John M Barnes Elem School

Set in FLAT ROCK, Michigan, John M Barnes Elem School is an average-sized K-5 school, one of the schools within Flat Rock Community Schools. It teaches 353 students across grades 3 through 5.

Flat Rock Community Schools runs 5 schools in total, collectively educating 1,754 students. John M Barnes Elem School is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, John M Barnes Elem School lists that 79% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 8% Black, 7% multiracial, 5% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 49% White, putting the school's mix considerably more White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, John M Barnes Elem School lists 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.8:1, putting John M Barnes Elem School higher than the state norm the norm. About 49% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is south of Wayne County's rate of about 66%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, On a poverty-adjusted basis, John M Barnes Elem School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 44.7%; actual is 25.7%, a gap of -19.0 points.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Wayne County shows median household earnings sit near $60,539, roughly 28% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 16%. In all, Wayne County runs 573 public schools (combined enrollment of about 259,786 students), of which John M Barnes Elem School is one.

The closest other public school is Thomas Simpson Middle School, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), John M Barnes Elem School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 41.6%.

John M Barnes Elem School operates from an outer-ring location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at John M Barnes Elem School has fell 18%, going from 429 students in 2018 to 353 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 84% to 79%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 20.7:1 in 2018 to 16.6:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the John M Barnes Elem School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.