Other / mixed grade configuration · Dearborn Heights, MI

River Oaks Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for River Oaks Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 261160004599
0/100100/10029/100
👥 S:T ratio
44
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

River Oaks Elementary School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of Michigan schools.

#3 of 9
schools in Dearborn Heights · Resource Index
29
Resource Index · Lower
14.1:1
small classes for Michigan
83.8%
free-lunch eligible

River Oaks Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, River Oaks Elementary School ranks #3 of 9 schools in Dearborn Heights, MI.

Enrollment

366

Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

26.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.1:1

vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg

-19% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

83.8%

vs 54.3% Michigan avg

+54% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How River Oaks Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at River Oaks Elementary School

River Oaks Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, enrolling 366 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 83.8% of students qualify for free meals, 54% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 366 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.

Against 443 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #102.

Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Dearborn City School District spends $16,677 per pupil, 23% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 21.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Dearborn Heights's public schools, it stands alongside Global Heights Academy (274 students): River Oaks Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 21.1:1).

Dearborn City School District also operates Fordson High School (1,966 students) and Dearborn High School (1,775 students) alongside River Oaks Elementary School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How River Oaks Elementary School compares

River Oaks Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Michigan Michigan avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 14.1:1 ▼ 19% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 83.8% ▲ 54% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 366 top 48% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
366
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
83.8%
free-lunch eligible - 54% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher - 19% below state mean
Top 24% in Michigan - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
34.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,677
per pupil, district-wide - above Michigan avg of $13,507
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 89.9%
African American 5.7%
Asian 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Two or More 0.8%

Largest group: White at 89.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 18.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 18.8, River Oaks Elementary School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dearborn City School District, which includes River Oaks Elementary School.

$16,677
Per student
+23%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.9%
State 52.7%
Federal 21.4%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How River Oaks Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Fordson High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Dearborn High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Edsel Ford High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Bryant Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Woodworth Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to River Oaks Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Dearborn City School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Dearborn Heights

1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on River Oaks Elementary School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about River Oaks Elementary School

How many students attend River Oaks Elementary School?

River Oaks Elementary School has 366 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dearborn Heights, MI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at River Oaks Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at River Oaks Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 19% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at River Oaks Elementary School?

83.8% of students at River Oaks Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of River Oaks Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at River Oaks Elementary School is White at 89.9% of enrollment, in Dearborn Heights, MI.

What is the Resource Investment Index for River Oaks Elementary School?

River Oaks Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does River Oaks Elementary School rank among schools in Dearborn Heights?

By Resource Investment Index, River Oaks Elementary School ranks #3 of 9 schools in Dearborn Heights, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Dearborn Heights on the city page.

Is River Oaks Elementary School a good school?

River Oaks Elementary School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of Michigan schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Dearborn City School District?

Besides River Oaks Elementary School, Dearborn City School District also operates Fordson High School (1,966 students), Dearborn High School (1,775 students), and Edsel Ford High School (1,502 students). See the Dearborn City School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.