Pardee School

Pardee School is an elementary school in Dearborn Heights, MI, serving 337 students in grades PK-5 within the Dearborn Heights School District #7, a community where over 77% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most pressing concern at Pardee is math achievement, which has been persistently and critically low for several years. In the most recent school year, math proficiency rates were just 11.9% for 3rd graders, 9.6% for 4th graders, and 10.9% for 5th graders—roughly one-third of the state average. This is not a one-year dip but a consistent trend, suggesting foundational math skills are not being established in early grades. The contrast with nearby schools is striking. Just a mile or two away, schools in the Dearborn City School District achieve dramatically better results—for example, Duvall Elementary School posted 70.3% 3rd-grade math proficiency, even though its student poverty rate is comparable to Pardee's. Even within its own district, Bedford School outperforms Pardee significantly, with 55.4% 3rd-grade math proficiency, suggesting school-specific factors like leadership or instruction play a major role.

There are some bright spots. English Language Arts scores improve as students progress, rising from 20.9% proficiency in 3rd grade to 34.6% in 4th grade and 30.9% in 5th grade. Science scores in 5th grade (25.5%) also exceed the district average. However, chronic absenteeism affects nearly 38% of students—10 points above the state average—which likely compounds academic struggles. For parents considering Pardee, the school offers a foundation in literacy and science to build on, but a targeted, intensive focus on math intervention and attendance will be critical for student success.