Barth Elementary School

Barth Elementary School in Romulus, MI, serves 233 students from Pre-K through 5th grade and has earned a 3-star rating for three consecutive years, placing it in the 64th percentile statewide—a remarkable turnaround from its 1-star rating just a few years ago.

Barth is the clear academic leader within the Romulus Community Schools district. Its state ranking far exceeds those of Hale Creek Elementary School and Wick Elementary School, both of which sit in the 45th percentile. The gap is especially visible in 3rd-grade math, where 55.6% of Barth students are proficient compared to roughly 37-38% at those neighboring schools. Barth also outperforms many nearby schools in 5th-grade English Language Arts, with a 58.8% proficiency rate—nearly double that of RooseveltMcGrath Elementary School (32.8%) and Summit Academy North Elementary School (23.2%). What makes this even more impressive is that Barth achieves strong results for students who often face systemic barriers, ranking in the 88th percentile statewide for African American students and the 84th percentile for students from low socio-economic backgrounds.

While Barth excels in literacy—beating state averages in all tested grades—math remains an area for growth, with 4th and 5th grade scores slightly below state averages. The school also faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism: 42.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2024-2025 school year, far above the state average of 27.9%, though this is a marked improvement from the 61.5% post-pandemic high. Notably, Barth spends about $22,194 per student, more than the high-performing Keystone Academy ($12,245) but less than RooseveltMcGrath ($23,399), which achieves far lower results. This suggests Barth is using its resources effectively to deliver strong outcomes, particularly for its most vulnerable students.