Summary:
Harrison Community Schools is served by a single elementary school, Robert M Larson Elementary School, which enrolls 582 students in grades 1-5 in a rural Michigan area with a high concentration of poverty (83% free/reduced lunch eligibility).
Because this is the district’s only elementary school, its performance directly defines the district’s elementary outcomes. The school faces significant challenges: chronic absenteeism affects 30.8% of students (above the state’s 27.9%), and academic proficiency lags state averages in every subject and grade. For example, 4th-grade math proficiency is just 12% versus a 39.4% state average, and 5th-grade ELA is 20% versus 43.8% statewide. The most alarming trend is a sharp decline in 5th-grade scores between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, with ELA dropping 9.9 points, math 6.2 points, science 8.8 points, and social studies 7.8 points. This suggests either a particularly struggling cohort or gaps in upper-elementary instruction. Meanwhile, the same students who were in 3rd grade in 2024-2025 saw their math proficiency fall from 24.3% to 12% by 4th grade in 2025-2026, indicating students are not building on foundational skills as they advance.
There is one bright spot: 3rd-grade math improved by 11 percentage points to 35.3% proficiency, the school’s strongest subject-area result, though still below the state’s 42.9%. The school spends a relatively high $17,364 per student and maintains a favorable 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio, yet outcomes remain in the bottom quintile statewide (ranked 1201 out of 1492 schools). This disconnect between resources and results, combined with high absenteeism and poverty, suggests that targeted interventions—especially for upper elementary grades—are critical. As the district’s only elementary school, any improvement here would directly lift the entire district’s standing, making focused support for 4th and 5th graders a top priority for parents and administrators alike.
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