Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 48240

Zip code 48240 in Redford, Michigan is home to four elementary schools serving approximately 1,186 students across grades PK-8, with all schools facing significant challenges related to high poverty rates and chronic absenteeism that far exceed state averages.

For parents exploring school options in this area, Beech Elementary stands out as the relative leader, showing the most consistent improvement trajectory (rising from the 14th to 18th state percentile over three years) and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 52.4%—though that's still nearly double the state average. Beech also has the largest enrollment at 457 students and offers the most comprehensive test data across all grade levels. However, its per-student spending of $30,855 is more than double that of Redford Service Learning Academy Campus ($14,380), yet both achieve similar proficiency rates—raising questions about resource efficiency. Redford Service Learning Academy, part of the Detroit Service Learning Academy district, consistently outperforms its district averages and shows improving rankings (from 6th to 14th percentile). Discovery Creative Pathways Redford has the most alarming attendance crisis at 76.8% chronic absenteeism, yet demonstrates hidden strengths—its 8th grade science proficiency reached 27.8% versus the district average of 10.5%, suggesting strong instruction when students attend. Fostering Leadership Academy presents a concerning data void with no test scores or rankings reported for its 76 students, making academic quality impossible to assess despite having the best student-teacher ratio at 10.8:1.

Across all four schools, academic proficiency in English Language Arts and Math consistently lands in the bottom quintile statewide, with 5th grade emerging as a particularly difficult transition point—Beech's 5th grade math proficiency plummeted to just 8.1% compared to 28.3% in 4th grade. The most actionable priority for families and community leaders should be addressing the extreme chronic absenteeism (ranging from 52% to 77%), as this systemic issue likely undermines all other academic efforts in the area.