson. Overall, the district’s spending does not align with results, indicating that successful practices at Holmes and Riley could be replicated elsewhere to improve equity.
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