Barhitte Elementary School

Barhitte Elementary School in Burton, MI, serves 309 students in Pre-K through 5th grade within the Bentley Community School District, where about 72% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Barhitte is a low-performing school compared to state averages, holding a 1-star rating for the past decade. In the most recent testing year, only 17.4% of 3rd graders were proficient in English Language Arts (versus 38.2% statewide), and 5th-grade math proficiency fell to just 5.88%—a dramatic drop from 17.6% the year before. This decline in upper-grade math is the school's most concerning trend. However, there are pockets of strength: 5th-grade ELA proficiency reached 35.3%, and 4th-grade ELA actually exceeded the state average in a prior year. Science scores have also remained stable, hovering around 26% proficiency. When compared to nearby schools, the gaps are stark. For example, Hill Elementary School in the Davison Community Schools district posted 73.5% 3rd-grade math proficiency versus Barhitte's 21.7%. Even more telling, Burton Glen Charter Academy, located just 2 miles away with an even higher poverty rate (94.5%), outperforms Barhitte across most subjects—achieving 40.2% in 3rd-grade math compared to Barhitte's 21.7%.

Chronic absenteeism is a significant challenge, affecting 32.1% of students—far higher than the 8.2% rate at Hill Elementary, though lower than Flint schools like Freeman School (76.1%). Attendance has crept upward since the pandemic, which likely impacts learning. There is also a notable gender gap: female students rank in the 29th percentile statewide while males rank in just the 13th, a gap that has widened over time. The school spends $13,638 per student, less than both higher-performing Davison schools and lower-performing Flint schools, suggesting that resource allocation and instructional strategies—particularly in math and for male students—may need targeted attention. Despite the challenges, the school's relative strength in upper elementary reading and stable science scores offer a foundation to build upon.