Way Elementary School

Summary:

Way Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, serving 377 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. As part of the highly-ranked Bloomfield Hills Schools district, Way Elementary consistently performs among the top elementary schools in the state, with exceptional academic achievement, strong student subgroup performance, and a commitment to serving a diverse student population.

Way Elementary School's academic performance is truly exceptional, ranking 75th out of 1,486 schools statewide and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. Students consistently outperform state and district averages in M-Step assessments for English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The school's performance is particularly strong across different student subgroups, including both female and male students, as well as White and Asian students. Additionally, Way Elementary has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate, indicating high student engagement and attendance.

When compared to nearby schools within the Bloomfield Hills district, Way Elementary stands out as a top performer. For example, it outranks Eastover Elementary and Lone Pine Elementary in academic assessments and statewide rankings. While Way Elementary serves a more socioeconomically diverse student population than some of the other high-performing schools in the area, such as Quarton Elementary and West Maple Elementary, it has maintained a consistently high level of academic performance, a testament to the school's commitment to providing a quality education to all its students.


Detail:

Public K-5

 765 W Long Lake Rd
       Bloomfield Hills, MI  48302-1552


(248) 341-7800

District: Bloomfield Hills Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
75th of 1,486 Michigan Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $22,459 Help


Students who attend Way Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    South Hills Middle School

Student/teacher ratio:  13.8 Help
Number of students:  377

Racial breakdown:

White:
76.9%
Asian:
11.4%
African American:
4.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  13.8% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Way Elementary School ranks better than 95% of elementary schools in Michigan. It also ranks 2nd among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Bloomfield Hills Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 92.38. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (76.9%), Asian (11.4%), African American (4.8%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 13.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Way Elementary School is 13.8, which is the highest among 4 elementary schools in the Bloomfield Hills Schools District! (See more...)
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Compare Way Elementary School employs 27.2 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Way Elementary School is $22,459. 2 elementary schools in the Bloomfield Hills Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Way Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Way Elementary School 75th of 1486 Michigan public elementary schools. (See Way Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Bloomfield Hills Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Bloomfield Hills Schools 17th of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Way Elementary School.

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Rank History for Way Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Way Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 88.52 26th 1545 98.3%
2007 88.81 15th 1565 99.0%
2008 87.72 30th 1577 98.1%
2009 87.45 32nd 1589 98.0%
2010 80.41 130th 1552 91.6%
2011 86.64 19th 1552 98.8%
2012 92.25 49th 1566 96.9%
2013 94.79 22nd 1563 98.6%
2014 93.26 42nd 1533 97.3%
2015 87.38 138th 1580 91.3%
2016 84.23 178th 1548 88.5%
2017 88.89 85th 1466 94.2%
2018 88.88 127th 1448 91.2%
2019 90.81 84th 1408 94.0%
2021 95.96 22nd 1153 98.1%
2022 95.54 37th 1344 97.2%
2023 93.94 56th 1470 96.2%
2024 92.38 75th 1486 95.0%
See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Female students at Way Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 85.53 144th 1443 90.0%
2019 95.00 22nd 1171 98.1%
2021 89.94 40th 902 95.6%
2022 96.61 9th 1106 99.2%
2023 90.25 75th 1321 94.3%
2024 89.43 82nd 1342 93.9%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Way Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 88.53 112th 1446 92.3%
2019 82.38 151st 1196 87.4%
2021 96.27 10th 915 98.9%
2022 92.97 44th 1139 96.1%
2023 92.98 55th 1334 95.9%
2024 91.16 77th 1347 94.3%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Way Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.27 38th 101 62.4%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for White students at Way Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 82.79 159th 1253 87.3%
2019 85.89 109th 1128 90.3%
2021 93.86 32nd 1005 96.8%
2022 94.24 32nd 1102 97.1%
2023 91.38 56th 1198 95.3%
2024 89.92 73rd 1204 93.9%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Way Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Open Quote Excellent school, the academics are tops, as well as the staff, who go above the call of duty. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Way Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 374 10 39 3 0 n/a n/a 0 426
1989 396 8 28 4 0 n/a n/a 0 436
1990 353 5 39 2 0 n/a n/a 0 399
1991 321 5 39 2 0 n/a n/a 0 367
1992 334 4 39 5 0 n/a n/a 0 382
1993 360 9 23 4 0 n/a n/a 0 396
1994 316 7 33 2 0 n/a n/a 0 358
1995 341 11 31 2 0 n/a n/a 0 385
1996 341 11 31 2 0 n/a n/a 0 385
1997 339 10 22 1 0 n/a n/a 0 372
1998 376 6 12 3 0 n/a n/a 0 397
1999 397 7 20 1 0 n/a n/a 0 425
2000 397 9 10 1 0 n/a n/a 0 417
2001 403 11 12 0 0 n/a n/a 0 426
2002 362 21 29 2 1 n/a n/a 0 415
2003 362 21 29 2 1 n/a n/a 0 415
2004 370 26 26 3 0 n/a n/a 0 425
2005 367 30 27 2 0 n/a n/a 0 426
2006 354 23 29 2 0 n/a n/a 0 408
2007 351 18 32 2 0 n/a n/a 0 403
2008 314 19 29 1 n/a n/a n/a 9 372
2009 320 24 30 4 0 n/a n/a 8 386
2010 318 33 34 3 0 n/a n/a 0 388
2011 316 25 29 3 0 1 15 0 389
2012 321 29 29 8 0 1 29 0 417
2013 339 33 33 11 1 1 31 0 449
2014 319 24 49 9 1 1 33 0 436
2015 317 19 49 12 1 0 35 0 433
2016 307 22 60 12 1 0 30 0 432
2017 311 20 61 12 1 0 33 0 438
2018 310 16 56 11 2 0 32 0 427
2019 301 18 49 11 2 0 21 0 402
2020 305 23 47 14 3 0 15 0 407
2021 292 24 51 14 2 0 11 0 394
2022 295 24 46 14 2 0 6 0 387
2023 290 18 43 15 1 0 10 0 377

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Way Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 426 n/a n/a n/a
1989 436 n/a n/a 0
1990 399 25.0 15.9 0.5
1991 367 n/a n/a n/a
1992 382 n/a n/a 1.3
1993 396 n/a 0.0 1.8
1994 358 24.0 14.9 0
1995 385 24.3 15.8 0.8
1996 385 24.3 15.8 0.8
1997 372 25.0 14.9 1.1
1998 397 27.0 14.7 0.5
1999 425 26.0 16.3 0.7
2000 417 26.5 15.7 0.5
2001 426 24.5 17.4 0
2002 415 28.0 14.8 0.5
2003 415 28.0 14.8 0.5
2004 425 25.9 16.4 1.9
2005 426 24.9 17.1 2.6
2006 408 26.2 15.6 2.9
2007 403 27.0 14.9 1.5
2008 372 24.5 15.2 0.3
2009 386 22.9 16.9 0.5
2010 388 25.1 15.4 6.2
2011 389 26.6 14.6 5.7
2012 417 26.6 15.6 6.7
2013 449 28.0 16.0 6
2014 436 27.6 15.7 3.9
2015 433 29.0 14.9 5.3
2016 432 27.0 16.0 3.7
2017 438 26.0 16.8 5.9
2018 427 26.8 15.9 8.9
2019 402 28.5 14.1 10.4
2020 407 27.3 14.9 10.1
2021 394 26.5 14.8 9.4
2022 387 26.0 14.8 10.1
2023 377 27.2 13.8 13.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Way Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 426 n/a n/a n/a
1989 436 n/a n/a 0
1990 399 25.0 15.9 0.5
1991 367 n/a n/a n/a
1992 382 n/a n/a 1.3
1993 396 n/a 0.0 1.8
1994 358 24.0 14.9 0
1995 385 24.3 15.8 0.8
1996 385 24.3 15.8 0.8
1997 372 25.0 14.9 1.1
1998 397 27.0 14.7 0.5
1999 425 26.0 16.3 0.7
2000 417 26.5 15.7 0.5
2001 426 24.5 17.4 0
2002 415 28.0 14.8 0.5
2003 415 28.0 14.8 0.5
2004 425 25.9 16.4 1.9
2005 426 24.9 17.1 2.6
2006 408 26.2 15.6 2.9
2007 403 27.0 14.9 1.5
2008 372 24.5 15.2 0.3
2009 386 22.9 16.9 0.5
2010 388 25.1 15.4 6.2
2011 389 26.6 14.6 5.7
2012 417 26.6 15.6 6.7
2013 449 28.0 16.0 6
2014 436 27.6 15.7 3.9
2015 433 29.0 14.9 5.3
2016 432 27.0 16.0 3.7
2017 438 26.0 16.8 5.9
2018 427 26.8 15.9 8.9
2019 402 28.5 14.1 10.4
2020 407 27.3 14.9 10.1
2021 394 26.5 14.8 9.4
2022 387 26.0 14.8 10.1
2023 377 27.2 13.8 13.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Way Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $344 (2.1%) $15,850 (97.9%) $16,194
2020 $305 (1.9%) $15,934 (98.1%) $16,239
2021 $772 (4.2%) $17,756 (95.8%) $18,528
2022 $503 (2.6%) $18,508 (97.3%) $19,012
2023 $663 (3.0%) $21,796 (97.0%) $22,459

Data source: Michigan Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Way Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 84th of 1408 Elementary schoolsRanks 56th of 1470 Elementary schools
 2.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Way Elementary School)73.965
 8.9%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Bloomfield Hills Schools)68.970.4
 1.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.140.9
 4.2%
3rd Grade Math (Way Elementary School)8771.6
 15.4%
   3rd Grade Math (Bloomfield Hills Schools)74.675.5
 0.9%
   3rd Grade Math (Michigan)46.742.9
 3.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Way Elementary School)62.689.8
 27.2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Bloomfield Hills Schools)67.972.4
 4.5%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.844.3
 1.5%
4th Grade Math (Way Elementary School)73.781.4
 7.7%
   4th Grade Math (Bloomfield Hills Schools)61.975.5
 13.6%
   4th Grade Math (Michigan)41.838.6
 3.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students402377
 6.2%
African American1818
American Indian21
 50%
Asian4943
 12.2%
Hispanic1115
 36.4%
Pacific Islander00
White301290
 3.7%
Two or More Races2110
 52.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients10.4%13.8%
 3.3%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Way Elementary School

In the 2022-23 school year, 377 students attended Way Elementary School.

Yes. Way Elementary School ranks in the top 5.0% of Michigan elementary schools.

Students who attend Way Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : South Hills Middle School

Students at Way Elementary School are 77% White, 11% Asian, 5% African American, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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