Oakley W Best Middle School

Oakley W Best Middle School, a middle-of-the-pack 6-8 campus in DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Michigan, part of Dearborn Heights School District #7, hosts 557 students, covering grades 6 through 8.

Within Dearborn Heights School District #7, which oversees 6 schools and 2,381 students, Oakley W Best Middle School is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Oakley W Best Middle School records that 59% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 24% Black, 12% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. That is considerably more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 49%.

On the income-and-resources front, Oakley W Best Middle School records 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.5:1, putting Oakley W Best Middle School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 77% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Wayne County (around 66%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Oakley W Best Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 32.3%, the actual is 25.3%, a residual of -7.0 points.

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 Oakley W Best Middle School is one.

The closest other public school is Pardee School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Oakley W Best Middle School comes 4th of 5 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 35.4%.

The school occupies a suburban site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 4%: 578 students in 2018 compared to 557 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 19.4:1 in 2018 to 15.2:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.