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Nowlin Elementary School

Q: Is Nowlin Elementary School a good school?

Nowlin Elementary School ranks 857 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

857^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Nowlin Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Dearborn, MI, serving 243 students in grades PK-5 within the Dearborn City School District, where a large majority of families (about 74%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Nowlin has experienced a rollercoaster of academic performance over the past decade. After climbing to a strong 62nd percentile ranking statewide in 2022-2023, the school has recently slipped to the 43rd percentile, with proficiency rates dropping sharply across most subjects and grade levels in the most recent school year. For example, 3rd-grade reading proficiency fell from 50% to 35%, and 3rd-grade math dropped from 57.5% to 40%. This decline is puzzling given that Nowlin spends significantly more per student ($30,584) than nearby schools that outperform it, such as Duvall Elementary School ($20,394) and Charles A Lindbergh Elementary School ($20,988). One likely factor is attendance: 33.4% of Nowlin students are chronically absent, which is much higher than the district average (25.9%) and more than double the rate at Lindbergh (13.9%).

Despite these challenges, there are bright spots. Nowlin's low-income students perform notably well, ranking in the 67th percentile statewide—far better than the school's overall ranking. This suggests the school is doing something right for its core demographic. Additionally, when compared to schools just across the district border in Dearborn Heights School District #7 and Westwood Community School District, Nowlin still comes out ahead. For instance, 5th-grade reading proficiency at Nowlin (31.4%) is more than double that of Thorne Elementary School (12.8%) and significantly higher than Polk Elementary School (20.3%). For parents weighing options, Nowlin offers small class sizes and strong support for low-income students, but recent academic declines and high absenteeism are important factors to consider.

243

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,584

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: Recently slipping — 62nd percentile in 2023 → 43rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 62nd-percentile peak (2023) to 43rd (2026)

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

!Science scores 20 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg39%

Michigan avg38%

857^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

268^th of 625Dearborn 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
2026	40.2	857 of 1492	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	36.3	113 of 188	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	29.8	902 of 1343	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	60.3	442 of 1352	67.3%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	43.2	749 of 1372	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	25.0	922 of 1199	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
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 (2026)67th percentile+25 vs school

Male (2026)45th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)40th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)33rd percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)23rd percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math39%~ state avg

English Language Arts35%-6 vs state

Science20%-20 vs state

Social Studies20%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nowlin 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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
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%)	40.2	857^th of 1492 public elementary schools	42.6%		51.7	691^st of 1488 public elementary schools	53.6%	166			35.0	38.8	31.4			40.0	42.9	31.4			20.0		20.0		$30,584	$1,703	$28,880
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%)	17.4	1229^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.6%		13.4	1291^st of 1488 public elementary schools	13.2%	62			20.9	34.6	30.9			11.9	9.6	10.9			25.5		9.1		$18,754	$1,843	$16,912
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%)	50.1	695^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.4%		61.2	547^th of 1488 public elementary schools	63.2%	148			37.5	43.8	44.4			39.4	41.7	38.9			33.3		24.1		$22,964	$1,442	$21,522
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%)	12.4	1323^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	11.3%		13.1	1297^th of 1488 public elementary schools	12.8%	26	40.0	345.7	28.0	9.1	22.7	15.0	20.0	20.0	12.5	1457.0	7.5	1668.0	14.3	10.3	1468.1	31.0	$13,196	$2,039	$11,157
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%)	55	626^th of 1492 public elementary schools	58.0%		46.9	766^th of 1488 public elementary schools	48.5%	140			51.2	58.8	46.5			43.9	41.2	25.6			35.7		21.4		$30,836	$2,335	$28,501
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%)	88.1	162^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	89.1%		74.1	348^th of 1488 public elementary schools	76.6%	186			54.1	61.5	64.0			70.3	61.5	64.0			65.2		47.8		$20,394	$1,419	$18,975
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%)	5.6	1470^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.5%		7	1425^th of 1488 public elementary schools	4.2%	45			5.1	9.5	12.8	7.5		3.9	6.0	1454.4	3.8		13.0		5.1		$20,621	$3,095	$17,526
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%)	15.6	1264^th of 1492 public elementary schools	15.3%		13.8	1282^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	13.8%	18			13.3	30.0	20.3			17.4	24.6	16.2			20.3		4.1		$19,163	$1,716	$17,447
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%)								(n/a)			1265.4	1363.4	1467.7	1570.1		1263.3	1360.4	1454.4	1561.3		1469.0		1462.4		$19,770	$2,508	$17,262
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%)	33.4	947^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.5%		27.7	1041^st of 1488 public elementary schools	30.0%	94	51.2	31.7	29.1	32.4	36.0	33.8	25.0	35.0	23.9	21.8	28.6	32.7	26.9	43.6	20.8	42.5	$14,038	$1,682	$12,356

Frequently Asked Questions about Nowlin Elementary School

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 857^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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.

How many students attend Nowlin Elementary School?

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

Rate Nowlin Elementary School!

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MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Dearborn, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 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.