Elementary Schools in Plainwell Community Schools

Summary:

The Plainwell Community Schools district in Michigan is home to three elementary schools: Starr Elementary School, Gilkey Elementary School, and Cooper Elementary School. These schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade and provide a range of educational opportunities within the community.

Based on the available data, Gilkey Elementary School stands out as the highest-performing school in the district. Gilkey consistently outperforms the other two schools and the district/state averages on various M-Step assessments, including English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 52% of Gilkey's 3rd graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 39.2% for the district and 38.9% for the state. Gilkey also has a higher SchoolDigger rating of 3 stars and a lower percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch at 34.84%.

While Starr Elementary School has the highest per-student spending at $14,909, this does not seem to translate to higher academic performance compared to the other schools. Additionally, all three schools in the Plainwell Community Schools district have a concerning chronic absenteeism rate of 29.5%, which is significantly higher than the state average. The district should investigate and address this issue to ensure students are consistently attending school and receiving the education they need to succeed.

District Detail

600 School Dr
Plainwell, MI 49080-1582

(269) 685-5823

SchoolDigger Rank:
225^th of 613 Michigan districts

See the 2025 Michigan District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 2,620

Primary Schools: 3
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 2
Alternative Schools: 0

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
Cooper Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7559 N 14th St	Kalamazoo	49009	Kalamazoo County	Plainwell Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 349-2674	288	17	16.9	22.9%	263 (91.3%)	6 (2.1%)	9 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.4%)	54.7	651^st of 1488 public elementary schools	56.3%		49.8	697^th of 1486 public elementary schools	53.1%	46	46.2	34.0	63.8	48.7	24.0	48.9	40.4	27.7	$13,742	$945	$12,797
Gilkey Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	707 S Woodhams St	Plainwell	49080	Allegan County	Plainwell Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 685-2424	439	24	18.2	32.3%	385 (87.7%)	4 (0.9%)	23 (5.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.5%)	55.8	635^th of 1488 public elementary schools	57.3%		56.5	608^th of 1486 public elementary schools	59.1%	27	52.0	52.1	46.8	54.7	36.6	34.2	36.7	22.8	$13,672	$560	$13,112
Starr Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	601 School Dr	Plainwell	49080	Allegan County	Plainwell Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 685-5835	410	27	15.0	53.9%	344 (83.9%)	7 (1.7%)	35 (8.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.1%)	33.4	964^th of 1488 public elementary schools	35.2%		31.4	1000^th of 1486 public elementary schools	32.7%	36	22.2	37.7	42.0	13.9	29.5	25.9	38.3	24.7	$14,909	$2,122	$12,787

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Otsego Public Schools	3.1 mi	7	148^th
Martin Public Schools	6.46 mi	2	295^th
Parchment School District	7.92 mi	6	436^th
Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency	8.68 mi	14
Kalamazoo Public Schools	8.82 mi	33	416^th

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.