Northville's Amerman Elementary ranks No. 4 in Michigan

Amerman Elementary School in Northville earned the No. 4 ranking among Michigan elementary schools in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary Schools rankings, released Oct. 20.

The K-5 school on North Center Street scored 99.8 out of 100 overall. It ranked No. 4 statewide in both reading and math proficiency out of 1,499 ranked schools.

Two other local schools landed in the top 12. Novi Woods Elementary School placed No. 10 with a score of 99.4, and Moraine Elementary School in Northville came in at No. 12 with a score of 99.27.

At Amerman, 86% of tested students scored at or above the proficient level in reading and 84% in math, according to U.S. News. Those numbers exceeded the Northville Public Schools elementary-school averages of 76% in reading and 74% in math.

Novi Woods posted higher math proficiency. Eighty-seven percent of its tested students scored proficient or above in math, and 81% did so in reading. Both figures exceeded the Novi Community School District elementary-school averages of 74% in math and 66% in reading.

Moraine matched Amerman’s 86% reading proficiency rate and posted 81% math proficiency, also exceeding district averages.

The profiles list statewide comparison rates of 42% in reading and 38% in math. The Michigan rankings use 2023-24 state assessment data.

Local school leadership

Amerman Principal Lauren Elek’s appointment was announced by Northville Public Schools on Aug. 26.

The district described her as an educator with 23 years of elementary education experience, including 13 years in administrative leadership. She previously worked in Florida’s Charlotte County Public Schools, where she was named the district’s Assistant Principal of the Year.

In the appointment announcement, Elek described her approach to school leadership.

“I believe a principal’s greatest responsibility is creating the conditions where every child can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally,” she said.

How the rankings work

U.S. News ranked 46,713 public elementary schools for the 2027 edition. Schools receive state and district rankings, rather than a national placement.

The formula weighs math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance equally, according to the U.S. News methodology.

Half uses subject performance indexes that account for results across proficiency levels. The other half compares results with expectations based on students’ socioeconomic backgrounds.

Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis, said in the publisher’s announcement that the updated methodology incorporates direct state data across proficiency levels to help families and educators assess academic achievement.