Elementary Schools in Brandywine Community Schools

Summary:

The Brandywine Community Schools district in Michigan is home to two elementary schools: Brandywine Elementary School and Merritt Elementary School. Both schools are struggling, with declining statewide rankings, high chronic absenteeism rates, and subpar test scores compared to state averages.

Brandywine Elementary School has seen its statewide ranking drop from 925 out of 1,470 in 2022-2023 to 1,159 out of 1,488 in 2024-2025, and it is rated just 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in M-Step/English Language Arts, M-Step/Math, M-Step/Science, and M-Step/Social Studies are all well below the state averages, ranging from 10.3% to 30% proficient or better. Additionally, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 29.5% and a free and reduced lunch rate of 68.09%.

Similarly, Merritt Elementary School does not have any statewide ranking history provided, and the Brandywine Community Schools district as a whole is ranked 432 out of 613 in Michigan and is also rated 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger. Merritt Elementary School has an even higher free and reduced lunch rate of 76.25%, and both it and Brandywine Elementary School share the same concerning chronic absenteeism rate of 29.5%.

District Detail

1830 S 3rd St
Niles, MI 49120-4002

(269) 684-7150

SchoolDigger Rank:
432^nd of 613 Michigan districts

See the 2025 Michigan District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 1,301

Primary Schools: 2
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 2
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				M-Step English Language Arts (2025)				M-Step Math (2025)				M-Step Science (2025)	M-Step Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Merritt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1620 Lasalle Ave	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Brandywine Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 684-6511	304	22	14.0	73.0%	235 (77.3%)	9 (3.0%)	25 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (9.9%)								(n/a)											$12,583	$1,670	$10,913
Brandywine Elementary School	Public	3-6	2428 S 13th St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Brandywine Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 684-8574	379	23	16.5	68.6%	310 (81.8%)	16 (4.2%)	19 (5.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	27 (7.1%)	19.9	1159^th of 1488 public elementary schools	22.1%		27	1069^th of 1486 public elementary schools	28.1%	90	20.0	17.7	26.4	24.8	30.0	11.5	26.4	16.8	26.4	10.3	$13,234	$1,143	$12,091

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Niles Community Schools	1.56 mi	11	217^th
Buchanan Community Schools	5.95 mi	6	125^th
Edwardsburg Public Schools	8.51 mi	6	111^th
Berrien Regional Educational Service Agency	11.02 mi	4
Berrien Springs Public Schools	11.03 mi	11	404^th

See the top MI Michigan districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.