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Countryside Academy Elementary

Public, Charter Grades K-5

1198^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Countryside Academy Elementary is a public charter elementary school in Benton Harbor, Michigan, serving 380 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Countryside Academy District, which is ranked 540 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Countryside Academy Elementary consistently performs below the state average in M-STEP assessments for English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 13.8% of 3rd graders, 35.7% of 4th graders, and 20.7% of 5th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 38.9%, 42.4%, and 44.4%, respectively. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.3% to 30.8% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, over 90% of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage.

While Countryside Academy Elementary's overall academic performance is low, the school's performance for certain student subgroups is more promising. For instance, the school's Hispanic students and English Language Learner students have ranked in the top half of Michigan elementary schools in recent years. In comparison, North Elementary School in the Watervliet School District outperforms Countryside Academy Elementary in most subject areas and grade levels, with significantly higher proficiency rates. Despite the relatively low spending per student at Countryside Academy Elementary, the school's academic outcomes are still significantly below the state average, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving the school's performance.

384

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,486

Per pupil spending ?

83.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4722 Meadowbrook Rd
Benton Harbor, MI 49022-9629

(269) 944-3319

District: Countryside Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

55.5%

Hispanic:

32.6%

White:

7.0%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Countryside Academy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 14th percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (20% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Science scores 22 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg20%

Michigan avg39%

1,198^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

540^th of 613Countryside Academy among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	1198 of 1488	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	1196 of 1486	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	1229 of 1470	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	1169 of 1344	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.3	1086 of 1153	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	1256 of 1408	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.8	1247 of 1448	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.5	1257 of 1466	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.4	1202 of 1548	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.3	1352 of 1580	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	26.2	1211 of 1533	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	30.5	1182 of 1563	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.3	1213 of 1566	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	57.8	838 of 1552	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.8	942 of 1552	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.2	1176 of 1589	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	46.3	1100 of 1577	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.8	1176 of 1565	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	288 of 369	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.8	200 of 348	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.5	211 of 321	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.1	108 of 158	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.0	296 of 475	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	72 of 173	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.9	118 of 184	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.6	169 of 270	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	1178 of 1338	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	1209 of 1342	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	1155 of 1321	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.4	1045 of 1106	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.0	900 of 902	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	1130 of 1171	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	1264 of 1443	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	50.2	90 of 209	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.5	106 of 201	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	93 of 188	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.8	31 of 86	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	29.6	164 of 222	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	27.0	1002 of 1346	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	1086 of 1381	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.6	1092 of 1350	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	905 of 1099	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	700 of 749	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	975 of 1134	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	1167 of 1397	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	18.9	1098 of 1366	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.4	964 of 1347	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	1033 of 1334	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	870 of 1139	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.8	881 of 915	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.9	1042 of 1196	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	1131 of 1446	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	44.8	655 of 1198	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.2	616 of 1253	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2009	55.2	517 of 847	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	32.3	676 of 839	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	32.4	670 of 823	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

English Language Learner (2025)58th percentile+39 vs school

Hispanic (2025)57th percentile+37 vs school

White (2023)45th percentile+29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)26th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)20th percentile~ school

Female (2025)12th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts23%-19 vs state

Math21%-17 vs state

Science18%-22 vs state

Social Studies11%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Countryside Academy Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	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	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th 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
Countryside Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	4722 Meadowbrook Rd	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Countryside Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(269) 944-3319	384	24	16.3	83.1%	27 (7.0%)	213 (55.5%)	125 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	17.9	1198^th of 1488 public elementary schools	19.5%		18.2	1196^th of 1486 public elementary schools	19.5%	2		13.8	35.7	20.7		24.1	30.4	8.9	17.9	10.7	$11,486	$2,240	$9,246
River School	Public	K-8	4439 River Rd	Sodus	49126	Berrien County	Sodus Township S/D #5	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 925-6757	70	4	17.5	82.9%	34 (48.6%)	15 (21.4%)	13 (18.6%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (8.6%)								(n/a)											$16,714	$2,370	$14,344
Fair Plain East Elementary	Public	4-5	1995 Union Ave	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Benton Harbor Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 605-2400	150	13	11.5	95.3%	5 (3.3%)	132 (88.0%)	7 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.0%)	6.7	1433^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	3.7%		3.8	1483^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	0.2%	50			12.7	13.8			7.0		11.4	6.8	$27,031	$17,284	$9,747
Discovery Enrichment Center	Public	PK-K	465 S Mccord St	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Benton Harbor Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 605-1600	80	11	7.2	88.8%	0 (0.0%)	79 (98.8%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$27,138	$13,461	$13,677
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	1-3	750 E Britain Ave	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Benton Harbor Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 605-1500	229	22	10.4	89.1%	8 (3.5%)	197 (86.0%)	15 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.5%)								(n/a)		9.4				4.8					$25,845	$16,053	$9,793
Clarke School	Public	K-5	515 E Glenlord Rd	Saint Joseph	49085	Berrien County	St. Joseph Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 926-3600	462	22	21.3	20.1%	340 (73.6%)	19 (4.1%)	32 (6.9%)	42 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.3%)	83.5	225^th of 1488 public elementary schools	84.9%		78.8	267^th of 1486 public elementary schools	82.0%	42		52.0	72.4	51.9		58.7	65.8	58.4	59.7	46.8	$11,523	$570	$10,953
Mildred C Wells Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	248 9th St	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(269) 926-2885	227	14	16.3	100.0%	1 (0.4%)	221 (97.4%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	36.4	13.8			21.1	24.1					$14,747	$4,525	$10,222
Lybrook Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6238 W Main St	Eau Claire	49111	Berrien County	Eau Claire Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 461-6191	233	18	12.7	91.0%	74 (31.8%)	75 (32.2%)	81 (34.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	19.9	1158^th of 1488 public elementary schools	22.2%		11.1	1324^th of 1486 public elementary schools	10.9%	166		28.6	30.3	20.6		20.6	22.9	14.7	23.5		$16,850	$2,877	$13,974
Riverside School	Public	PK, KG-8	3422 Riverside Rd	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Hagar Township S/D #6	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 849-1343	72	6	13.0	68.1%	37 (51.4%)	18 (25.0%)	9 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (11.1%)	43.8	814^th of 1488 public elementary schools	45.3%		38.7	873^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	41.3%	59		30.0		50.0					30.0	30.0	$11,959	$1,126	$10,833
Lincoln School	Public	PK, KG-5	1102 Orchard Ave	Saint Joseph	49085	Berrien County	St. Joseph Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 926-3700	423	23	18.3	22.9%	308 (72.8%)	43 (10.2%)	36 (8.5%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (6.1%)	80.9	259^th of 1488 public elementary schools	82.6%		78.7	271^st of 1486 public elementary schools	81.8%	12		56.0	60.0	64.5		55.4	45.7	44.7	69.7	53.9	$12,033	$913	$11,120

Frequently Asked Questions about Countryside Academy Elementary

How many students attend Countryside Academy Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 384 students attended Countryside Academy Elementary.

Is Countryside Academy Elementary a good school?

Countryside Academy Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.5% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Countryside Academy Elementary?

Students at Countryside Academy Elementary are 55% African American, 33% Hispanic, 7% White, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Countryside Academy Elementary in?

Countryside Academy

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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.