Summary
Johnson Upper Elementary School in Westland, MI, serves 503 students in grades 4 through 6 and is part of the highly-ranked Livonia Public Schools School District, which sits in the 86th percentile statewide.
Johnson consistently outperforms the state average in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. For example, in the most recent school year, 5th-grade ELA proficiency was 52% compared to the state's 43.8%, and 6th-grade Math proficiency was 45% versus the state's 31.9%. The school has earned a 4-star rating in recent years, reflecting strong, stable performance. However, its scores generally trail the district average, indicating a gap compared to some higher-performing peers within Livonia. One notable trend is an academic dip as students transition into 6th grade, particularly in Math, where proficiency has fluctuated. On a positive note, 6th-grade Math has shown steady improvement over the last three years, rising from 28.3% to 45%, suggesting targeted efforts are paying off. Social Studies is an area of inconsistency, with proficiency rates swinging dramatically from 18.2% to 33.5% and back down to 26.6% in recent years.
What truly sets Johnson apart from nearby schools is its investment in student support. The school spends $18,474 per student and maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 13.7, compared to 20.9 at Holmes Middle School and 19.8 at East Middle School. This suggests smaller class sizes and more individualized attention. Johnson also serves a more economically diverse population, with 28% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, compared to around 16% at nearby Holmes and East. While its chronic absenteeism rate of 29.3% is above the state average, it is significantly lower than schools in neighboring districts like Adlai Stevenson Middle School (50.4%). Ultimately, Johnson's high investment appears to be mitigating challenges associated with its student population, delivering solid results that far exceed those of nearby Wayne-Westland and Garden City schools, even if they don't quite reach the top-tier levels of some Plymouth-Canton counterparts.
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