Bridge Magazine Ranks Michigan School Districts
(Crystal Proxmire, Feb. 9, 2014)
Bridge Magazine looked at public school districts and public charters and compared them based on performance weighted by economics to determine how schools are performing compared to expectations. The publication used three years’ worth of data and ranked the schools. A score of 100 means the school district met expectations. Scores above 100 exceeded them. Of the 540 ranked, 272 got scores of 100 or more. The top 10% were dubbed “State Champions,” a list that included Bloomfield Hills, Troy, South Lyon, Rochester and Novi.
A press release from the publishers of Bridge Magazine states “While many affluent districts thrive, the value-added system indicates that many poorer districts are doing just as much with far less. One school in 
the top 10 – Riverside Academy in Dearborn – has over 97 percent of its students eligible for free or reduced lunch; another – Bloomfield Hills Schools in Oakland County – had only 10 percent eligible.”
John Bebow, president of The Center for Michigan, which publishes Bridge said “From big cities to farming communities, quality education is occurring in every corner of Michigan. Our Academic State Champions series takes a close look at what these schools are doing right, in the hopes that their success can be reproduced throughout the state.”
Most school districts in Oakland County ranked with 90 or above, with only Oak Park and Pontiac below. The lowest ranked school was Grattan Academy with a score of 80.87, located near Grand Rapids in Belding. Detroit City Schools ranked 471, with a score of 93.49.
The highest ranked school was Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights, with a score of 118.98.
Here’s how school districts in Oakland County did:
| Rank | Name | Score |
| 7 | Bloomfield Hills | 113.7 |
| 15 | Troy | 110.38 |
| 30 | South Lyon | 109.03 |
| 34 | Rochester Community School District | 108.77 |
| 51 | Novi | 107.63 |
| 56 | Birmingham | 107.28 |
| 81 | Lake Orion | 105.63 |
| 162 | Clarkston Community School District | 103.07 |
| 174 | West Bloomfield | 102.80 |
| 209 | Royal Oak | 101.65 |
| 219 | Berkley | 101.42 |
| 248 | Holly Area | 100.78 |
| 300 | Brandon (Oakland and Lapeer Counties) | 99.18 |
| 342 | Madison District | 98.17 |
| 345 | Ferndale | 98.14 |
| 357 | Oxford | 97.7 |
| 421 | Waterford | 96.23 |
| 451 | Hazel Park | 94.56 |
| 452 | Clawson | 94.56 |
| 504 | Southfield | 91.21 |
| 523 | Oak Park | 89.56 |
| 537 | Pontiac | 85.02 |
The website
includes more detailed information, including number of students receiving free or reduced lunch, plus test scores by grade. The database and more information are available online at http://bridgemi.com/2014/01/searchable-database-academic-state-champs/.
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