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Bridge Magazine Ranks Michigan School Districtsgallowaycollens1
(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 JudyPalmer01the 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 websiteStreet-Eatzz-Ad 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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