Utica Community Schools

• What attendance areas are being reviewed?

Over the past two years, Utica Community Schools has reviewed attendance areas in conjunction with a series of facility improvements largely funded by the 2023 Safety and Success Bond Issue.

The attendance areas are being reviewed incrementally to ensure they can mirror ongoing building improvement schedules and the necessary resources are available to manage their successful implementation.

This fall, attendance areas being reviewed include Burr, Collins, DeKeyser, Oakbrook, Plumbrook, Schuchard, and Schwarzkoff elementary schools. These schools largely feed into Stevenson High School.

In addition, work is being completed on attendance areas for Henry Ford II, specifically as it relates Harvey and Dresden elementary schools.

The attendance boundaries of areas under review and current enrollment information can be found below.

The map below represents a visual image of areas under consideration.

The chart above lists areas being reviewed this fall with the UCS Enrollment Distribution Advisory Committee. The chart reports current capacities and projected enrollment based on current review of K-12 building capacities.

*Reflects previously approved attendance area changes that become effective in August 2027.

**Enrollment declines and closure of in-district transfers and new Schools of Choice will address overall capacity. 

• Why are attendance areas being reviewed?

UCS attendance areas were largely established when schools first opened more than 50 years ago. They represented the best plan to accommodate student enrollment based on existing residential developments. 

Our community has undergone significant housing growth over the past 50 years. As a result, our elementary enrollment patterns have a number of subdivisions that are geographically disconnected from other neighborhoods that serve the same school. In

addition, the district attendance areas have several sections that do not use major landmarks and roadways as boundary lines.  

Furthermore, there are several elementary schools where communities become divided as students advance into secondary schools. Students from the same elementary schools attend up to three different junior high and high schools.  

• How will the attendance area review process support neighborhood schools?

The focus of this effort is to better serve families so elementary students attend schools within their larger neighborhood and can advance together with their peers to secondary schools.  

A greater sense of community is maintained as students attend a school with their friends and their friends’ families. At every level – from elementary, to junior high to high school – we want students and their families to feel a sense of consistency, community and belonging.  

• What criteria are being used to develop the plan?

The evaluation of the facilities is based on safety, age and design of the facility and enrollment trends.

• Is a possible change to building configurations being considered in the review?

Yes. As the chart indicates, capacity numbers are being evaluated based on a potential change in configurations. More information on K-12 grade configurations is available at: http://www.uticak12.org/buildingforthefuture.

• How was community input sought for the plan?

The district works closely with the Enrollment Distribution Advisory Committee (EDAC), which is comprised of community representatives from each school. EDAC’s purpose is to review enrollment projections and facility utilization within UCS and provide the district with feedback regarding potential amendments to existing educational programs and pathways.

• What is the timeline?

The attendance areas will be carefully reviewed over the next few weeks with recommendations being shared with the community in early December. 

Attendance area changes would be effective for the 2028-29 school year.

• Most of the changes have been in the southern part of the district. What about the remainder of the district?

The attendance areas are being implemented incrementally to follow facility improvement schedules. In addition, the timeline ensures that needed resources are available to effectively manage the significant changes and ensure its successful implementation.

The next phase of the review will include the northern part of our district, specifically the feeder patterns for Eisenhower and Utica high schools.

• What previous attendance area plans have been implemented?

A series of attendance area changes have been approved over the past two years. 

The following changes were approved to be implemented in the Fall of 2027:

• The consolidation of the Browning Elementary attendance areas into Havel Elementary and Graebner Elementary. Havel and Graebner will be reconstructed to reflect the long-range vision for our schools. The northern part of the Browning attendance area will merge with a bordering Graebner community. The southern part of the Browning community will merge with the Havel Elementary attendance area.
• Adjustments that follow the natural boundary of the Clinton River for the Havel Elementary attendance areas. Portions of Oakbrook and DeKeyser elementary schools – which are separated from the current schools by the Clinton River – will be combined with neighboring Havel Elementary communities. The portions of the Oakbrook and DeKeyser Elementary School attendance areas that are southwest of the Clinton River remain unchanged.
• A portion of Havel Elementary School where students cross Schoenherr Road will be merged with the neighboring Graebner Elementary community. The students will no longer cross Schoenherr Road to attend their elementary school and, in many cases, will be able to use a neighborhood walking path that leads to Graebner.
• A small portion of Graebner Elementary in Macomb Township will be merged with the neighboring Ebeling Elementary attendance area. Ebeling is closer in proximity and the attendance area is divided from the Graebner boundary by a small sliver of Chippewa Valley Schools.

The following changes were implemented for the 2024-25 school year.

• Attendance areas for junior high school students were revised to assign Heritage Junior High School students to secondary schools in the immediate area. Gene L. Klida Utica Academy for International Studies remained at the Heritage site.
• The district also revised attendance areas for junior high school students to place the area northeast of Van Dyke and Clinton River in the Bemis Junior High/Henry Ford II High School attendance area, the area southeast of Clinton River and Van Dyke to Davis Junior High School and the area west of Van Dyke to Jeannette Junior High School.
• Will the attendance area reviews result in the additional closure of schools?

Yes. Over the past two years, the attendance area review has led to the consolidation of Heritage Junior High School and the August 2027 consolidation of Browning Elementary. As a reminder, enrollment and low capacity percentages are considered in the evaluation of attendance areas. 

• Where can I get additional information?

You can email ucs@uticaki12.org.  Updates and more information will continue to be published at: https://www.uticak12.org/buildingforthefuture