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Barber Elementary School

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-8

1481^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Barber Elementary School in Highland Park, MI, serves 362 students in grades PK through 8 and is part of the Highland Park Public School Academy System, where over 94% of students come from economically disadvantaged households.

The most urgent concern for parents is the school's chronic absenteeism rate, which reached 75.4% for the 2024-2025 school year—nearly three times the state average of 27.9%. This means most students are missing significant instructional time, which directly impacts learning. Additionally, the student-to-teacher ratio is reported at an extreme 120.6 students per teacher, a figure over five times higher than nearby schools like Bridge Academy West (22:1) or Early Childhood Elementary School (10.1:1). Even if this number reflects a data quirk, it signals a severe shortage of instructional staff. Academically, Barber ranks in the bottom 1% of Michigan elementary schools, with 3rd-grade English proficiency at just 6.98%—far below Thurgood Marshall Elementary School (22.7%) and Durfee Elementary-Middle School (13.3%).

Despite spending $17,202 per student—more than the higher-performing Hamtramck Academy ($15,328)—the investment isn't translating into results. Hamtramck Academy, just two miles away, serves a similarly high-poverty population (96% free/reduced lunch) yet achieves proficiency rates often exceeding state averages. This contrast shows that poverty doesn't have to determine outcomes. There is one bright spot: in 2023-2024, Barber's 8th graders hit a 32.4% proficiency rate on the PSAT English exam—still below the state average but dramatically better than the school's other scores. This suggests that targeted efforts can work. For parents, the key takeaway is that Barber faces systemic challenges around attendance, staffing, and academics that require urgent, comprehensive intervention at the district level.

362

Students ?

120.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,202

Per pupil spending ?

94.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

45 E Buena Vista St
Highland Park, MI 48203-3343

(614) 623-5345

District: Highland Park Public School Academy System

Racial breakdown:

African American:

95.6%

Two or more races:

1.9%

Hispanic:

1.7%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (9% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (75% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school9%

District avg9%

Michigan avg40%

1,481^st of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 4% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

624^th of 625Highland Park Public School Academy System among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	5.1	1481 of 1492	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	1368 of 1408	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.8	1387 of 1448	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	19.1	1173 of 1466	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	6.2	1490 of 1548	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.7	1507 of 1580	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2019	17.0	195 of 212	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	328 of 475	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	11.4	1313 of 1443	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.6	1331 of 1352	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.4	1108 of 1134	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.6	1294 of 1397	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	8.4	1366 of 1446	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	7.7	821 of 838	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.1	842 of 894	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.8	808 of 919	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	21.0	319 of 366	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	7.8	751 of 794	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	9.9	773 of 815	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	7.7	773 of 797	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Female (2018)9th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2019)8th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2018)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2018)13th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2018)5th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)5th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2018)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts8%-32 vs state

Math7%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Barber Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Barber Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	45 E Buena Vista St	Highland Park	48203	Wayne County	Highland Park Public School Academy System	Yes	No	No	Yes	(614) 623-5345	362	3	120.6	94.8%	1 (0.3%)	346 (95.6%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	5.1	1481^st of 1492 public elementary schools	0.7%					(n/a)	13.6	308.6	7.0	9.8	1456.3	1558.6	1665.7	1260.4	7.1	1450.1	1554.9	1667.3	1466.7	1760.9	1464.5	1775.5	$17,202	$1,780	$15,423
George Washington Carver Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	14510 2nd Ave	Highland Park	48203	Wayne County	George Washington Carver Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 865-6024	217	15	14.7	—	0 (0.0%)	212 (97.7%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.7	1466^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.7%					(n/a)			8.9	7.7				13.3	1351.8								$29,562	$6,431	$23,131
University Preparatory Art Design Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	10225 3rd St	Detroit	48202	Wayne County	University Preparatory Art & Design	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 826-1159	389	26	14.9	79.4%	5 (1.3%)	381 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	14.5	1287^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.7%		16.8	1225^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.7%	62			10.1	20.9	38.3			13.0	17.9	13.3			13.3		8.3		$14,825	$1,186	$13,639
New Paradigm GlazerLoving Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2001 La Belle St	Detroit	48238	Wayne County	New Paradigm Glazer-Loving Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 833-1100	211	12	17.5	93.4%	0 (0.0%)	208 (98.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	25.9	1072^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	28.2%		16.7	1228^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.5%	156	25.0	341.5	12.0	25.0	37.5	22.2	1683.5	24.0	1377.4	1468.1	1571.9	1674.8	43.8	15.0	18.8	20.0	$17,049	$1,837	$15,212
Dickinson West Elementary School	Public	K-6	2333 Burger St	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Hamtramck School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 591-7407	422	28	15.0	85.5%	199 (47.2%)	85 (20.1%)	1 (0.2%)	129 (30.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	8.2	1403^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	6.0%		10.2	1354^th of 1488 public elementary schools	9.0%	49			15.2	12.5	14.5	7.4		15.9	1358.6	1455.2	8.6		11.7		1466.3		$00	$00	$00
Davison ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	2800 E Davison St	Detroit	48212	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 252-3118	765	43	17.9	89.3%	18 (2.4%)	350 (45.8%)	9 (1.2%)	369 (48.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.2%)	20.9	1161^st of 1492 public elementary schools	22.2%		23.8	1098^th of 1488 public elementary schools	26.2%	63	44.2	22.1	16.3	16.5	23.9	23.5	23.7	25.8	30.9	16.5	19.8	29.1	21.1	21.3	19.6	48.8	$21,998	$1,777	$20,221
Durfee ElementaryMiddle School	Public	PK, KG-8	2425 Tuxedo St	Detroit	48206	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 252-3070	632	31	20.3	93.4%	2 (0.3%)	615 (97.3%)	7 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	8.6	1398^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.3%		5.2	1465^th of 1488 public elementary schools	1.5%	67	26.5	320.0	13.3	7.4	13.1	5.3	6.6	21.0	9.6	13.1	4.2	6.6	13.1	41.2	8.3	19.7	$20,981	$1,604	$19,377
Bridge Academy West	Public, Charter	K-8	3120 CARPENTER Ave	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Bridge Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 462-6200	331	15	22.0	—	265 (80.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (19.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18.4	1205^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.2%					(n/a)	38.8	19.8			18.4	22.4	24.3			15.3	26.5	24.1	14.4	21.6	7.2	29.3	$15,620	$2,482	$13,138
Early Childhood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	11680 McDougall St	Hamtramck	48212	Wayne County	Hamtramck School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 591-7410	146	14	10.1	76.0%	58 (39.7%)	8 (5.5%)	1 (0.7%)	79 (54.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	$00	$00	$00
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School	Public	1-8	15531 Linwood St	Detroit	48238	Wayne County	Detroit Public Schools Community District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 494-8820	451	34	13.4	89.1%	3 (0.7%)	438 (97.1%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15.7	1260^th of 1492 public elementary schools	15.5%		8.6	1381^st of 1488 public elementary schools	7.2%	121	21.7	364.8	22.7	1372.3	20.0	20.0	17.7	18.2	1371.6	1467.4	12.0	1667.2	20.0	20.0	1471.5	29.2	$24,673	$2,085	$22,588

Frequently Asked Questions about Barber Elementary School

What district is Barber Elementary School in?

Highland Park Public School Academy System

How many students attend Barber Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Barber Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Barber Elementary School?

Students at Barber Elementary School are 96% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

Is Barber Elementary School a good school?

Barber Elementary School ranks in the bottom 0.7% of Michigan elementary schools.

Rate Barber Elementary School!

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Schools in Highland Park, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.