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Nowlin Elementary School

Q: Is Nowlin Elementary School a good school?

Nowlin Elementary School ranks 691 st of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

691^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Nowlin Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Dearborn, Michigan, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 241. It is part of the Dearborn City School District, which is ranked 279 out of 613 school districts in Michigan and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nowlin Elementary School consistently outperforms the Dearborn City School District and the state of Michigan in M-Step test scores for English Language Arts and Math across grades 3-5. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Nowlin's 3rd-grade students had 50% proficiency in ELA, compared to 42.7% for the district and 38.9% for the state. Nowlin's 5th-grade students also had higher proficiency rates in Math (34.9%) compared to the district (40.9%) and the state (32.9%). The school also has a strong performance among its subgroups, particularly for Low Socioeconomic Status (SES) students and English Language Learners (ELL).

However, Nowlin Elementary School has experienced relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 26.2% to 37.4% over the past few years, which is an area of concern. The school performs better than some of the nearby schools, such as Long Elementary and WhitmoreBolles Elementary, but lags behind the higher-performing Charles A. Lindbergh Elementary School, which is also part of the Dearborn City School District. Nowlin Elementary School has a relatively high per-student spending and maintains a low student-teacher ratio, which are generally considered positive factors for student learning.

243

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,008

Per pupil spending ?

73.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

23600 Penn St
Dearborn, MI 48124-3317

(313) 827-6900

District: Dearborn City School District

Students who attend Nowlin Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Smith Middle School
High:	Edsel Ford High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.0%

African American:

7.0%

Hispanic:

4.9%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Nowlin Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2015 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Michigan median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg42%

Michigan avg39%

691^st of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 19Elementary Schools in the Dearborn City School District

279^th of 613Dearborn City School District 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	691 of 1488	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.6	672 of 1486	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	552 of 1470	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.4	699 of 1344	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.7	847 of 1153	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.6	862 of 1408	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.8	966 of 1448	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	31.7	998 of 1466	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.9	1092 of 1548	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	40.8	990 of 1580	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.7	1004 of 1533	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.8	996 of 1563	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.4	872 of 1566	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.1	899 of 1552	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.9	1104 of 1552	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	56.5	890 of 1589	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	50.0	1030 of 1577	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.0	1254 of 1565	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	46.8	1049 of 1545	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	36.7	109 of 173	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.3	61 of 184	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	42.0	732 of 1338	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	714 of 1342	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	74.6	249 of 1321	81.2%	★★★★☆
2018	24.1	1125 of 1443	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	63.7	397 of 1346	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	66.5	338 of 1381	75.5%	★★★★☆
2023	75.2	208 of 1350	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	184 of 1099	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	32.8	809 of 1134	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	1138 of 1397	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	50.6	643 of 1366	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.8	535 of 1347	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.7	590 of 1334	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.4	717 of 1139	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.6	517 of 915	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.6	889 of 1196	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.2	887 of 1446	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	773 of 1206	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	747 of 1204	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.3	633 of 1198	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.1	684 of 1102	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.7	802 of 1005	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.1	811 of 1128	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.0	936 of 1253	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)71st percentile+17 vs school

Male (2025)53rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)45th percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)37th percentile-17 vs school

White (2025)36th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%+3 vs state

Math43%+4 vs state

Science35%-5 vs state

Social Studies23%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nowlin Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Nowlin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	23600 Penn St	Dearborn	48124	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 827-6900	243	19	12.5	73.7%	204 (84.0%)	17 (7.0%)	12 (4.9%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	3 (1.2%)	51.7	691^st of 1488 public elementary schools	53.6%		52.6	672^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	54.8%	19			50.0	41.2	41.9			57.5	35.3	34.9			34.9		23.3		$26,008	$1,929	$24,079
Pardee School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4650 Pardee Ave	Dearborn Heights	48125	Wayne County	Dearborn Heights School District #7	No	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 203-5600	337	23	14.7	77.2%	211 (62.6%)	64 (19.0%)	45 (13.4%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.9%)	13.4	1291^st of 1488 public elementary schools	13.2%		9.8	1349^th of 1486 public elementary schools	9.2%	58			19.6	17.0	18.0			10.7	9.3	16.0			30.0		12.0		$14,714	$1,619	$13,096
Long Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3100 Westwood St	Dearborn	48124	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 827-6104	238	18	13.3	79.4%	176 (73.9%)	33 (13.9%)	11 (4.6%)	9 (3.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	61.2	547^th of 1488 public elementary schools	63.2%		40.3	838^th of 1486 public elementary schools	43.6%	291			45.8	44.0	60.0			39.6	46.0	53.3			43.3		30.0		$19,448	$1,404	$18,044
West Village Academy	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-8	3530 Westwood St	Dearborn	48124	Wayne County	West Village Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 274-9200	242	16	15.2	86.4%	21 (8.7%)	212 (87.6%)	4 (1.7%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	13.1	1297^th of 1488 public elementary schools	12.8%		21.5	1152^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	22.5%	145	45.5		10.7	13.6	20.6	20.7	27.3		13.6	17.6		13.6	14.7	18.8	14.7	18.8	$11,391	$2,018	$9,373
WhitmoreBolles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	21501 Whitmore St	Dearborn	48124	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 827-6800	316	33	9.5	74.7%	272 (86.1%)	24 (7.6%)	12 (3.8%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	46.9	766^th of 1488 public elementary schools	48.5%		28.3	1047^th of 1486 public elementary schools	29.5%	281			54.3	40.0	40.4			56.5	40.0	14.6			31.3		22.9		$23,848	$2,462	$21,386
Duvall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	22561 Beech St	Dearborn	48124	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	No	No	No	(313) 827-2750	229	14	16.7	55.5%	189 (82.5%)	12 (5.2%)	20 (8.7%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	74.1	348^th of 1488 public elementary schools	76.6%		75.6	321^st of 1486 public elementary schools	78.4%	27			46.2	58.6	62.5			61.5	44.8	51.2			48.8		37.5		$18,457	$1,240	$17,216
Thorne Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	25251 Annapolis St	Dearborn Heights	48125	Wayne County	Westwood Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 292-1600	593	39	15.3	92.6%	122 (20.6%)	387 (65.3%)	25 (4.2%)	9 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (7.9%)	7	1425^th of 1488 public elementary schools	4.2%		8.3	1376^th of 1486 public elementary schools	7.4%	49			7.1	9.1	14.6	19.0		3.5		6.1	3.4		9.8		7.3		$19,222	$3,992	$15,229
Polk Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4651 Polk St	Dearborn Heights	48125	Wayne County	Dearborn Heights School District #7	No	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 203-0500	374	23	16.0	84.5%	244 (65.2%)	60 (16.0%)	40 (10.7%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.4%)	13.8	1282^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	13.8%		22.6	1134^th of 1486 public elementary schools	23.7%	148			23.2	16.9	24.6			15.3	17.9	14.0			15.8		14.0		$16,198	$1,701	$14,497
Daly School	Public	PK, KG-6	25824 Michigan Ave	Inkster	48141	Wayne County	Westwood Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 565-0016	175	10	17.5	92.6%	24 (13.7%)	136 (77.7%)	9 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.9%)	14.4	1272^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	14.5%		9.7	1354^th of 1486 public elementary schools	8.9%	82				10.7	16.7	13.0				17.4			13.0		25.0		$19,894	$3,235	$16,659
Quest Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	24745 Van Born Rd	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Quest Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 299-0534	683	40	17.0	84.8%	166 (24.3%)	350 (51.2%)	83 (12.2%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (11.6%)	27.7	1041^st of 1488 public elementary schools	30.0%		32.1	986^th of 1486 public elementary schools	33.6%	55	51.5	30.3	18.1	27.7	28.6	28.8	30.6	34.7	29.8	25.4	28.8	32.7	22.5	35.4	19.7	33.8	$14,036	$2,708	$11,327

Frequently Asked Questions about Nowlin Elementary School

How many students attend Nowlin Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 243 students attended Nowlin Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Nowlin Elementary School?

Students at Nowlin Elementary School are 84% White, 7% African American, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Nowlin Elementary School in?

Dearborn City School District

What schools do graduates of Nowlin Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Nowlin Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Smith Middle School
High : Edsel Ford High School

Is Nowlin Elementary School a good school?

Nowlin Elementary School ranks 691^st of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Nowlin Elementary School!

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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.