Taylor School District

The Taylor School District in Michigan serves about 5,324 students across 11 schools—7 elementary schools (K-5), 2 middle schools (6-8), and 2 high schools (6-12 or 9-12)—in a predominantly low-income area where 65% to 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the district overall ranks in the 12th percentile statewide.

If you’re looking for the district’s strongest options, Blair Moody Elementary School stands out as the clear bright spot: its 3rd grade ELA and math proficiency rates (44.1% each) more than double the district average and actually exceed state averages, though scores drop by 5th grade. Kinyon Elementary School is another positive—it has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the district (28.3%, nearly matching the state average) and strong 4th grade math (33.3%), showing steady improvement over three years. For middle school, Robert J West Middle School clearly outperforms Hoover Middle School, with 8th grade social studies proficiency at 39.5% versus Hoover’s 16.8%, and significantly lower absenteeism (43.7% vs. 58.4%). At the high school level, Taylor High School is the better choice, with a 72.9% graduation rate and SAT reading/writing proficiency of 38.4%, compared to Taylor Virtual Learning Academy’s 62.5% graduation rate and 14.3% proficiency.

The most urgent concern is Myers Elementary School, where 95.87% of students face poverty, 75.9% are chronically absent (nearly triple the state average), and only about 6-7% of 3rd graders are proficient in reading or math—a school that has ranked in the 0th percentile for three straight years. District-wide, math is a systemic weakness, with proficiency rates 15-28 points below state averages at every level, and chronic absenteeism averages 47.2% versus the state’s 27.9%. However, schools like Blair Moody and Kinyon prove that high-poverty schools can succeed when attendance is strong and early-grade instruction is effective, suggesting that focusing on attendance and early intervention could lift the entire district.