Elementary Schools in Oscoda Area Schools

Richardson Elementary School is the sole elementary school serving the Oscoda Area Schools district in Oscoda, Michigan, educating students in grades PK through 6 with a total enrollment of 711 students. The school serves a predominantly low-income population, with nearly 71% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and maintains a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.6:1 with per-pupil spending of $14,026.

Richardson Elementary shows a mixed academic profile with some notable bright spots. The school's strongest performance comes in 6th grade English Language Arts, where students achieved 54.2% proficiency in 2024-2025 – a remarkable 15.6 points above the state average – though this dropped to 39.8% the following year with a new cohort. Fifth grade social studies is another consistent strength, with students outperforming the state average in both recorded years (31.2% vs. 27.5% in 2025-2026). The school also demonstrates a positive ELA trajectory across grade levels, improving from 22.2% proficiency in 3rd grade to 39.8% in 6th grade, suggesting interventions become more effective as students progress. Chronic absenteeism is a significant positive, sitting at just 19.0% compared to the state average of 27.9%, which is particularly impressive given the high poverty rate.

However, mathematics remains a persistent weakness across all grade levels, with proficiency lagging the state average by 8 to 13 percentage points. Fifth grade math is especially concerning at just 19.4% proficiency – fewer than 1 in 5 students meeting standards. The school also saw sharp declines in 6th grade math (from 32.3% to 23.2%) and 5th grade science (from 44.8% to 35.5%) between school years, though some of this may reflect differences in cohort ability. The district overall ranks 232 out of 625 Michigan districts (63rd percentile) with a 3-star rating, while the school itself has earned 2-star ratings in recent years. For parents, this school offers strong attendance systems and pockets of academic excellence, but math instruction and consistency across grade transitions appear to be the most urgent areas needing attention.