Taylor Parks Elementary School

Taylor Parks Elementary School serves approximately 322 students in grades K-5 in Taylor, MI, as part of the Taylor School District, where 82% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Taylor Parks currently ranks in the 16th percentile of Michigan elementary schools, earning a 1-star rating. Academic proficiency rates are significantly below state averages—for example, only 11.5% of 3rd graders are proficient in ELA compared to the state's 38.2%, and 4th grade math proficiency sits at 10.3% versus the state's 39.4%. The most pressing challenge is chronic absenteeism: 46.6% of students were chronically absent in 2024-2025, nearly double the state average of 27.9%. While this is an improvement from 64.7% in 2021-2022, it remains a crisis-level issue that directly impacts learning. The school also trails its same-district peers—Blair Moody Elementary (30th percentile) and Kinyon Elementary (29th percentile)—despite serving similar student populations. The contrast with nearby Arno Elementary in Allen Park Public Schools is stark: Arno achieves 61% 3rd grade ELA proficiency with a 14.9% absenteeism rate, while Taylor Parks spends $20,560 per student—about $5,000 more than Arno—yet sees far lower results.

There are encouraging signs, however. Fifth grade students at Taylor Parks now outperform district averages in every subject—30.8% proficient in ELA versus the district's 26.6%, and 23.1% in math versus 15.7%. The school's overall ranking has improved from the 6th percentile in 2022-23 to the 16th percentile in 2025-26, and chronic absenteeism has dropped 18 percentage points since 2021-22. Female students and low-income students have also shown notable gains in their percentile rankings. These improvements suggest recent interventions may be taking hold, though sustained progress will require continued focus on attendance and early literacy support.