Summary:
Central Montcalm Public School serves two elementary campuses in a predominantly rural Michigan area, with Central Montcalm Upper Elementary School (grades 3-5, 284 students) and Central Montcalm Elementary School (grades K-2, 275 students) splitting the elementary grades between them.
For parents comparing the two buildings, the most striking difference is that the Upper Elementary (grades 3-5) is the only one with standardized test data, and that data reveals a challenging year. From 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, proficiency dropped in six of eight tested areas, with 5th grade ELA falling 12.5 points and 5th grade math falling 9.1 points. The lone bright spot was 4th grade, which improved by 11.5 points in ELA and 8.8 points in math—suggesting a possible strong teacher or intervention at that level. Social studies is a critical weakness: only 7.6% of 5th graders are proficient versus the 27.5% state average. The K-2 building, meanwhile, shows no recent test scores but has a volatile history, swinging from the 74th percentile (4 stars) in 2008-2009 to the 14th-17th percentile (1 star) in the two years prior.
Both schools serve high-poverty populations (68-70% free/reduced lunch) and face elevated chronic absenteeism (20.8% at Upper Elementary, 24.6% at K-2), though both are below the state average of 27.9%. A notable operational difference: the K-2 building spends $3,437 more per student ($17,858 vs. $14,421) and maintains a much lower student-teacher ratio (12.9:1 vs. 18.5:1), which is typical for younger grades but hasn’t translated into stronger upper-grade outcomes. The district overall ranks in the 27th percentile in Michigan (1-star rating). For parents, the key takeaway is that 4th grade is a relative strength, 5th grade needs significant support—especially in social studies—and the transition from the K-2 building to the 3-5 building may be a point of vulnerability worth monitoring.
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