Dearborn Public Schools

The Dearborn Public Schools is a school district that includes the entire city of Dearborn, Michigan and a small portion of Dearborn Heights, both in Greater Detroit. Dearborn Public Schools is the fourth largest school district in Michigan, serving 18,300 students. The district had a $227 million budget for 2010.

In 2013 a group of students and parents suggested that the high schools ought to have later starting times.

As of 2016^[update] almost 66% of the district's students were Arab American. From 2000 to 2010, during a time of growth in the Arab American community, the enrollment of DPS increased from 17,000 to 18,500. This occurred even though the number of households in Dearborn declined during the same period.

In a thirty-year period ending sometime prior to 2010 the district and Detroit Public Schools both developed policies to accommodate Arab and Muslim students in collaboration with administrators, parents, teachers, and students. Policies adopted by the districts included observances of Muslim holidays, Arabic-language programs, policies concerning prayer, and rules regarding modesty of females in physical education and sports.

In 1999 a group of Arab parents voted down a 1999 bond because they wanted one with more substantial. Instead of that $50 million bond, the parents approved of a $150 million around 2001. Extensive bi-lingual programs in the district (where some schools have 90% Arabic-origin student populations) have caused concern with the Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency issuing a report suggesting banning Arabic except where absolutely necessary. State budget cuts in 2011 are expected to heavily impact special programs including bi-lingual education. In 2012 the U.S. Department of Justice asked the district to provide more information in immigrant languages to parents of students who had difficulty with English.

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