Summary:
Zip code 49238 is home to a single elementary school, Britton Deerfield School - Deerfield Building, which serves 130 students in grades PK through 5 as part of the Britton Deerfield Schools district.
For parents considering this area, the school presents a mixed picture of academic performance. The strongest results appear in the early elementary grades. In the most recent school year, 4th graders significantly outperformed state averages in both English Language Arts (52.6% proficient vs. 41.3% statewide) and Math (57.9% vs. 39.4%). Third-grade math also exceeded the state average. However, there is a dramatic decline in 5th grade, where proficiency rates fall well below state levels across all subjects—ELA drops to 20.8% (state: 43.8%) and math to 16.67% (state: 32.2%). This "5th grade cliff" is the most notable concern, and data from the prior year shows a similar pattern, suggesting this may be a broader trend rather than a one-year anomaly. The district overall is ranked 386th out of 625 Michigan districts, placing it in the 38th percentile with a 2-star rating.
Beyond test scores, the school has some positive indicators. The chronic absenteeism rate of 23.7% is better than both the district (29.8%) and the state (27.9%), meaning attendance is not the primary driver of low scores. The student-teacher ratio is 17:1, and per-student spending is $13,238. With only 130 students, the school is small, so individual student performance can swing percentages significantly—one student in a class of 25 represents 4% of the cohort. This makes year-to-year comparisons volatile, but the consistency of the 5th-grade struggles across two years makes it a trend worth monitoring. Parents should be aware that while early grades show promise, the transition to upper elementary appears to be a critical challenge for this school.
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