Summary:
Orchard Primary School is the sole elementary school serving grades PK through 3 in the Almont Community Schools district, a rural district in Michigan where this school of 428 students represents the entire elementary landscape for the area.
Because there is only one elementary school in this district, all comparisons are made against state averages, and the results are impressive. Orchard Primary is a high-achieving school that significantly outperforms Michigan statewide proficiency rates. In the most recent 2024-2025 testing, 67% of 3rd graders were proficient in English Language Arts compared to the state’s 38.9%, and 73.2% were proficient in math versus the state’s 42.7%—a gap of nearly 30 percentage points in the school’s favor. The school’s parent district is ranked 70th out of 625 districts in Michigan, placing it in the 89th percentile with a 4-star rating. While the school earned 5 stars in the 2022-2023 school year, it has maintained a strong 4-star rating since, with its percentile rank fluctuating between the 82nd and 90th percentiles.
One notable trend to watch is a decline in math proficiency between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, dropping from 73.2% to 62.4%, while ELA scores remained stable (67% to 66.3%). Despite this dip, the school still performs well above state averages. Chronic absenteeism is a clear strength at 15.2%, far better than the district’s 19.8% and the state’s 27.9%, suggesting strong family engagement. With 32.48% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the school demonstrates that high achievement is possible despite economic diversity. Per-student spending is $14,373 with a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.3, providing context for resource allocation. Overall, Orchard Primary is a top-tier elementary school with excellent academics, low absenteeism, and effective support systems, though the math score dip and slight ranking decline from its 5-star peak are worth monitoring.
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