Elementary Schools in East China School District

Summary:

The East China School District in Michigan is home to 4 elementary schools serving students from kindergarten through 5th grade. These schools, including Belle River Elementary School, Gearing Elementary School, Pine River Elementary School, and Palms Elementary School, offer a range of academic opportunities and performance levels.

Pine River Elementary School stands out as the top performer, consistently ranking among the best elementary schools in Michigan with proficiency rates exceeding district and state averages in both English Language Arts and Math. Palms Elementary School also performs well, with strong proficiency rates, particularly in 3rd and 4th grades. However, all 4 schools face the challenge of high chronic absenteeism rates, which may be impacting student learning and achievement.

The schools in the East China School District serve a diverse student population, with varying free/reduced lunch rates indicating a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. While the top-performing schools excel in many areas, there are significant gaps in performance compared to district and state averages, particularly in 5th grade Math and Social Studies. The district should focus on addressing these gaps and the high chronic absenteeism rates to ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed.

District Detail

1585 Meisner Rd
East China, MI 48054-4143

(810) 676-1018

SchoolDigger Rank:
184^th of 613 Michigan districts

See the 2025 Michigan District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 3,405

Primary Schools: 4
Middle Schools: 2
High Schools: 2
Alternative Schools: 1

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 Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th 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
Pine River Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-4	3575 King Rd	China	48054	St. Clair County	East China School District	No	Yes	No	No	(810) 676-1050	335	22	15.1	28.4%	313 (93.4%)	3 (0.9%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	84.6	211^th of 1488 public elementary schools	85.8%		85.9	175^th of 1486 public elementary schools	88.2%	36	64.2	64.1		56.8	58.5				$12,726	$1,606	$11,119
Belle River Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1601 Chartier Rd	Marine City	48039	St. Clair County	East China School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(810) 676-1150	343	24	14.3	53.1%	323 (94.2%)	5 (1.5%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	59.9	560^th of 1488 public elementary schools	62.4%		55.7	624^th of 1486 public elementary schools	58.0%	64	32.8	55.9	54.7	39.1	50.8	41.5	52.8	26.4	$12,966	$2,591	$10,375
Gearing Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-4	200 N Carney Dr	Saint Clair	48079	St. Clair County	East China School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(810) 676-1650	353	23	15.3	40.8%	333 (94.3%)	8 (2.3%)	10 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	68	445^th of 1488 public elementary schools	70.1%		60.5	543^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	63.5%	98	61.3	48.6		47.5	43.2				$13,725	$1,904	$11,821
Palms Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	6101 Palms Rd	Ira	48023	St. Clair County	East China School District	No	Yes	No	No	(810) 676-1350	245	15	16.1	26.5%	240 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	68.2	440^th of 1488 public elementary schools	70.4%		59.1	565^th of 1486 public elementary schools	62.0%	125	64.3	57.6	52.2	61.9	54.5	39.1	39.1	28.3	$13,671	$1,266	$12,406

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Algonac Community School District	5.91 mi	9
Blue Water Learning Academy	7.19 mi	1
Anchor Bay School District	9.38 mi	9	126^th
Michigan Department of Corrections	13.02 mi	25
Marysville Public Schools	13.3 mi	5	73^rd

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.