School shootings are always top of mind for parents, students and teachers these days. While shootings were down in the last year due to students learning at home during the pandemic, the fear of gun violence at school will never be far away from parents’ worries — on top of fears of their kids getting sick or bringing home the — when in-person learning resumes.
Kids and staff no longer just need to be prepared for inclement weather (remember those tornado drills?). Today’s kids and educators must to be ready to go into lockdown in the event of an active school shooting.
While no one can predict a school shooting, there is some data that can provide insight into a school district’s overall safety. Niche, a popular schools-and-neighborhoods data website, attempted to provide such a gauge.
The site took a closer look at stats from the U.S. Department of Education, along with information regarding student absenteeism, in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, law enforcement referrals and school-related arrests.
Each school’s data was weighed. A disclaimer worth nothing: Even when all this data is considered, that doesn’t mean a school with higher rates of these issues will inevitably — or is even more likely to — experience a gun violence situation. It can, however, be a partial indicator of overall school safety, which was Niche’s goal in assembling its list.
The verdict? In Michigan, 393 public school districts were rated on their school safety. A swath of these safe schools are in Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties, including the metro Detroit and greater Ann Arbor regions.
It’s also worth noting that other districts — including local ones that don’t appear on our consolidated list here — might also have strong safety suits. They simply did not appear on the Niche list.
To see how your specific district fared, visit Niche’s Safest School Districts in Michigan database and search for your city, town or village.
Scroll down to see which districts and charters made the cut in 2021. Schools are listed in alphabetical order by county. Click on the school name to learn more about the district’s specific data from Niche.
Macomb County
- Armada Area Schools
Ranking: No. 149 - Chippewa Valley Schools
Ranking: No. 216 - Fraser Public Schools
Ranking: No. 287 - Lake Shore Public Schools
Ranking: No. 322 - Lakeview Public Schools
Ranking: No. 316 - Richmond Community Schools
Ranking: No. 127 - Utica Community Schools
Ranking: No. 217 - Warren Consolidated Schools
- Ranking: 329
- Warren Woods Public Schools
Ranking: No. 82
Oakland County
- Berkley School District
Ranking: No. 304 - Birmingham Public Schools
Ranking: No. 2 - Bloomfield Hills Schools
Ranking: No. 51 - Clarkston Community School District
Ranking: No. 209 - Farmington Public School District
Ranking: No. 282 - Holly Area School District
Ranking: No. 387 - Huron Valley Schools
Ranking: No. 164 - Lake Orion Community Schools
Ranking: No. 113 - Lamphere Public Schools
Ranking: No. 298 - Novi Community School District
Ranking: No. 16 - Oakland Schools
Ranking: No. 3 - Rochester Community School District
Ranking: No. 17 - Southfield Public School District
- Ranking: No. 365
- South Lyon Community Schools
Ranking: No. 190 - Troy School District
Ranking: No. 6 - Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
Ranking: No. 248 - West Bloomfield School District
Ranking: No. 253
Washtenaw County
- Ann Arbor Public Schools
Ranking: No. 180 - Chelsea School District
Ranking: No. 71 - Dexter Community School District
Ranking: No. 80 - Milan Area Schools
Ranking: No. 214 - Saline Area Schools
Ranking: No. 10
Wayne County
- Allen Park Public Schools
Ranking: No. 207 - Bridge Academy
Ranking: No. 301 - Crestwood School District
Ranking: No. 376 - Covenant House Academy Detroit
- Ranking: No. 377
- Dearborn City School District
Ranking: No. 269 - Detroit Achievement Academy
- Ranking: No. 232
- Detroit Service Learning Academy
- Ranking: No. 348
- Edison Public School Academy
Ranking: No. 130 - Flat Rock Community Schools
Ranking: No. 227 - Grosse Ile Township Schools
Ranking: No. 1 - Grosse Pointe Public Schools
Ranking: No. 63 - Huron School District
Ranking: No. 128 - Livonia Public Schools School District
Ranking: No. 197 - Northville Public Schools
Ranking: No. 50 - Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
Ranking: No. 204 - Riverview Community School District
Ranking: No. 278 - Trenton Public Schools
Ranking: No. 160 - W-A-Y Academy
Ranking: No. 154 - Woodhaven-Brownstown School District
Ranking: No. 61 - Wyandotte Public Schools
Ranking: No. 193
Looking for even more information about Michigan’s Schools? Check out our roundup of the best school districts in Michigan, according to Niche.
This post was originally published in 2018 and is updated regularly.
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