We present the lepton flavor model with $Delta (54)$, which appears typically in heterotic string models on the $T^2/Z_3$ orbifold. Our model reproduces the tri-bimaximal mixing in the parameter region around degenerate neutrino masses or two massless neutrinos. We predict the deviation from the tri-bimaximal mixing by putting the experimental data of neutrino masses in the normal hierarchy of neutrino masses. The upper bound of $sin^2theta_{13}$ is 0.01. There is the strong correlation between $theta_{23}$ and $theta_{13}$. Unless $theta_{23}$ is deviated from the maximal mixing considerably, $theta_{13}$ remains to be tiny.