NCES CCD 2024-25 41 schools MI

Best-Resourced Schools in Dearborn, MI

41 public K-12 schools in Dearborn from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

41
Schools
21,980
Students
26.8/100
Avg Resource Index
18:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Dearborn has more public-school enrollment than 93% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Dearborn is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 8 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

23 of Dearborn's 41 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.

High measured need meets a thin staffing ratio

Dearborn's reporting schools show 76.4% free-lunch eligibility across measured enrollment, alongside an average 18.0:1 student-teacher ratio. These are separate constraints: one describes the economic context of enrolled students and the other compares student and teacher headcounts. The 35-point gap between Henry Ford Early College and Ser Metro Youthbuild Learning Academy is therefore more useful than the city mean alone. A school with a similar ratio may still report different counselor access, attendance, or gifted-program availability, so open the campus records before drawing conclusions about student support.

City enrollment
Top 7%
School count
Top 5%
Resource Index average
6th percentile
Teacher staffing
25th percentile

Dearborn school enrollment varies 82× across entities

Dearborn school enrollment ranges from 24 students (lowest) to 1,966 students (highest), a spread of 1,942 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Dearborn reports 76.4% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share is at least 75%, indicating a high concentration of measured economic need. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Dearborn operates 8 school districts — among the most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Dearborn student-teacher ratio is 18.0:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — citywide staffing is neither unusually lean nor unusually crowded by this measure

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Dearborn is typically wider than the Dearborn-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

8 of Dearborn's 41 listed schools are charters

20% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Henry Ford Early College 48
2. Riverside Academy 42
3. Howard Elementary School 40
4. Salina Intermediate 4 8 38
5. Long Elementary School 38
6. Duvall Elementary School 36
7. Charles a Lindbergh Elementary School 33
8. Riverside Academy West Campus 32
9. Henry Ford Early Collegeadvanced Manufacturing 32
10. Whitmorebolles Elementary School 32
11. West Village Academy 31
12. William Ford Elementary School 29
13. Haigh Elementary School 29
14. Academy for Business and Technology Elementary 29
15. Mccollough Elementary School 28
16. Geer Park Elementary School 28
17. Lowrey Elementary School 27
18. Henry Ford Academy 27
19. Snow Elementary School 27
20. Salina Elementary P 3 26
21. Oakman Elementary School 26
22. Fordson High School 25
23. Dearborn High School 25
24. Bryant Middle School 25
25. Nowlin Elementary School 25
26. Henry Ford Elementary School 24
27. Miller Elementary School 24
28. Maples Elementary School 23
29. Mcdonald Elementary School 23
30. Iris Becker Elementary School 23
31. Edsel Ford High School 21
32. The Dearborn Academy 21
33. Dearborn Public Schools Virtual K12 21
34. Advanced Technology Academy 20
35. Lowrey Middle School 20
36. Stout Middle School 18
37. Smith Middle School 18
38. Woodworth Middle School 17
39. Unis Middle School 17
40. Dearborn Newcomer College Prep Academy 17
41. Ser Metro Youthbuild Learning Academy 13

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Dearborn

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Henry Ford Academy 63.6/100
  2. 2 The Dearborn Academy 56.9/100
  3. 3 Academy for Business and Technology Elementary 45.6/100
  4. 4 Long Elementary School 43.0/100
  5. 5 Advanced Technology Academy 42.1/100

What do families ask about schools in Dearborn?

Which Dearborn school has the highest Resource Investment Index?

Henry Ford Early College has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Dearborn schools in this federal-data comparison at 48/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Dearborn, MI?

Dearborn has 41 public schools with a total enrollment of 21,980 students. 8 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 18:1.

Other Cities in Michigan

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Michigan →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.