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Polk Elementary School

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

1264^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Polk Elementary School in Dearborn Heights, MI, serves 374 students from Pre-K through 5th grade and is part of the Dearborn Heights School District #7, a district that has faced significant academic challenges in recent years.

Polk has consistently received a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, placing it in the bottom 15-24% of Michigan elementary schools. Academic performance is a significant concern, with the school ranking in the 15th percentile statewide. This is notably lower than several nearby schools, including Bedford School (40th percentile) and Blair Moody Elementary (30th percentile), both of which serve similar student populations. The most striking comparison is with Bedford, located less than a mile away in the same district. Bedford serves a nearly identical demographic profile (82% free/reduced lunch) yet achieves significantly higher proficiency rates—for example, 3rd-grade math proficiency at Bedford was 55.4% compared to Polk's 17.4%. This demonstrates that the challenges facing Polk are not insurmountable. Additionally, Polk's 5th-grade cohort showed a dramatic decline in performance in the 2025-2026 school year, with social studies proficiency collapsing from 14% to just 4%, highlighting significant variability in academic readiness across grade levels.

Despite these challenges, there are some notable findings. Polk spends $19,163 per student, which is higher than many higher-performing schools, suggesting resources alone are not the solution. Chronic absenteeism is a pervasive issue at 40.2%, well above the state average of 27.9%, though lower than the district average. Interestingly, the school shows a relative strength in serving English Language Learner students, who ranked in the 39th percentile in 2025-2026—a significant improvement from the previous year. There is also a persistent gender gap, with female students consistently outperforming male students. For parents considering this school, it's important to understand that while Polk faces significant academic hurdles, the comparison to Bedford shows that success is achievable within the same district and with similar demographics, making the performance gap a critical area for investigation and improvement.

374

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,163

Per pupil spending ?

84.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4651 Polk St
Dearborn Heights, MI 48125-2939

(313) 203-0500

District: Dearborn Heights School District #7

Students who attend Polk Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Oakley W Best Middle School
High:	Annapolis High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.2%

African American:

16.0%

Hispanic:

10.7%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Polk Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 18th percentile in 2011 → 15th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (18% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg23%

Michigan avg38%

1,264^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 7 pts since 2019

From bottom 9% (2019) to bottom 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Dearborn Heights School District #7

496^th of 625Dearborn 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
2026	15.6	1264 of 1492	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.8	1282 of 1488	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	1134 of 1486	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	1140 of 1470	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	1101 of 1344	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.4	1112 of 1153	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	1288 of 1408	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	46.8	903 of 1563	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	37.0	1106 of 1566	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.3	1269 of 1552	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	47.6	1112 of 1552	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	33.0	1302 of 1589	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	50.8	1016 of 1577	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.6	865 of 1565	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	40.8	1173 of 1545	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	35.8	115 of 188	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.0	141 of 173	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	57.3	71 of 184	61.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	1124 of 1343	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.6	1210 of 1338	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	979 of 1342	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.4	979 of 1321	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	938 of 1106	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	24.6	1059 of 1352	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.8	1124 of 1346	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.4	1039 of 1381	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.7	1087 of 1350	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.4	861 of 1099	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.6	732 of 749	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.0	1001 of 1134	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.0	1232 of 1372	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.2	1277 of 1366	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	1221 of 1347	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	1149 of 1334	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	971 of 1139	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.1	1056 of 1196	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.7	1151 of 1199	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.5	1188 of 1206	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	1078 of 1204	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	1090 of 1198	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	984 of 1102	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	985 of 1005	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.0	1112 of 1128	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)39th percentile+24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)16th percentile~ school

Male (2026)10th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)4th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts22%-19 vs state

Science20%-20 vs state

Math19%-19 vs state

Social Studies4%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Polk 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)				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	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
Bedford School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4650 Croissant St	Dearborn Heights	48125	Wayne County	Dearborn Heights School District #7	No	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 203-4100	389	25	15.3	82.3%	178 (45.8%)	118 (30.3%)	69 (17.7%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.6%)	37.3	898^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.8%		25.6	1065^th of 1488 public elementary schools	28.4%	167	39.3	32.2	33.9	55.4	34.5	18.6	27.1	15.3	$20,067	$1,571	$18,496
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
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
Taylor Parks Elementary School	Public	K-5	20614 Pinecrest St	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor School District	No	No	No	Yes	(734) 374-1246	322	19	17.4	82.0%	178 (55.3%)	88 (27.3%)	28 (8.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.1%)	15.7	1257^th of 1492 public elementary schools	15.8%		16.9	1223^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	17.8%	34	11.5	10.3	30.8	16.4	10.3	23.1	26.9	13.5	$20,560	$2,615	$17,946
Snow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 Culver Ave	Dearborn	48124	Wayne County	Dearborn City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 827-6250	465	32	14.7	74.4%	401 (86.2%)	32 (6.9%)	24 (5.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	59.7	562^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	62.3%		67.4	453^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	69.6%	109	38.3	53.6	54.2	53.1	50.0	38.9	38.9	15.3	$20,308	$1,477	$18,831
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
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
Blair Moody Elementary School	Public	K-5	8280 Hipp St	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 295-5807	317	20	16.0	79.2%	151 (47.6%)	104 (32.8%)	35 (11.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.9%)	27.4	1047^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.8%		22.4	1120^th of 1488 public elementary schools	24.7%	73	44.1	29.4	27.7	44.1	21.6	14.9	12.8		$23,355	$2,840	$20,516
Bennie Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	17401 Champaign Rd	Allen Park	48101	Wayne County	Allen Park Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 827-1300	513	28	18.4	48.1%	392 (76.4%)	21 (4.1%)	78 (15.2%)	7 (1.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.3%)	53.5	651^st of 1492 public elementary schools	56.4%		44.2	808^th of 1488 public elementary schools	45.7%	157	56.1	34.2	61.3	50.0	25.3	28.0	40.9	23.7	$14,851	$1,039	$13,812

Frequently Asked Questions about Polk Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Polk Elementary School?

Students at Polk Elementary School are 65% White, 16% African American, 11% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Polk Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 374 students attended Polk Elementary School.

Is Polk Elementary School a good school?

Polk Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.3% of Michigan elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Polk Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Oakley W Best Middle School
High : Annapolis High School

What district is Polk Elementary School in?

Dearborn Heights School District #7

Rate Polk Elementary School!

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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.