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Fred W Ritter Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-4
976th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools
Better than 34% of Michigan elementary schools
Summary

Fred W Ritter Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 257 students in grades PK-4 in South Rockwood, Michigan, which is part of the Airport Community Schools district.

Despite being part of a district ranked 270 out of 613 in Michigan, Fred W Ritter Elementary consistently underperforms on standardized tests, with only 24.1% of 3rd graders proficient in ELA compared to 42.4% for the district and 38.9% for the state. The school also has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.6% to 30.8%, and a high-poverty student population, with 66.54% to 68.93% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Over time, the school's statewide ranking has declined from 350 out of 1,448 schools in 2017-2018 to 976 out of 1,488 schools in 2024-2025, and its star rating has dropped from 4 stars to 2 stars.

Compared to nearby schools like Brown Elementary and Loren Eyler Elementary, Fred W Ritter Elementary underperforms on academic metrics, has higher chronic absenteeism, and serves a higher-poverty student population. Despite these challenges, the school only spends around $14,500 per student, which is lower than the state average, raising questions about whether it is adequately resourced to support its students.

265
Students ?
16.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$14,542
Per pupil spending ?
69.4%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 5650 Carleton Rockwood Rd
       South Rockwood, MI  48179-9764

(734) 379-5335

District: Airport Community Schools


Students who attend Fred W Ritter Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Wagar Junior High School
High:    Airport Senior High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
86.0%
Hispanic:
7.2%
Two or more races:
5.3%
more
 See top rated Michigan elementary schools

 Compare Fred W Ritter Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 61st percentile in 2015 → 34th in 2025
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Michigan average (31% vs 41% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2015
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school31%
District avg46%
Michigan avg41%
976th of 1,488
Michigan public elementary schools ?
Bottom 34%▼ down 27 pts since 2015
From top 39% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 4Elementary Schools in the Airport Community Schools
270th of 613Airport Community Schools 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)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202532.4976 of 148834.4%★★☆☆☆
202429.01033 of 148630.5%★★☆☆☆
202339.1865 of 147041.2%★★☆☆☆
202260.7468 of 134465.2%★★★☆☆
202148.8535 of 115353.6%★★★☆☆
201960.5510 of 140863.8%★★★☆☆
201875.7350 of 144875.8%★★★★☆
201742.6819 of 146644.1%★★☆☆☆
201638.5974 of 154837.1%★★☆☆☆
201560.8614 of 158061.1%★★★☆☆
201444.8927 of 153339.5%★★☆☆☆
201340.11023 of 156334.5%★★☆☆☆
201246.9913 of 156641.7%★★☆☆☆
201154.1917 of 155240.9%★★☆☆☆
201052.31014 of 155234.7%★★☆☆☆
200956.2898 of 158943.5%★★☆☆☆
200851.81001 of 157736.5%★★☆☆☆
200747.31054 of 156532.7%★★☆☆☆
200629.61312 of 154515.1%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202520.81066 of 133820.3%★☆☆☆☆
202421.91061 of 134220.9%★☆☆☆☆
202327.6950 of 132128.1%★☆☆☆☆
202241.4624 of 110643.6%★★☆☆☆
201963.2389 of 117166.8%★★★☆☆
201874.8329 of 144377.2%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202533.6901 of 134633.1%★★☆☆☆
202422.21115 of 138119.3%★☆☆☆☆
202340.7791 of 135041.4%★★☆☆☆
202274.4170 of 109984.5%★★★★☆
202161.8225 of 74970.0%★★★★☆
201965.7299 of 113473.6%★★★★☆
201887.581 of 139794.2%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202535.5855 of 136637.4%★★☆☆☆
202429.2943 of 134730.0%★★☆☆☆
202342.0754 of 133443.5%★★☆☆☆
202263.8365 of 113968.0%★★★☆☆
202142.5506 of 91544.7%★★☆☆☆
201950.2580 of 119651.5%★★★☆☆
201872.7362 of 144675.0%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202521.31000 of 120617.1%★☆☆☆☆
202422.8980 of 120418.6%★☆☆☆☆
202327.8890 of 119825.7%★☆☆☆☆
202248.2568 of 110248.5%★★☆☆☆
202144.5535 of 100546.8%★★☆☆☆
201955.9472 of 112858.2%★★★☆☆
201864.2421 of 125366.4%★★★☆☆
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)
Male (2025)37th percentile+3 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile~ school
Female (2025)20th percentile-14 vs school
White (2025)17th percentile-17 vs school
By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?
Math32%-9 vs state
English Language Arts31%-10 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Fred W Ritter Elementary School

Fred W Ritter Elementary School ranks 976th of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Fred W Ritter Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wagar Junior High School
High : Airport Senior High School

Students at Fred W Ritter Elementary School are 86% White, 7% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

In the 2024-25 school year, 265 students attended Fred W Ritter Elementary School.


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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.





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