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Bernice McDowell Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

1341^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Bernice McDowell Elementary School is a K-5 public school in Taylor, MI, serving 341 students as part of the Taylor School District, where over 83% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

For parents, the most important thing to know is that McDowell faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 10-17% of Michigan elementary schools over the past decade. Its proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math are roughly half the state average. Compared to other schools in its own district, McDowell is the lowest performer—for example, in 3rd-grade Math, only 14.8% of McDowell students were proficient, versus 44.1% at nearby Blair Moody Elementary School and 32.8% at Kinyon Elementary School. The contrast is even starker with schools just a couple miles away in the Allen Park Public Schools district, where schools like Lindemann Elementary School achieve proficiency rates two to three times higher.

A major concern is chronic absenteeism—at 47.3%, nearly half of McDowell students miss 10% or more of the school year. This rate is nearly double the state average and higher than most nearby schools, including Clarence Randall Elementary School (36.3%) and Holland Elementary School (41.6%). On a positive note, the school has shown meaningful improvement in English Language Arts—3rd-grade proficiency jumped from 9.6% to 20.4% in one year—suggesting literacy initiatives are working. However, Math performance has declined and needs a different approach. The school spends a substantial $20,711 per student, higher than several better-performing nearby schools, which suggests that addressing attendance barriers may be more impactful than additional funding alone. There is also a potential bright spot: the school's ranking for Special Education students (15th percentile) is higher than its overall ranking, indicating relatively stronger support for that population.

341

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,711

Per pupil spending ?

83.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

22929 Brest
Taylor, MI 48180-4176

(734) 374-1240

District: Taylor School District

Students who attend Bernice McDowell Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Robert J West Middle School
High:	Taylor High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.3%

African American:

38.7%

Hispanic:

8.8%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Bernice McDowell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2015 → 10th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (15% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (47% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg19%

Michigan avg38%

1,341^st of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Taylor School District

549^th of 625Taylor 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	11.5	1341 of 1492	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	1348 of 1488	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	1358 of 1486	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	1215 of 1470	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	1143 of 1344	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.7	1303 of 1408	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	1338 of 1448	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	11.5	1306 of 1466	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.1	1346 of 1548	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.3	1273 of 1580	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.4	1139 of 1533	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	35.4	1100 of 1563	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	47.2	903 of 1566	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	31.2	1281 of 1552	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.5	1263 of 1552	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.9	1352 of 1589	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.9	1383 of 1577	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	44.4	1107 of 1565	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	34.7	1253 of 1545	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	20.6	437 of 475	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	1278 of 1343	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.2	1217 of 1338	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	1249 of 1342	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	1007 of 1321	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	960 of 1106	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	1108 of 1171	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	1293 of 1443	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.3	1197 of 1352	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.9	1220 of 1346	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	1244 of 1381	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	1028 of 1350	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.2	806 of 1099	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.8	1024 of 1134	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.0	1287 of 1397	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	11.7	1248 of 1372	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.2	1309 of 1366	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.9	1293 of 1347	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	1263 of 1334	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.2	1310 of 1446	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.8	209 of 246	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	373 of 403	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	1022 of 1199	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	5.1	1192 of 1206	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	1110 of 1198	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.4	1215 of 1253	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)15th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile~ school

Male (2026)9th percentile~ school

African American (2018)8th percentile~ school

Female (2026)5th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts19%-22 vs state

Science18%-22 vs state

Math12%-26 vs state

Social Studies10%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bernice McDowell 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)				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
Bernice McDowell Elementary School	Public	K-5	22929 Brest	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor School District	No	No	No	Yes	(734) 374-1240	341	20	16.7	83.3%	141 (41.3%)	132 (38.7%)	30 (8.8%)	21 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.0%)	11.5	1341^st of 1492 public elementary schools	10.1%		10.4	1348^th of 1488 public elementary schools	9.4%	7			20.4	13.5	22.4			14.8	13.5	8.2			18.4		10.2		$20,711	$2,894	$17,817
Kinyon Elementary School	Public	K-5	10455 Monroe Blvd	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 295-5802	375	23	16.0	77.6%	187 (49.9%)	93 (24.8%)	59 (15.7%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.7%)	26.9	1055^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.3%		24.8	1085^th of 1488 public elementary schools	27.1%	30			22.4	24.6	31.5			32.8	33.3	25.9			29.6		9.3		$22,754	$2,818	$19,936
Clarence Randall Elementary School	Public	K-5	8699 Robert St	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 295-5812	492	30	16.1	83.9%	311 (63.2%)	82 (16.7%)	51 (10.4%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.3%)	19.3	1189^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.3%		25.8	1064^th of 1488 public elementary schools	28.5%	125			19.2	22.4	26.0			24.7	26.9	12.5			29.6		11.1		$19,431	$2,687	$16,744
North Pointe Elementary	Public	K-5	18635 Bowie St	Southgate	48195	Wayne County	Southgate Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(734) 246-4600	218	17	13.2	65.1%	95 (43.6%)	46 (21.1%)	58 (26.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	18 (8.3%)	43.1	806^th of 1492 public elementary schools	46.0%		34	951^st of 1488 public elementary schools	36.1%	145			32.7	34.1	41.9			44.9	39.0	12.9			41.9		25.8		$20,560	$886	$19,673
Holland Elementary School	Public	K-5	10201 Holland Rd	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor School District	No	No	No	Yes	(313) 295-5795	310	18	17.0	79.0%	150 (48.4%)	92 (29.7%)	29 (9.4%)	11 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.0%)	15.1	1274^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.6%		18.2	1192^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	19.9%	82			18.6	22.4	22.6			15.3	14.9	17.0			18.5		16.7		$19,912	$2,605	$17,307
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		1469.7		$23,355	$2,840	$20,516
Taylor Exemplar Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	26727 Goddard Rd	Taylor	48180	Wayne County	Taylor Exemplar Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(734) 941-7742	660	34	19.3	77.0%	148 (22.4%)	336 (50.9%)	62 (9.4%)	16 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98 (14.8%)	41.6	830^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.4%		34.9	939^th of 1488 public elementary schools	36.9%	109	68.1	23.4	42.0	30.7	49.2	44.2	49.2	40.3	30.7	27.0	26.9	31.3	29.0	27.1	9.7	46.8	$13,150	$1,590	$11,561
Creative Montessori Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	15100 Northline Rd	Southgate	48195	Wayne County	Creative Montessori Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(734) 284-5600	759	41	18.7	60.5%	295 (38.9%)	240 (31.6%)	170 (22.4%)	20 (2.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.2%)	20.4	1169^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.6%		20.8	1141^st of 1488 public elementary schools	23.3%	28	64.4	28.8	16.9	22.1	25.4	36.3	46.2	7.0	14.0	10.4	23.5	38.5	25.4	20.3	13.4	47.5	$12,302	$1,884	$10,417
Lindemann Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	9201 Carter Ave	Allen Park	48101	Wayne County	Allen Park Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(313) 827-1150	639	36	17.8	46.9%	489 (76.5%)	11 (1.7%)	108 (16.9%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	23 (3.6%)	62.8	518^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.3%		69.4	417^th of 1488 public elementary schools	72.0%	101			47.2	59.3	44.0			53.7	41.7	34.9			51.4		24.8		$15,424	$1,009	$14,415
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 Bernice McDowell Elementary School

How many students attend Bernice McDowell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 341 students attended Bernice McDowell Elementary School.

What district is Bernice McDowell Elementary School in?

Taylor School District

Is Bernice McDowell Elementary School a good school?

Bernice McDowell Elementary School ranks in the bottom 10.1% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Bernice McDowell Elementary School?

Students at Bernice McDowell Elementary School are 41% White, 39% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Bernice McDowell Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Bernice McDowell Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Robert J West Middle School
High : Taylor High School

Rate Bernice McDowell Elementary 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.