Summary:
Houghton Elementary School is the sole elementary school serving grades K-5 in the Houghton-Portage Township School District, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with 618 students enrolled.
This single-school district is a standout performer, with the district itself ranked 23rd out of 625 districts statewide (96th percentile, 5-star rating). Houghton Elementary has consistently ranked in the top 15% of Michigan elementary schools over the past three years, though it has slipped slightly from a 5-star ranking in 2023-2024 (136th of 1,486) to a 4-star ranking in 2025-2026 (189th of 1,492). Academically, the school dramatically outperforms state averages across all subjects. Most notably, 5th-grade science proficiency sits at 70.5% versus the 40.0% state average, and 5th-grade math proficiency is 57.1% compared to 32.2% statewide. Even the school's weakest subject, 5th-grade social studies (48.2% proficient), is nearly double the state average of 27.5%.
Parents should note that while overall performance is strong, there are some year-over-year concerns. Third-grade math proficiency dropped sharply from 67.3% in 2024-2025 to 52.0% in 2025-2026, and 3rd-grade ELA fell from 55.3% to 48.0% — suggesting a possible cohort-specific issue worth monitoring. On the positive side, the school boasts an exemplary chronic absenteeism rate of just 12.0%, less than half the state average of 27.9%, which likely contributes to academic success. With a relatively low free/reduced lunch rate of 27.83% and per-student spending of $14,247, the school is well-resourced. The student-teacher ratio of 16.7:1 is reasonable, and since this is the district's only elementary school, its test scores directly drive the district's excellent 96th-percentile ranking. Overall, Houghton Elementary offers a high-quality, well-supported learning environment, though the recent 3rd-grade declines and the school's dip from 5-star to 4-star status suggest areas for continued attention.
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