Pierce Elementary School vs Quarton Elementary

Pierce Elementary School and Quarton Elementary sit 1.8 miles apart in Birmingham, Michigan, but their state rankings tell a sharply different story. Pierce Elementary School ranks #85 of 3,190 Michigan schools — a strong result by any measure — yet Quarton Elementary ranks #3 of 3,190, placing it among a tiny handful of elementary schools in the entire state. The overall rating gap is 0.8 points, with Quarton Elementary at 9.7/10 against Pierce Elementary School's 8.9/10, and that delta is driven by consistent advantages across every scored dimension.

Academically, Quarton Elementary holds a 0.3-point edge over Pierce Elementary School (9.5/10 vs. 9.2/10), but the most pronounced separation appears in growth. Quarton Elementary's growth score of 9.9/10 outpaces Pierce Elementary School's 8.7/10 by 1.2 points — meaning students at Quarton are advancing faster relative to their starting points, not just arriving better prepared. For families who care about how much a school moves the needle year over year, that gap is meaningful.

Pierce Elementary School enrolls 514 students compared to Quarton Elementary's 366, and the size difference shows up in staffing. Pierce Elementary School's student-teacher ratio is 16.6:1 versus Quarton Elementary's 13.6:1 — three fewer students per teacher on average, which typically translates to more individualized attention. Free and reduced lunch eligibility sits at 6% at Pierce Elementary School and 2% at Quarton Elementary, reflecting the already narrow socioeconomic range across Birmingham but with Quarton drawing from a slightly more affluent slice.

Both Pierce Elementary School and Quarton Elementary serve the same grade span, PK through 5th grade, so families are comparing equivalent academic stages. The choice comes down almost entirely to performance ceiling versus accessibility. Quarton's #3 statewide rank and near-perfect growth score set an exceptionally high bar, while Pierce's #85 rank still places it comfortably in Michigan's top 3% — a distinction that matters when weighing neighborhood convenience against marginal performance differences.