Summary:
Martin Public Schools is served by a single elementary school, Robert D Brandon Elementary School, which educates students from Pre-K through 5th grade in the small, rural community of Martin, Michigan. With 299 students and a moderate poverty rate (about 50% free/reduced lunch), this school’s performance directly defines the district’s academic reputation.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that this school shows a mixed but revealing pattern. The standout strength is 5th grade science, where 51% of students are proficient—11 points above the state average and actually improving year-over-year. Attendance is another bright spot: chronic absenteeism sits at just 15.4%, far better than the state’s 27.9%, suggesting a positive, engaged school culture despite economic challenges. However, the 2025-2026 school year brought sharp declines in nearly every other subject. ELA proficiency fell by 10 to 20 points across grades 3-5, and 4th grade math dropped nearly 20 points. Most concerning is 5th grade math, which has remained stuck at 14.3% proficiency for two straight years—less than half the state average of 32.2%. Social studies also reversed course, falling from 8 points above the state average to 5 points below it in just one year.
The school’s state ranking has been volatile, improving from the 41st to 53rd percentile between 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, then dropping to the 36th percentile in 2025-2026. With per-student spending of $15,244, the school has solid resources, yet most academic outcomes trail state averages. This suggests that targeted interventions in math and ELA—rather than additional funding alone—could help reverse the recent downward trend. For parents, this is a school with clear strengths in science and attendance, but one that needs focused attention on core subjects, especially upper-elementary math, to provide a consistently strong education for all grade levels.
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