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Dekeyser Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6
411th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools
Better than 72% of Michigan elementary schools
Summary

Dekeyser Elementary School in Sterling Heights, MI, is a mid-sized school serving 512 students in grades PK through 6 within the highly-rated Utica Community Schools district.

Dekeyser is a consistently strong performer, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past decade and currently ranking in the top third of Michigan elementary schools (411th out of 1,492). What truly sets it apart is its remarkable success with students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Nearly half of its students (49%) qualify for free/reduced lunch, yet the school ranks in the 80th percentile statewide for its effectiveness with these students—a testament to its ability to close achievement gaps. This is a clear standout in its neighborhood: while nearby Messmore Elementary posts exceptional scores (likely tied to its much smaller low-income population), Dekeyser outperforms schools with similar demographics like Schwarzkoff Elementary and Bruce Collins Elementary, which have comparable or higher percentages of low-income students.

Dekeyser also excels in areas that support learning. Its chronic absenteeism rate is just 11.4%—less than half the rate at Schwarzkoff (22.7%) and Bruce Collins (23.0%), and well below district and state averages. The school achieves these results while spending less per student ($13,514) than nearly all its neighbors, including Jack Harvey Elementary ($15,741) and Plumbrook Elementary ($18,960), pointing to highly efficient resource use. One area to watch: female students currently rank in the 77th percentile statewide, while male students rank in the 62nd percentile—a gap that has widened over the past three years. Overall, Dekeyser offers a stable, effective, and efficient education that consistently elevates student performance, making it a strong choice for families in the area.

512
Students ?
18.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,514
Per pupil spending ?
49.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 39600 Atkinson Dr
       Sterling Heights, MI  48313-5022

(586) 797-4400

District: Utica Community Schools


Students who attend Dekeyser Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Davis Junior High School
High:    Adlai Stevenson High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
83.4%
Two or more races:
5.5%
African American:
5.3%
more
 See top rated Michigan elementary schools

 Compare Dekeyser Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 69th percentile in 2016 → 72nd in 2026
Strengths
Test scores above the Michigan average (47% vs 37% meeting standards)
Above the Michigan median (72nd percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school47%
District avg44%
Michigan avg37%
411th of 1,492
Michigan public elementary schools ?
Top 28%▲ up 3 pts since 2016
From top 31% (2016) to top 28% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
11th of 25Elementary Schools in the Utica Community Schools
177th of 625Utica Community Schools 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202670.0411 of 149272.5%★★★★☆
202568.8426 of 148871.4%★★★★☆
202475.2324 of 148678.2%★★★★☆
202384.4188 of 147087.2%★★★★☆
202285.6152 of 134488.7%★★★★☆
202167.1307 of 115373.4%★★★★☆
201984.8155 of 140889.0%★★★★☆
201876.6337 of 144876.7%★★★★☆
201767.9385 of 146673.7%★★★★☆
201666.2480 of 154869.0%★★★☆☆
201565.2527 of 158066.6%★★★☆☆
201467.7474 of 153369.1%★★★☆☆
201380.5247 of 156384.2%★★★★☆
201277.4311 of 156680.1%★★★★☆
201168.3527 of 155266.0%★★★☆☆
201079.8148 of 155290.5%★★★★★
200983.6110 of 158993.1%★★★★★
200883.5105 of 157793.3%★★★★★
200778.1237 of 156584.9%★★★★☆
200672.4362 of 154576.6%★★★★☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202356.170 of 18061.1%★★★☆☆
201867.372 of 27073.3%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202671.7303 of 134377.4%★★★★☆
202565.4394 of 133870.6%★★★★☆
202470.6308 of 134277.0%★★★★☆
202374.3252 of 132180.9%★★★★☆
202276.3197 of 110682.2%★★★★☆
202154.6363 of 90259.8%★★★☆☆
201983.4123 of 117189.5%★★★★☆
201878.2271 of 144381.2%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202671.6272 of 135279.9%★★★★☆
202569.8305 of 134677.3%★★★★☆
202482.5127 of 138190.8%★★★★★
202387.775 of 135094.4%★★★★★
202289.831 of 109997.2%★★★★★
202173.5124 of 74983.4%★★★★☆
201986.065 of 113494.3%★★★★★
201869.9315 of 139777.5%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202659.1517 of 137262.3%★★★☆☆
202563.9464 of 136666.0%★★★☆☆
202470.9340 of 134774.8%★★★★☆
202384.0155 of 133488.4%★★★★☆
202285.1120 of 113989.5%★★★★☆
202168.5231 of 91574.8%★★★★☆
201978.7200 of 119683.3%★★★★☆
201869.3416 of 144671.2%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201847.7190 of 40352.9%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202660.8428 of 119964.3%★★★☆☆
202561.3434 of 120664.0%★★★☆☆
202469.9317 of 120473.7%★★★★☆
202378.6214 of 119882.1%★★★★☆
202283.5132 of 110288.0%★★★★☆
202163.2321 of 100568.1%★★★☆☆
201981.8153 of 112886.4%★★★★☆
201864.4418 of 125366.6%★★★☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201480.9130 of 92185.9%★★★★☆
201380.3132 of 91985.6%★★★★☆
201288.170 of 90092.2%★★★★★
201177.0157 of 85881.7%★★★★☆
201080.7101 of 85188.1%★★★★☆
200990.77 of 84799.2%★★★★★
200890.99 of 83998.9%★★★★★
200781.697 of 82388.2%★★★★☆
200690.214 of 80698.3%★★★★★
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
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile+7 vs school
Female (2026)77th percentile+5 vs school
White (2026)64th percentile-8 vs school
Male (2026)62nd percentile-10 vs school
English Language Learner (2023)61st percentile-26 vs school
Special Education (2018)53rd percentile-24 vs school
By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?
Math48%+12 vs state
English Language Arts48%+8 vs state
Science47%+7 vs state
Social Studies36%+8 vs state

5.0
2 ratings · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Saturday, February 16, 2019

Open Quote DeKeyser is an excellent Utica Community School. The principal and teachers care very much for the students. It's all about the kids.......:) Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Dekeyser Elementary School

Students at Dekeyser Elementary School are 83% White, 5% Two or more races, 5% African American, 3% Asian, 3% Hispanic.

Students who attend Dekeyser Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Davis Junior High School
High : Adlai Stevenson High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 512 students attended Dekeyser Elementary School.

Dekeyser Elementary School ranks 411th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Dekeyser Elementary School!



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Latest Michigan data All new data »
2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 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.

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