DCS At a Glance

The Dexter Community School District is located in southeastern Michigan on the Huron River, just five miles northwest of Ann Arbor. Dexter Community Schools boundaries encompass the city of Dexter (population 4,160) as well as portions of eight townships including Webster, Scio, Dexter, and Lima. Light industry, publishing houses, and “high tech” firms form Dexter’s industrial base. Dexter is a short drive from the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, Concordia University, and Cleary University.

What Makes Us Different?

Small-Town Community, Big City Opportunities

With programs for preschoolers through high school, we offer high quality, cradle-to-career education!

Cutting-Edge Technology Integration
State-of-the-Art Facilities with new buildings and many renovations thanks to voter approval of a 2017 construction bond.
Award-Winning Middle School Academics
Diverse High School Programming: International Baccalaureate Diploma, AP Courses, Career and Technical Education, Early Middle College, and more.
Numerous extracurricular opportunities offered through Community Education including classes for youth and recreational sports, as well as robust school clubs including drama, robotics, and music.

Walkable Campus

The Village of Dexter was established in 1824. In 2014, voters chose to incorporate as the City of Dexter. The entire city is just under two square miles in size. As the village grew, the Dexter Board of Education carefully purchased property in proximity to existing facilities and built all new buildings around a central campus. Today's campus straddles Baker Road with Bates school at the approximate center of the district. Students in buildings on the east side of Baker Road are bused to a central road and walk to their respective buildings. Students on the west side of Baker are bused from the hub to Creekside and the High School. Recently installed hawk light walkways on Baker, Ann Arbor Street, and Dan Hoey have improved safety for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel to and from school.

Walking field trips for students in DCS include the Dexter District Library and Dexter Historical Museum as well as city parks and a nature area located behind Creekside School .

Unique Grade Arrangements

Unlike many districts that have kindergarten through fifth or sixth grades in each elementary building, Dexter groups students in buildings by grades. This encourages teacher collaboration, allows facilities to be customized with age-appropriate spaces and equipment, and encourages students to meet many more of their peers than students do in traditional K-6 buildings that are spread across a district. By the time students reach high school, they will be familiar with most of the other students in their grades.

Dexter Early Elementary Complex includes Anchor and Beacon, twin buildings that share common multi-use spaces. DEEC students are in young 5 through second grade.
Wylie Elementary houses third and fourth grade and is attached to the Dexter Community Pool, where students from all buildings can have class pool parties or special units.
Creekside Intermediate is our grades five and six building and is adjacent to Al Ritt Stadium, the track, and other athletic fields.
Mill Creek Middle School is for seventh and eighth grade students and block scheduling and is designed to prepare students for a high school environment.
Dexter High School includes grades 9-12 and features a variety of options for high school students including vocational classes, college prep, dual enrollment, and an early middle college.
Dexter Alternative School, build in 2019, is a small-group program designed to support students who need something other than the traditional high school setting.

Personalized Learning

For the past several years, Dexter Community Schools has been working on a strategic plan designed to customize educational opportunities for individual student needs and learning styles. Part of this process included surveying current students, parents, staff, and alumni to identify educational goals. In 2020, we launched our "Profile of a Learner," which considers learning as a curriculum rather than a set of standardized checkpoints. This profile breaks down educational milestones into nine primary competencies: with a range of learning outcomes that are designed to steer the whole child. We've also developed more instructional models including self-directed units, project work, flipped instruction, and virtual learning. Read more about the competencies and the curriculum designed to support their development by visiting our Learner Profile page.

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