Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Oakley W Best Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

682^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 890 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 23% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Oakley W Best Middle School is a public middle school located in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, serving 574 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Dearborn Heights School District #7, which is ranked 518 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Oakley W Best Middle School consistently performs below the state averages in M-Step and PSAT assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (24.1% for 6th grade, 16.9% for 7th grade) and Math (15.5% for 6th grade, 10.1% for 7th grade) are significantly lower than the state averages of 38.6% and 31.5% respectively. The school also experiences high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 29.5% to 52.1% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

When compared to nearby middle schools, Oakley W Best Middle School generally performs worse academically. For instance, Dearborn STEM Middle School, which is only 4.7 miles away, consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Michigan and outperforms Oakley W Best Middle School by a significant margin in both English Language Arts and Math assessments. Despite the school's low academic performance, Oakley W Best Middle School spends a relatively high amount per student, ranging from $10,776 to $16,399 per year over the past few years, suggesting that the issue may not be solely related to funding, but rather the effective allocation and utilization of resources.

557

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,399

Per pupil spending ?

76.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

22201 Powers Ave
Dearborn Heights, MI 48125-2548

(313) 203-3200

District: Dearborn Heights School District #7

Students who attend Oakley W Best Middle School usually attend:

High:

Annapolis High School

Feeder schools for Oakley W Best Middle School:

Elementary:	Bedford School
	Pardee School
	Polk Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.2%

African American:

23.5%

Hispanic:

11.8%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Oakley W Best Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 10th percentile in 2021 → 23rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 23rd (2025) from a 10th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg23%

Michigan avg41%

682^nd of 890

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 46% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

518^th of 613Dearborn Heights School District #7 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	21.1	682 of 890	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.6	755 of 897	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	748 of 883	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	645 of 776	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	606 of 675	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	652 of 792	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.9	627 of 838	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.7	618 of 821	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.0	595 of 894	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	46.9	496 of 919	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	36.7	628 of 921	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.4	545 of 919	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.8	578 of 900	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	60.1	428 of 858	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.1	380 of 851	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.6	482 of 847	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	48.3	564 of 839	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	46.9	571 of 823	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.9	453 of 806	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	211 of 338	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.1	243 of 300	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	234 of 310	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.6	113 of 182	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.5	154 of 196	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.9	158 of 366	56.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	29.6	72 of 106	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.3	63 of 88	28.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.5	37 of 72	48.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.5	67 of 154	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	15.8	673 of 789	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	697 of 771	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	703 of 770	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	607 of 657	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.8	486 of 521	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	570 of 658	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.5	581 of 794	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	26.3	197 of 265	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	215 of 257	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	189 of 246	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.1	106 of 138	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.9	68 of 137	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.4	193 of 266	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	27.0	616 of 832	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.9	700 of 836	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	701 of 825	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	547 of 691	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	476 of 523	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	549 of 672	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.7	570 of 815	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	620 of 798	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	698 of 786	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	684 of 776	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	585 of 658	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.4	512 of 540	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	552 of 639	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.4	575 of 797	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	54.3	77 of 190	59.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	183 of 244	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	50.1	152 of 377	59.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	644 of 696	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	672 of 701	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.6	667 of 688	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	586 of 638	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.9	507 of 577	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	559 of 624	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	575 of 678	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2025)59th percentile+36 vs school

African American (2025)38th percentile+14 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)32nd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)26th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)25th percentile~ school

Male (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)15th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)7th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies35%-12 vs state

English Language Arts20%-18 vs state

Science17%-24 vs state

Math13%-20 vs state

Mathematics9%-21 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Oakley W Best Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate Oakley W Best Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Oakley W Best Middle 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 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Oakley W Best Middle School	Public	6-8	22201 Powers Ave	Dearborn Heights	48125	Wayne County	Dearborn Heights School District #7	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 203-3200	557	37	15.1	76.8%	330 (59.2%)	131 (23.5%)	66 (11.8%)	7 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.8%)	21.1	682^nd of 890 public middle schools	23.4%		15.6	755^th of 897 public middle schools	15.8%	73	53.7	9.0	24.1	16.9	15.5	10.1	17.0	35.0	$16,399	$2,318	$14,081
Smith Middle School	Public	6-8	23851 Yale St	Dearborn	48124	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 827-2800	525	39	13.6	68.8%	415 (79.0%)	53 (10.1%)	32 (6.1%)	15 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	43.6	497^th of 890 public middle schools	44.2%		48.6	419^th of 897 public middle schools	53.3%	78	61.3	29.6	29.7	32.5	22.7	36.1	26.3	41.4	$20,194	$1,831	$18,363
Tomlinson Middle School	Public	6-8	25912 Annapolis St	Inkster	48141	Wayne County	Westwood Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 565-3391	180	13	13.9	96.7%	28 (15.6%)	135 (75.0%)	7 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.0%)	6.8	857^th of 890 public middle schools	3.7%		6.8	867^th of 897 public middle schools	3.3%	10	31.4	8.1		10.0		3.8	9.4	9.3	$22,060	$4,958	$17,102
Stout Middle School	Public	6-8	18500 Oakwood Blvd	Dearborn	48124	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 827-4600	698	52	13.3	84.1%	642 (92.0%)	34 (4.9%)	16 (2.3%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	54	363^rd of 890 public middle schools	59.2%		49.7	400^th of 897 public middle schools	55.4%	37	65.9	33.5	37.8	37.2	41.4	32.1	24.9	44.7	$20,053	$2,107	$17,946
Hoover Middle School	Public	6-8	27101 Beverly Rd	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 295-5775	515	37	13.7	87.0%	228 (44.3%)	196 (38.1%)	50 (9.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.2%)	10.8	804^th of 890 public middle schools	9.7%		11.7	808^th of 897 public middle schools	9.9%	4	44.2	7.1	13.3	8.3	4.4	7.6	12.9	23.2	$21,784	$5,985	$15,798
Robert J West Middle School	Public	6-8	10575 William St	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 295-5783	641	38	17.0	76.4%	300 (46.8%)	190 (29.6%)	87 (13.6%)	9 (1.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (8.1%)	23.2	662^nd of 890 public middle schools	25.6%		17.5	734^th of 897 public middle schools	18.2%	72	54.7	18.9	16.9	19.8	8.0	6.8	27.2	39.8	$19,191	$5,569	$13,622
Bryant Middle School	Public	6-8	460 N Vernon St	Dearborn	48128	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 827-2900	781	47	16.7	62.4%	733 (93.9%)	21 (2.7%)	13 (1.7%)	11 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	74.3	176^th of 890 public middle schools	80.2%		61.2	275^th of 897 public middle schools	69.3%	99	73.0	37.9	49.2	47.4	50.0	47.0	37.7	58.8	$17,108	$1,350	$15,758
Allen Park Middle School	Public	6-8	8401 Vine Ave	Allen Park	48101	Wayne County	Allen Park Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(313) 827-2200	896	45	19.9	48.7%	672 (75.0%)	44 (4.9%)	145 (16.2%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	23 (2.6%)	61.8	281^st of 890 public middle schools	68.4%		47.8	433^rd of 897 public middle schools	51.7%	152	76.6	30.5	46.6	42.3	27.8	35.0	42.1	48.3	$13,002	$625	$12,377
Julian O Strong Middle School	Public	6-8	18656 Prospect St	Melvindale	48122	Wayne County	Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 389-3320	651	38	17.1	90.2%	462 (71.0%)	54 (8.3%)	124 (19.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.9%)	13.8	768^th of 890 public middle schools	13.7%		17.6	733^rd of 897 public middle schools	18.3%	35	43.9	8.3	14.5	19.1	10.4	14.8	11.6	19.3	$17,267	$2,125	$15,142
Lincoln Park Middle School	Public	6-8	2800 Lafayette Blvd	Lincoln Park	48146	Wayne County	Lincoln Park School District of the City of	No	No	No	No	(313) 389-0757	1,089	62	17.4	90.2%	288 (26.4%)	186 (17.1%)	546 (50.1%)	9 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (5.3%)	19.3	703^rd of 890 public middle schools	21.0%		17.4	735^th of 897 public middle schools	18.1%	32	42.3	6.5	25.0	29.4	11.5	13.5	22.1	22.9	$20,391	$2,540	$17,851

Frequently Asked Questions about Oakley W Best Middle School

What district is Oakley W Best Middle School in?

Dearborn Heights School District #7

What high school do graduates of Oakley W Best Middle School attend?

Students who attend Oakley W Best Middle School usually go on to attend Annapolis High School

Is Oakley W Best Middle School a good school?

Oakley W Best Middle School ranks in the bottom 23.4% of Michigan middle schools.

How many students attend Oakley W Best Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 557 students attended Oakley W Best Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Oakley W Best Middle School?

Students at Oakley W Best Middle School are 59% White, 24% African American, 12% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Rate Oakley W Best Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Middle School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Dearborn Heights, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Oakley W Best Middle School!

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.