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In the Name of God بسم الله

Advice for family moving to Dearborn - private or public school?

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  • Advanced Member
Posted

Salam alaykum Brothers and Sisters, 

Inshallah you’re all well. Can locals to Dearborn give me some advice about where to live and what are the best elementary schools?  

Also generally, I’m wondering are the public schools a positive environment for Muslim children because the cohort is majority Muslim? Or are the secular values and culture an issue in the Dearborn/dearborn heights/canton etc schools like everywhere else? 

I found three Islamic schools (Maya, Wise and Great Revelations). Am I missing any? Any feedback on these? 
I found Wise/Maya expensive compared to the Sunni Islamic school we currently attend in another state, and there are no caps on fees for big families or financial aid applications etc. 

If we go public I’m planning on enrolling the children into a Saturday Islamic school so any advice on those would be appreciated too. 

Many thanks and dua in Advance

**background info**
We are moving to the area purely for the sake of our children in the hopes that they follow the path of Ahlul bayt (عليه السلام). Currently we live very comfortably and financially better off in another state so it’s a bit scary to leave this place for a lower paying job in Detroit. Given this the budget will be tight and I really need local feedback on schools as we might not be able to afford the private schools.

 

 

  • Moderators
Posted

The best district in Dearborn for Elementary is 12460 area.  I will attach a map with Street names. This is what is known as 'West Dearborn' or 'Westborn'. The schools in this area are excellent, even the public schools and there are some private Islamic Schools. The house prices / rent in this area is a little above average for Michigan, but it is well worth it if you can afford it and have school age kids. I will include a street map that shows where this area is. 

It is orange on the map. If your address is in this area you are eligible to enroll your children in this district. 

 

Current-High-School-Boundary-1.png

  • Advanced Member
Posted

Salamalaykum @Abu Hadithank you so much for the advice and including the map - that’s perfect!

I will have a search in this area inshallah. But in the case I cannot find a house here, can you advise as our Dearborn Heights? Any areas to avoid or is it all quite nice/safe?

 

  • Moderators
Posted (edited)

Salam Brother, 

As far as school districts (public) that are close to Dearborn, the one I mentioned is far better than any district in Dearborn Heights. Any School District in Dearborn Heights would not be bad, and Dearborn Heights is a safe City, so the schools are safe, but as far as academics they are average, maybe 5/10. Again, not bad but not spectacular. Also, property taxes in Dearborn Heights are higher than average for the Metro Area, which doesn't make sense to me because none of their services, including schools, are above average. Property taxes in West Dearborn are also higher than average, but at least they have good public schools so it's worth it. 

There are other nearby communities to the West, closer to Ann Arbor like the Plymouth/Canton area / Schools. The Plymouth  / Canton schools are the best in the state and some of the best in the country. There is a decent sized Muslim community in this area, although not as big as Dearborn but its fairly easy to find nearby Halal Food / Groceries. The problem with this area is it's expensive, as far as housing. My wife and I actually looked for houses in this area before we bought our current house. We couldn't find anything decent for less than $450,000 and that was 2021 so prices have went up since then. If you can afford it, that's probably the ideal place to live. Extremely good schools, decent size Muslims community, very safe, and about 20 minutes away from Dearborn. But, you know $$$. 

In case your relocating from somewhere like LA, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, or New York City, then I guess that would seem like a bargain, lol. But I'm assuming your not. 

Also, avoid Charter Schools at all costs. I'm not going to mention specific names, like the famous one in Dearborn Heights, but just avoid them. They call themselves 'Public Schools' but they are actually fiefdoms run by an individual or a very small group of individuals for money making purposes. They are not accountable to the community where they live and get 'authorized' by special interest groups in the state. Make sure before you put your child / children in a school that it is an actual public school with a school board that is elected by the members of the community. Also, make sure to 'drop in' unexpectedly to see what is going on at the school when the cameras are off and the media is not around. Any school that will tell you that you can only come after making an appointment or on special occasions, I would not put my child in that school. I don't want the 'Dog and Pony Show', I want to know what goes on in the classroom on a daily basis. Any school that will not let you see that is not worthy of your child being there. 

Edited by Abu Hadi

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