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Alice M Birney K8 School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1144^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Alice M Birney K8 School is a public PK-8 school in Southfield, MI, serving 452 students within the Southfield Public School District. The school has faced persistent academic challenges, holding a 1-star rating for the past decade, but a closer look reveals important nuances for parents to consider.

The most significant factor affecting Birney is chronic absenteeism, which hovers around 50%—nearly double the state average. This directly impacts learning, as students who miss school miss instruction. While test scores are generally below district and state averages, there are bright spots. For example, 5th-grade ELA proficiency reached 46.7% in 2025-2026, above the district average. The school also shows notable strength in serving its African American students, who ranked in the 53rd percentile statewide (3-star rating) in the same year. Additionally, the school's Low Socio-Economic Status students showed dramatic improvement, jumping from the 21st to the 45th percentile in a single year. However, a concerning "middle school dip" emerges: proficiency in ELA drops from 46.7% in 5th grade to just 21.4% in 6th grade, suggesting the transition to middle school grades is a critical point of struggle.

Parents should note that Birney is well-resourced, spending $25,214 per student with a favorable 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio—yet outcomes don't reflect this investment. Just 0.84 miles away, University Elementary School Academy (also in the Southfield district) achieves dramatically different results, ranking in the 90th percentile with early-grade ELA proficiency above 70% and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 16.2%. Nearby Angell Elementary School in the Berkley School District also outperforms Birney significantly. This contrast suggests Birney's challenges are not purely systemic but tied to school-specific factors like attendance culture and targeted interventions. For parents considering Birney, the school's high spending and improving subgroup outcomes offer hope, but addressing chronic absenteeism and supporting the middle school transition will be critical to unlocking its potential.

452

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,214

Per pupil spending ?

62.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

27225 Evergreen Rd
Southfield, MI 48076

(248) 746-8800

District: Southfield Public School District

Students who attend Alice M Birney K8 School usually attend:

High:

Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology

Racial breakdown:

African American:

94.9%

Two or more races:

2.0%

Hispanic:

1.3%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Alice M Birney K8 School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 27th percentile in 2014 → 23rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (18% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (51% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg29%

Michigan avg40%

Elementary school

1,144^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to bottom 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

811^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Southfield Public School District

409^th of 625Southfield Public School District 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	1144 of 1492	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	1271 of 1488	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	1237 of 1486	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	1281 of 1470	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	1263 of 1408	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	1148 of 1448	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.9	1113 of 1466	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.2	1106 of 1548	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.5	1108 of 1580	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.0	1122 of 1533	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.2	1266 of 1563	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	45.5	183 of 388	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.4	226 of 369	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.8	182 of 348	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.3	215 of 321	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.3	135 of 212	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.7	144 of 475	69.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	969 of 1343	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	1063 of 1338	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	993 of 1342	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	1059 of 1321	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	1129 of 1171	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.2	1047 of 1443	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	750 of 1352	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.4	1064 of 1346	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.2	1013 of 1381	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	978 of 1350	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	994 of 1134	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.0	1012 of 1397	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	1175 of 1372	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	1204 of 1446	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	11.6	811 of 896	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.3	824 of 890	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	768 of 897	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	774 of 883	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.3	709 of 776	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.9	748 of 792	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.5	609 of 838	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.2	659 of 821	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.3	659 of 894	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.7	620 of 919	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	23.1	735 of 921	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	18.8	778 of 919	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	238 of 337	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.8	263 of 338	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.4	166 of 300	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.1	211 of 310	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	135 of 182	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	158 of 196	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	68.5	89 of 366	75.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.7	662 of 789	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.1	723 of 789	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	659 of 771	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	668 of 770	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	561 of 657	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.0	634 of 658	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	41.7	469 of 794	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.0	720 of 834	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.3	789 of 832	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	734 of 836	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	704 of 825	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	580 of 691	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.5	655 of 672	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	572 of 815	29.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.5	771 of 813	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.0	758 of 798	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	736 of 786	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	731 of 776	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.8	640 of 658	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.4	625 of 639	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	639 of 797	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2026)53rd percentile+30 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile+21 vs school

Female (2026)28th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile-9 vs school

Middle school

African American (2026)29th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2026)16th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)5th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts25%-15 vs state

Social Studies19%-20 vs state

Math13%-22 vs state

Science12%-28 vs state

Mathematics6%-27 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Birney is a great school. A majority of the teachers are wonderful and very caring. I cannot speak for them all, but a good portion of them are just wonderful. They make every effort to help the children, sometimes they above and beyond the school day. The principals and good to work with. The music department is awesome! Close Quote

Schools Near Alice M Birney K8 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)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	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	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Alice M Birney K8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	27225 Evergreen Rd	Southfield	48076	Oakland County	Southfield Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 746-8800	452	32	13.9	62.8%	5 (1.1%)	429 (94.9%)	6 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.0%)	21.8	1144^th of 1492 public elementary schools	23.3%		14.4	1271^st of 1488 public elementary schools	14.6%	127	30.5	6.1	22.6	23.3	46.7	21.4	20.3	19.4	11.6	16.7	1562.1	10.8	23.3	7.3	16.7	19.5	$25,214	$1,219	$23,995
McIntyre Elementary School	Public	K-5	19600 Saratoga Blvd	Southfield	48076	Oakland County	Southfield Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 746-7365	162	12	13.9	58.6%	1 (0.6%)	151 (93.2%)	4 (2.5%)	2 (1.2%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	39.9	861^st of 1492 public elementary schools	42.3%		21.5	1133^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	23.9%	272			57.9	1370.1	34.8			36.8	1362.9	1467.9			13.0		1473.7		$25,803	$1,423	$24,380
University Elementary School Academy	Public, Magnet	K-5	19301 W 12 Mile Rd	Lathrup Village	48076	Oakland County	Southfield Public School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(248) 746-8590	312	15	20.6	42.6%	3 (1.0%)	296 (94.9%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	88.6	156^th of 1492 public elementary schools	89.5%		71.1	400^th of 1488 public elementary schools	73.1%	244			73.5	72.2	68.1			69.4	77.8	54.2			52.8		41.7		$19,093	$1,068	$18,026
Faxon Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	26275 Northwestern Hwy	Southfield	48076	Oakland County	Faxon Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 301-9909	150	9	16.6	77.3%	5 (3.3%)	141 (94.0%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)								(n/a)	43.8	347.5	1271.5	1365.6	1472.4	1571.6	61.1	1271.0	1361.1	1455.1	1559.2	1679.8	1465.6	1774.7	1468.5	1780.9	$11,777	$818	$10,959
Morris Adler Elementary School	Public	K-5	19100 Filmore St	Southfield	48075	Oakland County	Southfield Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 746-8872	355	18	19.7	65.6%	2 (0.6%)	334 (94.1%)	10 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	15.2	1271^st of 1492 public elementary schools	14.8%		19.8	1163^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	21.8%	108			21.9	23.0	21.7			31.3	18.0	4.4			13.0		1465.8		$18,076	$1,188	$16,889
Adlai Stevenson Elementary School	Public	K-5	24500 Larkins St	Southfield	48033	Oakland County	Southfield Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 746-8840	527	28	18.8	65.5%	8 (1.5%)	482 (91.5%)	14 (2.7%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.4%)	22.6	1130^th of 1492 public elementary schools	24.3%		32.1	977^th of 1488 public elementary schools	34.3%	153			28.0	35.2	35.2			18.3	15.4	16.5			25.3		9.9		$19,322	$1,126	$18,196
Crescent Academy PK3	Public, Charter	PK, KG-3	17570 W 12 Mile Rd	Southfield	48076	Oakland County	Crescent Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 423-4581	249	18	14.1	96.4%	0 (0.0%)	247 (99.2%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)			21.7					20.0									$11,568	$2,096	$9,472
Laurus Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	24590 Lahser Rd	Southfield	48033	Oakland County	Laurus Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 799-8401	791	44	17.9	83.4%	2 (0.3%)	691 (87.4%)	26 (3.3%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (8.2%)	33	953^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	36.1%		27.4	1050^th of 1488 public elementary schools	29.4%	97	56.4	17.9	27.8	32.9	36.0	43.0	32.5	33.3	30.3	19.8	26.6	24.7	22.1	21.5	14.0	34.2	$12,771	$1,320	$11,451
Thompson K8 International Academy	Public	K-8	16300 Lincoln Dr	Southfield	48076	Oakland County	Southfield Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 746-7404	544	35	15.7	64.5%	21 (3.9%)	444 (81.6%)	56 (10.3%)	15 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.3%)	27.1	1052^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	29.5%		14.9	1259^th of 1488 public elementary schools	15.4%	207	43.5	13.0	26.9	27.6	46.6	16.7	28.9	30.2	25.9	19.0	1557.0	1661.6	25.9	23.4	15.5	29.8	$23,289	$1,170	$22,120
Dr Joseph F Pollack Academic Center of Excellence	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-8	23777 Southfield Rd	Southfield	48075	Oakland County	Dr. Joseph F. Pollack Academic Center of Excellence	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(248) 569-1060	520	32	16.2	82.3%	1 (0.2%)	518 (99.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10.3	1363^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	8.6%		15.4	1256^th of 1488 public elementary schools	15.6%	107	54.8	13.7	19.0	16.4	17.8	16.0	31.3	15.9	1362.9	1458.7	6.0	6.3	6.7	24.7	1467.9	35.6	$13,021	$1,023	$11,998

Frequently Asked Questions about Alice M Birney K8 School

What schools do graduates of Alice M Birney K8 School attend?

Students who attend Alice M Birney K8 School usually go on to attend:

High : Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology

How many students attend Alice M Birney K8 School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 452 students attended Alice M Birney K8 School.

Is Alice M Birney K8 School a good school?

Alice M Birney K8 School ranks in the bottom 23.3% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Alice M Birney K8 School?

Students at Alice M Birney K8 School are 95% African American, 2% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic, 1% White.

What district is Alice M Birney K8 School in?

Southfield Public School District

Rate Alice M Birney K8 School!

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 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.