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Southfield Public Schools

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Southfield Public Schools
Address
24661 Lahser Rd.[1]
Southfield
, Oakland County, Michigan, 48033
United States
District information
TypePublic school district
GradesPrekindergarten-12
SuperintendentDr. Jennifer Martin-Green[2]
Schools11[3]
Budget$115,878,000 2022-2023 expenditures[3]
NCES District ID2632310[3]
Students and staff
Students4,491 (2024-2025)[3]
Teachers284.16 (on an FTE basis) (2024-2025)[3]
Staff857.08 FTE (2024-2025)[3]
Student–teacher ratio15.8 (2024-2025)[3]
Other information
Websitewww.southfieldk12.org

Southfield Public Schools is a public school district in Metro Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan, serving most of Southfield and all of Lathrup Village.[4]

While the city of Southfield lost about 2.2 percent of its total population between 2000 and 2020,[5] Southfield Public Schools lost about 55 percent of its enrollment between the 2002-2003 and 2023-2024 school years.[6] In 2022, voters in the district passed a $345 million bond issue to improve and "right-size" district facilities.[7]

History

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Between 1900 and 1920, Southfield Township (precursor to Southfield) had a steady population of about 1,300[5] and several one-room schoolhouse districts such as Angling, Beddow, Klett, McKinley, and Stone.[8]

One of the first multi-classroom brick school buildings in Southfield was the 1921 John Grace School at 21030 Indian Street. Subdivisions were developed in the southern part of the township in the late 1920s, and four schools from that era were the 1927 Annie Lathrup School on Southfield Road,[9] the 1929 McKinley School at 18330 George Washington Drive,[10] and the 1927 Magnolia School on Dorset Avenue.[11] Southfield No. 10 School was built in 1928 at Berg and Ten Mile Roads.[12]

Southfield High School was built during 1949 and 1950. Previously, high school students had attended other districts' high schools, such as Highland Park Community High School.[13][14]

Southfield gained nearly 38,000 residents between 1960 and 1970,[5] and the district undertook an expansion program. In 1963, Levey Junior High, Schoenhalls Elementary, and additions at Southfield High were completed.[15] In fall 1965, Thompson Junior High School, Stevenson Elementary, and Vandenberg Elementary opened, though incomplete due to construction delays, as were additions at Kennedy Elementary and Southfield High.[16] Southfield-Lathrup High School opened in 1967.[17]

Schools

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Schools in Southfield Public Schools district[18][3]
SchoolAddressGradesNotes
Morris Adler Elementary School19100 Filmore St., SouthfieldK-5
Alice M. Birney K-8 School27225 Evergreen Road, SouthfieldK-8Formerly Birney Middle School. Opened fall 1959.[19]
Bussey Center For Early Childhood Education24501 Fredrick Street, SouthfieldPreschoolFormerly Northbrook Elementary School
Kennedy Learning Center16299 Mt. Vernon, SouthfieldK-12Formerly Kennedy Elementary School. School for students with special needs.[1]
Glenn W. Levey Middle School25300 W. 9 Mile Road, Southfield6-8Opened fall 1964, named for assistant superintendent Glenn W. Levey.[20]
McIntyre Elementary School19600 Saratoga Boulevard, SouthfieldK-5
Southfield High School24675 Lahser Rd., Southfield9-12
Adlai Stevenson Elementary School27777 Lahser Road, SouthfieldK-5Opened fall 1965.[16]
Thompson K-8 International Academy16300 Lincoln Drive, SouthfieldK-8Foreign language focus. Formerly Thompson Middle School. Opened fall 1965.[16]
University K-12 Academy19301 W. 12 Mile Rd., Lathrup VillageK-12Formerly Southfield-Lathrup High School, college-preparatory STEM school

Defunct schools

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SchoolAddressNotes
Angling Road Elementary School27800 Franklin, SouthfieldClosed 1976, converted to office space around 1981.[21]
Brace-Lederle School18575 West Nine Mile, SouthfieldFormerly Lederle Middle School. Sold 2024.[22]
Brooks SchoolEleven Mile Road at Lasher, SouthfieldHoused Southfield Public Library between 1960 and 1964.[23] Currently Greyhound bus station.[citation needed]
Eisenhower Elementary School24500 Larkins, SouthfieldBuilt 1970,[24] closed 2010.[25]
John Grace School21030 Indian Road, SouthfieldConverted to the John Grace Community Center
John F. Kennedy Elementary School16299 Mt. Vernon, SouthfieldConverted to the Southfield Education Center/Kennedy Learning Center
Annie Lathrup Elementary School27700 Southfield Road, Lathrup VillageBuilt 1927.[9] Became Yeshivat Akiva around 1980.[26] Building is to undergo redevelopment.[27]
Fred D. Leonhard Elementary School20900 Independence Drive, SouthfieldClosed in 2011, sold 2024 to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah.[28]
MacArthur Primary & Early Education Center19080 West Twelve Mile Road, SouthfieldBuilt 1957. Program moved to Bussey Center in 2020.[28]
Magnolia Community Center / Preschool16050 Dorset, SouthfieldFormerly Magnolia Elementary School. Built 1927.[11] Sold 2024 to Yeshiva Beth Yehudah.[28]
McKinley Elementary School18330 George Washington, SouthfieldBuilt 1929.[10] Being converted to residential space as of 2024.[29]
Marion Simms Elementary SchoolPierce Street near Wiltshire, SouthfieldOriginally called East Southfield Elementary. Closed 1980.[30] Razed 1982 for Simms Park.[31]
Glenn Schoenhals Elementary School16500 Lincoln, SouthfieldBuilt 1963.[15] Closed 2010.[25]
Southfield No. 10 Elementary SchoolBerg at Ten Mile Road, SouthfieldBuilt 1928. Converted to office space.[12]
Southfield Regional Academic Campus (SRAC)21705 Evergreen, SouthfieldFormerly Brace Elementary School.[32] Being used as temporary site for high school students from University K-12 Academy while it undergoes reconstruction.[33]
Vandenberg World Cultures Academy16100 Edwards, SouthfieldFormerly Vandenberg Elementary School, closed around 2023.[34] Being used as temporary site for elementary students from University K-12 Academy while it undergoes reconstruction.[33]

References

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  1. 1 2 Southfield Public Schools. "Southfield Public Schools". Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  2. ↑ Southfield Public Schools. "Administration". Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Southfield Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
  4. ↑ Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Oakland County School Districts (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. "Historical Population and Employment by Minor Civil Division, Southeast Michigan" (PDF). Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  6. ↑ Ballotpedia. "Southfield Public Schools". Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  7. ↑ Southfield Public Schools. "2022 Capital Facilities Bond". Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  8. ↑ Southfield Public Library. "Schools and Educational Facilities". Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Detroit Historical Society. "Annie Lathrup School, built 1927". Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  10. 1 2 City of Southfield, Michigan. "Historic District Designation Preliminary Report PHDD20-0002 – McKinley School – 18330 George Washington Drive" (PDF). Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Child care center reaches out to parents". Detroit Free Press. January 10, 2002. p. 2B.
  12. 1 2 "Southfield No. 10 School". Facebook. Historical Detroit Area Architecture. April 19, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Handicapped youth in need of a friend". Detroit Free Press. October 5, 1950. p. 45.
  14. ↑ Editorial staff of Southfield High School yearbook. Blue and Grey 1958 (1958 Southfield High School yearbook). p. 8.
  15. 1 2 "S'field school jobs on time". Royal Oak Tribune (Royal Oak, Mich.). November 12, 1963. p. 2.
  16. 1 2 3 "S'field school problems". Royal Oak Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, Mich.). September 9, 1965. p. 2.
  17. ↑ "About SLHS". Southfield Lathrup Class of 1995. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  18. ↑ Southfield Public Schools. "Schools". Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  19. ↑ "School bids under estimate". Royal Oak Tribune (Royal Oak, Mich.). August 28, 1958. p. 1.
  20. ↑ "Dedication set for new jr. high". Royal Oak Tribune (Royal Oak, Mich.). March 27, 1964. p. 3.
  21. ↑ Serafin, Raymond J. (October 21, 1981). "Angling Road School becomes cable building". Royal Oak Tribune (Royal Oak, Mich.). p. 13.
  22. ↑ "Southfield schools sells building instead of demolition". Oakland Press (Oakland County, Mich.).
  23. ↑ Southfield Public Library. "Southfield Public Library History". Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  24. ↑ Borger, Hans. "Memories of Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School in Southfield, Michigan". Blogspot. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Board approves 3 school closings". Detroit Free Press. February 11, 2010. p. 8A.
  26. ↑ Trueman, Mary (August 12, 1980). "Lathrup school OK for Hebrew group use". Detroit Free Press. p. A3.
  27. ↑ City of Lathrup Village. "27700 Southfield Road, Annie Lathrup School". Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  28. 1 2 3 Pentiuk, Kathryn (March 22, 2024). "Southfield school district sells three properties, denies offer on former Bussey Center". Southfield Sun/C&G Newspapers.
  29. ↑ Pentiuk, Kathryn (April 4, 2024). "Annual address highlights developments in Southfield". Southfield Sun/C&G Newspapers.
  30. ↑ "Marion Simms, principal for whom school was named". Detroit Free Press. March 12, 1982. p. 12B.
  31. ↑ Spratling, Cassandra (July 3, 2005). "Elementary, my dear". Detroit Free Press. p. 2F.
  32. ↑ "New location for Southfield Center". Detroit Free Press. January 3, 1982. p. 221.
  33. 1 2 Sanchez, Erin (February 11, 2026). "Southfield Public Schools updates public on projects within district". Southfield Sun/C&G Newspapers.
  34. ↑ Kozlowskiu, Andy (August 11, 2022). "Southfield Public Schools announces bond proposal". Southfield Sun/C&G Newspapers.
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