Barber Elementary School

Barber Elementary School is an elementary-level community of mid-sized scale in HIGHLAND PARK, Michigan, overseen by Highland Park Public School Academy System, educateing 362 students in grades pre-K through 8.

Barber Elementary School sits inside Highland Park Public School Academy System, the local public-school operator responsible for the campus.

In terms of who attends, Barber Elementary School records that nearly all students (96%) are Black. The wider county runs roughly 37% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 3 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 120.7:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.8:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 95% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is above Wayne County's rate of about 66%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Wayne County indicate median household earnings sit near $60,539, roughly 28% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Wayne County runs 573 public schools (combined enrollment of about 259,786 students), of which Barber Elementary School is one.

George Washington Carver Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The school occupies a residential site. Barber Elementary School operates as a public charter school, meaning it is publicly funded but governed independently of the surrounding district's traditional schools.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count stayed largely flat: 369 students in 2018 compared to 362 in 2025. Class-load math has widened: from 25.8:1 in 2018 to 120.7:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Barber Elementary School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.