Novi Community School District | Michigan's Best Schools

Novi Community School District By the Numbers

County:	Oakland	Schools in the District:	8
Superintendent:	Peter J. Dion	Primary Schools:	5
Students Enrolled (K-12):	6148	Middle Schools:	1
Full-Time Teachers:	440	High Schools:	1
Student / Teacher Ratio:	18 to 23 : 1	Preschool:	1
Per Pupil Expenditure:	$8799	Phone:	(248) 449-1200
Website:	www.novi.k12.mi.us

Novi Community Schools offer and excell in the performing arts.

Novi Community Schools: Preparing Students for Excellence in a Global Community

In a recent report on CNN, the city of Novi ranked #48 of the top cities in America to live - in no small part because of the quality of Novi Community Schools. What is their secret to success? Delivering an excellent education is just the beginning. Novi Schools provide many unique opportunities for participation and hands-on experiences that allow students to explore and practice what they learn.

Fun Facts

Novi Ranks 48th on America's "Best Places to Live”. Writes CNN Money Magazine: "Excellent schools, lots of green space and cultural diversity are the main reasons residents have made their home here."

With the highest math MEAP scores in all of Oakland County, a high school graduation rate exceeding 97 percent, and over $25-million in college scholarships awarded to Novi students in the last four years, Novi Schools are helping shape the paradigm of what works in public education today.

“We are committed to excellence from the moment a child enters Kindergarten,” says Novi Community Schools Superintendent Peter J. Dion. “We are engaging kids in academics, athletics, arts, humanities, and the importance of community activism from the earliest age in order to foster a true passion for learning.”

Getting Your Children “World-Ready”

In the global community, knowing one language is no longer enough and Novi Community Schools has adapted its world language curriculum to meet students’ 21st century requirements for success beyond our shores.

Novi itself is a diverse microcosm, with a student population that is 30 percent of Asian decent. Novi is one community with many cultures, and so it makes sense that a focus on world languages begins early in the fifth grade. With five of the world’s most popular languages offered, including Japanese, French, Chinese, German and Spanish, students can explore their interests and find their strengths in order to pursue fluency on or before graduation.

And language instruction at Novi Schools is more than memorization and conjugating verbs, it is in-depth cultural and historical immersion, accompanying the understanding of language structure and syntax.

In addition, at the high school level, there are several travel/study abroad programs which give students actual and practical exposure to language and culture that a classroom setting could never provide. Novi Schools firmly believes in providing students with as much hands-on exposure as possible in order to deepen the educational experience.

Teachers Get Results

“Our teachers are students of the world,” says Superintendent Dion. “They read, share, grow and absorb in order to teach to their students.”

Novi’s statistics are unsurpassed when it comes to scholastic performance in Oakland County. For the graduating class of 2007, there were 15 National Merit Finalists, one National Merit semi-finalist, and four students who received letters of commendation. Ninety percent of students who took Advanced Placement exams scored a 3 (out of 5) or better – allowing them to earn college credits based on the proficiency they gained at Novi Schools. The average ACT composite score was 23.5; and the average SAT scores were 574 in reading, 638 in math, and 570 in writing. In just the past four years, Novi students have received approximately $25 million in scholarship awards. Last year’s graduating class received an impressive $8 million.

With an emphasis on science, math and technology, students at Novi have the opportunity to learn near college-level subjects like computer-assisted design, engineering and power technology while still in high school.

Full-Day Kindergarten and Early Education

Because the foundation for a lifelong love of learning begins at an early age, Novi schools not only offers full-day kindergarten to help the youngest students get a jumpstart on their education, but also toddler and infant programming for children as young as six weeks old.

Novi’s infant and toddler programming are lead by education professionals who help these young students of tomorrow with fundamental building blocks of education in a safe nurturing environment. And, in an effort to maximize the benefits of early education for all students, infant and toddler programs are held at Novi High School to create opportunities for high school students to gain hands-on experience in child development and early education careers.

“Our early education programs, in concert with our full-day kindergarten and primary education specialists, guarantee that even our youngest pupils receive the best education available,” said Superintendent Dion. “Because of today’s competitive economic environment, the emphasis on early education is more critical than ever, and we take our responsibility to educate and shape young minds as priority number one.”

Community ‘Partnerships in Excellence’

Partnering with local organizations and companies, students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a variety of different fields to help pique their interest in possible future career choices.

The Medical Career Exploration course, in concert with Providence Park Hospital, gives all students, including those with special needs, the opportunity to explore the latest careers in the medical field. Students are immersed in actual cases, and shadow practitioners while they go about their work. Younger students have the opportunity to write, illustrate and publish their own books that are then donated to the hospital’s pediatric and emergency units.

The community’s support of Novi’s educational mandate also goes beyond traditional partnerships. From blood drives to fun fairs, the parents and business community all rally around the cause of a richer, fuller education to make the district one of Michigan’s best.

As part of Bridgepoint, a consortium of schools in Oakland County, Novi students partner up with their peers in Detroit and other cities to package meals and send them overseas, operate book drives, present music programs, and organize other activities that expand students’ links to the broader local and world community.

Community involvement and fundraising has provided the district with millions of dollars in additional funding for the construction of first-rate facilities at every single school. From state-of-the-art media centers to art and music rooms and athletic facilities, Novi students benefit from the community’s generosity in many different ways.

Technology Aids in Teaching

For nearly two decades now, the residents of Novi have approved bond issuances for the public schools to improve both facilities and teaching technologies. The community recognizes that a strong public education system supports both the local and broad economies. To that end, Novi Community Schools boasts the latest advances in educational software and hardware to aid teachers and students alike.

Smart Boards in classrooms throughout the district’s primary and secondary schools allow teachers to connect with their students in a real-time digital format that allows for interactive multi-media lesson plans. Students can go up to the Smart Board and move numbers and equations around unlike anything previous generations could do.

The district’s radio and television stations give students the opportunity to create their own programming; and the Novi High School broadcasts have consistently received top honors. Live newscasts are presented five-days-a-week; and the radio station is operational 24 hours a day.

Athletics and Extra-Curricular Activities

Participation in athletics and extra-curricular activities are a fundamental aspect of education and Novi Schools offers nearly 30 individual sports to its students at the varsity level as well as near 40 choices at the sub-varsity and middle school level.

“Team spirit goes beyond just the team itself,” said Superintendent Dion. “Our team sports are a rallying cry for the entire student body to participate and support one another in competition. A perfect example is when our middle school track team went to a meet, we had more than 330 students participate in the event – five busloads full of kids – to compete and to support their peers and their school district. The other schools could not believe it.”

And in an era of shrinking budgets and cutbacks to sports programs, Novi Schools has remained steadfast in its commitment to maintaining opportunities for all students to participate. Parents helped raise more than $150,000 for sports programs in an effort to keep these types of opportunities viable.

From track, lacrosse, cross country, golf and field hockey, to soccer, bowling and equestrian riding, Novi offers its students more opportunities to test their strengths and explore their interests than many other districts in the state.

And with more than 200 students participating in Marching Band, as well as extensive offerings in strings and other music programs, every Novi student is encouraged to participate in several different arts and athletic programs, developing a well rounded school experience.

A Reputation for Excellence

Novi Community Schools has earned its sterling reputation for excellence because of its academic, arts and athletic offerings, parental and community involvement and the commitment of its teachers and administrators.

Enrollment in Novi Schools is limited to residents of the district, but as a “Top City In America”, Novi attracts a diversity of cultures that creates a global feel throughout the district. Novi students benefit from this global diversity, and have the opportunity to excel in an environment that promotes self-confidence, demands integrity of its students and helps develop and promote critical thinking skills.