Grosse Pointe Public Schools

Trombly Headcount Survey 

It’s the district's responsibility to gain a clear understanding of the residents living in the area south of Jefferson in Grosse Pointe Park.

It’s our responsibility to work closely with the school district to ensure the headcount survey is completed accurately and on time.

Having problems? Have a question? Let us know.

If you haven’t received a postcard by March 15, aren’t sure what to do, or just have a question, we are here to help. Read further down this page about how to call and get a survey code or how to fill the survey out in-person at City Hall or the Lavins Activity Center.

You also can fill out this form or email us at info@tromblyunited.org and one of our volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible.

What is it?

The school district will be sending a postcard to every household in Trombly Area (i.e. south of Jefferson in Grosse Pointe Park). This is around 1,540 addresses. A headcount of private, public, and homeschool kids in the Trombly catchment area helps not only with the decision to reopen Trombly but also planning how to increase enrollment throughout the whole school district.

That survey will ask questions like “how many children are at this address?”, “what are their ages?”, “do you plan on attending GPPSS schools?”, “would you consider attending GPPSS schools if Trombly reopened as an elementary school?”, etc.

We need everyone to fill out this survey accurately and promptly (especially if you have a children 0-9 at your house). If you send your children to private school or public school, if you don’t have any children in the house, if your children are grown, every response provides important information for the school district.

When is it?

The survey will be mailed on March 10, be on the lookout! We recommend you complete it as soon as possible! Submissions will be accepted up until March 28.

Why is this happening?

In various statements from the school board members and the district superintendent, it is clear that the school district is not content with keeping Trombly closed and not interested in selling it.

Three things have happened that triggered this headcount survey:

1. Trombly United conducted a door-to-door headcount survey at the end of 2024 and shared its results with the district. Spoiler: There are a lot of small kids around Trombly elementary.

2. The school district received an enrollment report from Plante Moran stating that the area in Grosse Pointe Park surrounding Trombly elementary is expected to see the largest increase in children ages 0-5 compared to the entire rest of the district.

3. In 2019, decreased enrollment was cited as the reason for closing Poupard and Trombly. However, for all post-COVID enrollment reports, the district enrollment has exceeded projections each year.

So, the district wants to conduct its own survey so it can examine the feasibility of reopening Trombly.

How can you help today?

Our biggest goal in March will be for every household with children 0-9 years-old to fill out the GPPSS Headcount Survey. (We will be sending reminders. 🙂) If you’ve already signed up to volunteer, we’ll be in touch soon for help distributing flyers.

Three things you can do:

1. Complete the survey! Be on the lookout for a small white postcard with the GPPSS seal on it starting March 10.

2. Tell everyone you know with kids in Grosse Pointe Park south of Jefferson.

3. Let us know if you want to volunteer to help spread the word

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the survey be mailed to me?

The target date is March 10. In order to achieve delivery as close to March 10 as possible, Trombly United is working with the Fox Creek Postal Office to ensure that delivery goes smoothly.

What if I don’t get a postcard, need help, or have a question?

If by March 15 you do not receive a postcard, don’t worry! You can still fill out this important survey. Here are a variety of options.

If you want to get a survey code for your address over the phone

If you want to get a survey code in person or fill the survey out in person

  • Sunday, March 16th: Lavins Activity Center Lobby, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

  • Monday - Friday, March 17 - 21: City Hall Clerk's Office on the Lower Level, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

If you have more questions or want help from us

How long do I have to complete the survey?

We recommend you fill out the survey as soon as you get the postcard. The currently stated deadline from GPPSS is March 28, however, that could be extended if any mailing problems arise.

How long will it take to complete?

Our guess that it takes between 5 seconds and 5 minutes depending on your household and how detailed of a response you’d like to give.

GPPSS has informed us this is a very short survey. The length varies based on your answers, but it’s essentially asking “How many children 0-9 do you have in the house and what are their ages?”

No kids 0-9? Fastest
Kids 0-9 and planning on GPPSS? Fast
Kids 0-9 but either “unsure” or not planning on GPPSS? Fast, but a couple open-ended questions

I don’t have any children 0-9, do I need to complete the survey?

Despite our recommendation that GPPSS also ask further questions for people without children aged 0-9 in the house, those surveys will be very short. As soon as you answer “No kids” the survey is over.

All submissions are useful information to the district.

If you are in support of Trombly reopening, we recommend you also send a letter to the school board to voice your support.

Why is my household being asked to complete this survey if we don’t have children aged 0-9?

Even if your household doesn’t have children in the 0-9 age range, your participation is still extremely valuable. The survey helps provide a complete picture of the community, which is important for planning school programs, services, and resources. By completing the survey, you are helping ensure that the needs of all households—both those with and without young children—are understood.

We also recommend you send a letter to the school board to voice your support by either sending an email to schoolboard@gpschools.org or by using our premade letter. It only takes 60 seconds to send; read the letter and send it by clicking the link below:
https://app.tromblyunited.org/letter-writing?letter=dnq-survey

Does this mean Trombly will reopen?

The results of the headcount survey aren’t a guarantee of anything. But, Trombly will not have a chance at reopening without accurate and comprehensive data.

After five years of no movement. The existence of this survey is positive momentum for Trombly.

If my child goes to Defer, but lives in the Trombly catchment area, would they have to attend Trombly?

In short, no. GPPSS has mentioned at school board meetings that this would be an option presented to parents. We believe the survey includes a question as to whether or not you’d prefer to send your child to Trombly as well.

To be clear, there are no plans yet to reopen Trombly. But we think reopening it would benefit Defer students inside and outside of the Trombly boundaries. The choice is yours to stay at Defer, however we would love to see you return to Trombly.

What does this mean for the rest of the school district?

If (and we are confident it will) the district finds more students than it expected in the Trombly area, that is good news for the entire district. An increase enrollment helps the budget of the entire district.

We hope this survey will serve as a lesson for the school district that:

  • It needs to know its cities better

  • In a walkable, built-out district like GPPSS, closing any elementary school is short-sighted and leads to decreased enrollment (which hurts the budget of every school)

  • It should drastically shift its planning to focus on increasing enrollment (the good news is that “enrollment” and “walkability” are two of its budget parameters for this year)