Summary:
Zip code 48127, covering the Dearborn Heights area of Michigan, is home to two public middle schools serving grades 5-8 and 6-8, respectively, offering families a stark choice between a large traditional school and a small specialized STEM academy.
Riverside Middle School, part of the Crestwood School District, is the much larger option with 1,139 students. It serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged population, with nearly 72% of students receiving free/reduced lunch. Riverside shows a positive trajectory, improving its state ranking from the 35th to the 50th percentile over the past two years. Its relative strength appears in 6th-grade math, where 40.1% of students are proficient, beating the state average of 31.9%. However, its 8th-grade science proficiency (26.1%) lags significantly behind the state average (39.2%), and its chronic absenteeism rate of 20.3%, while better than the state's 27.9%, still affects one in five students. The school invests more per pupil ($16,007) and maintains a favorable 17:1 student-teacher ratio, suggesting a commitment to additional staffing for its high-need population.
In contrast, Dearborn STEM Middle School, part of the Dearborn City School District, is a small, specialized school with just 166 students. Its historical record is exceptional, having been ranked #1 in Michigan for three separate years. While current ranking data is unavailable, its most recent 8th-grade science proficiency rate is an extraordinary 92.86%—more than double the state average and over three times its own district's rate. The school also boasts a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.7%, far below both its district (25.9%) and the state. With a higher student-teacher ratio of 23:1 and slightly lower per-student spending ($15,273), Dearborn STEM appears to operate more efficiently while achieving outstanding results in its core subject area. However, parents should note the lack of recent ELA and math test data, making a full current assessment difficult.
Thank you for your feedback!