Hamilton Elementary School ranks No. 20 in Michigan in the 2027 U.S. News Best Elementary Schools rankings, the highest finish among Troy's 12 ranked elementary schools.

The school scored 98.73 out of 100 in the rankings, released Oct. 20, which evaluated 1,499 elementary schools statewide. Bemis Elementary School, also in Troy, placed No. 33 with a score of 97.86, according to its U.S. News profile.

U.S. News evaluated math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance. The methodology considers test results alongside school performance relative to socioeconomic demographics.

Hamilton's students outperformed both the Troy School District and the state on standardized assessments. Eighty-one percent of Hamilton students scored at or above the proficient level in math, and 75% hit that mark in reading, according to the school's U.S. News profile.

Districtwide, 68% of elementary students were proficient in math and 66% in reading. Statewide, those figures were 38% and 42%, respectively.

Bemis posted 79% math proficiency and 77% reading proficiency. Both schools received "well above expectations" ratings for math and reading performance.

Hamilton serves 460 students in grades K-5 at 5625 Northfield Parkway, with 26 full-time teachers and an 18-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Bemis enrolls 441 students at 3571 Northfield Parkway, with 25 full-time teachers and the same ratio.

The Troy School District has 21 total schools serving 12,283 students across all grade levels, according to U.S. News district data.

Hamilton's former principal, Dr. David Recker, moved to director of teaching and learning for the district before the current school year. In an August 2025 post on the TSD Torch Blog, Recker reflected on his time leading the school.

"I absolutely loved being the principal of Hamilton. It was challenging but incredibly rewarding," he said.

Reba McNally succeeded Recker as Hamilton's principal.

The assessment data underlying the rankings comes from the 2023-2024 school year.

The rankings cover nearly 47,000 elementary schools and more than 24,000 middle schools nationwide. Only public schools are included because they participate in common statewide assessments that allow comparison, according to U.S. News.

The full list of Michigan elementary school rankings is available on the U.S. News website.