Best Public Schools in Plainwell, MI

The city of Plainwell, Michigan, is served by the Plainwell Community Schools district, which includes five schools—two elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools—covering grades PK through 12 for roughly 2,332 students. The district overall holds a stable 3-star rating, but that average masks a wide range of experiences, from a top-performing traditional high school to an alternative school facing severe challenges.

For parents, the standout choice is clearly Plainwell High School, which has earned 4-star ratings for three straight years and boasts a 94.2% graduation rate—far above the district's 78.8% and the state's 84.0%. Its students exceed state averages in science, reading, and math by 10 to 20 percentage points. At the other end of the spectrum, Renaissance High School, an alternative school, has a 17.6% graduation rate and a 48.5% chronic absenteeism rate, with a concerning 34.4:1 student-teacher ratio. Among elementary schools, Gilkey Elementary School consistently outperforms Starr Elementary School in every subject—for example, 52.9% of Gilkey 3rd graders are proficient in ELA versus just 24.6% at Starr. This gap persists despite Starr spending $3,223 more per student and having a better student-teacher ratio, suggesting poverty concentration (54% free/reduced lunch at Starr vs. 32% at Gilkey) plays a major role.

At Plainwell Middle School, a "math slide" is evident: 8th grade reading is strong (71.8% proficient vs. 64.8% statewide), but only 23.5% of 6th graders are proficient in math, well below the state's 31.9%. The school also shows volatile year-over-year scores, with 6th grade math dropping from 35.6% to 23.5%. Notably, Gilkey's strong academics coexist with a 40.9% chronic absenteeism rate—nearly double the district average—a hidden risk. Overall, Plainwell's success is driven largely by its high school, while the district's biggest opportunities lie in addressing the elementary divide, middle school math struggles, and the crisis at Renaissance High.