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

[Django]

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.

 

 

[Ashvazdanghe]

Salam @Abu Hadi is a local to Dearborn  who has a son in one of schools  Dearborn .

[Abu Hadi]

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. 

 

[Django]

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?

 

[Abu Hadi]

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 January 19, 2025 by Abu Hadi

[Django]

Salam Alaykum @Abu Hadi,

I'm very sorry I never got back to you on this very thoughtful, insightful and detailed advice. At the time things were very busy and while I read your post soon after your made it, I neglected to reply. My apologies. 

I ended up visiting Dearborn, Dearborn heights and Canton etc. We toured all the Islamic schools, but none of the public ones and I'm sort of regretting that now. We are still on the fence about moving over several months after our visit - simply due to the cost of the private schools, and the negative reviews of the public schools (we talked to many locals whilst there and unanimously everyone recommended private or homeschooling). I know that our conversations can't be representative, but we spoke with so many (masjids, the library, bakeries etc) and got the same advice. 

It is so disappointing seeing the high tuition and lack of financial aid or even decent sibling discounts at the Shia schools. The prices are double and triple the average Sunni schools I have documented across several states/cities etc (ran a spread sheet to compare). Sunni schools across USA are so much more affordable and offer great support for families to enable them to send their children. They are very supportive of big families, how are we so behind? I found they are generally funded by community zakat and triannual school fundraiser dinners etc. Many open in a small capacity and still offer aid and don't turn families away, I have to admire that community service and hope we shia can adopt this model. We are currently in a great private school but theology will clash over time...and just worry about the children being isolated as young adults, or being discriminated against (so far no experience of that though) etc. 

So it comes down to the decision - Dearborn and public school. OR another great city with affordable Suni Islamic school. Just so hard to decide because we have a bad experience in a US top 10 district public school. The youth seem to be out of control in even these top public schools, violence on campus, partying culture, drugs, scandalous dress etc. Perhaps Westborn is different... I probably have to visit again and find out. 

Canton we visited, nice area to live but I think public schools there will be way too anti-Islamic, or leave kids feeling like a minority again. 

Thank you again for sharing this info with me. I'm trying to make the smart long-term decision for the family...inshAllah keep me in your dua. 

Edited October 11, 2025 by Django

[Abu Hassanain]

On 1/19/2025 at 8:39 AM, Abu Hadi said:

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. 

Salam

before when I lived there, West Dearborn was more white and Dearborn have the larger air population. Is that still the case?

Also wasn’t Ford high on the east side almost exclusively, Muslim compared to the school in the west side

I would say if we want to live in a school with a good Islamic environment and the reality in this country is you have to choose between either really great academics or a large Muslim population I haven’t seen both in a public setting

Even back home in New York City it’s become really hit or mess the predominantly indoor Pakistani Shia private school is much worse than the Iranian private school

I know a few brothers who taught charter schools and had nightmare experiences. I always thought Islamic Institute of knowledge ran a pretty good private school.

Has the west side acquired a much larger area of population don’t take this the wrong way, but I look at it. What’s the point of living in Dearborn if you’re gonna live around a bunch of whites anyway

I’m in generally, I would rather live around hippie whites than redneck whites or African-Americans, but I guess if I moved to Dearborn, I’d want to live in an almost exclusively Arab area

I would appreciate any thoughts you have

Wallahu Alam 

[Abu Hassanain]

On 1/17/2025 at 6:49 PM, Django said:

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.

 

 

Salam

I lived in Dearborn and I still talk to a lot of people there. I just got back from being there two months in a row this year.

I highly recommend Islamic Institute of knowledge, private school

I don’t know great revelation Maya my is a decent score but my experience visiting the center and what people are telling me about the new group that runs the Islamic center in the school. I don’t hear the best things about the wise School the person who runs that is very very liberal. He has a very liberal New Age interpretation of our school of thoughts, so he teaches and focuses on that same liberal ideology compromising the uniqueness of our school of thought questioning time on our traditions of our people, etc.. 

personally, beyond the very early grades, I would highly discourage sending your children to to Sunni schools as it causes spiritual, cultural and ideological confusion and Allah forbid. Your child should end up, marrying someone from the other school and destroying the faith of your future generations.

A bad public school will you teach your child morals, Islamic values and either are able to teach yourself or send them to madrassa and hawza is a much better choice. 
 

I don’t drive so take it for me. If you move to Michigan make sure you have a very good car that won’t break down in the winter.

Michigan is wonderful. They have so many Islamic centers with many opportunities. You have to find the right crowd the right speakers in the right group if you don’t speak Arabic fluently I highly recommend becoming fluent in Arabic so you can participate in all that community has to offer.

Wallahu Alam 

[Django]

Thank you for your insights. Inshallah we will contemplate our options and make the best decision. Please keep me in your dua in this matter. 
 

Btw, I think west born demographics changed and is mostly Arab now. Dearborn is great but seemed to have a lot of social issues when I visited… homelessness, glass and broken bottles in the parks etc. it was so sad to see this. 

JazakAllah kheir