Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Dawson Elementary School

Q: Is Dawson Elementary School a good school?

Dawson Elementary School ranks 901 st of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

901^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Dawson Elementary School in Allegan, MI, serves 278 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade within the Allegan Public Schools district, where roughly 63% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

One of the most important things to know about Dawson is that its academic performance has been quite volatile from year to year. In 2024-2025, the school earned a 3-star rating (65th percentile), with 3rd and 5th graders outperforming state averages in both English and Math. Just one year later, in 2025-2026, the school dropped to a 2-star rating (40th percentile), with scores falling well below state averages. This dramatic swing suggests that individual groups of students (cohorts) can heavily influence the school's overall results. For example, in the most recent year, 4th graders did relatively well in ELA (42.9% proficient) and Math (38.8%), while 5th graders struggled, especially in Math (26.3%) and Social Studies (15.8%). This inconsistency is more pronounced than at nearby Pine Trails Elementary School or West Ward Elementary School, which show more gradual trends.

A particularly interesting comparison is with West Ward Elementary, located less than a mile away. In 2025-2026, West Ward achieved a 64th percentile ranking (3 stars) and outperformed Dawson in nearly every subject and grade level—despite serving a similar percentage of low-income students (63.97% vs. 62.95%) and spending less per student ($14,835 vs. $17,007). This suggests Dawson's higher spending isn't currently translating into better results. On a positive note, Dawson does show a relative strength in supporting its low socio-economic status students, ranking in the 56th percentile for that group. However, chronic absenteeism remains a challenge, affecting 21.6% of students—better than the district (25.3%) and state (27.9%) averages, but still meaning more than 1 in 5 students miss significant school time. When compared to the broader area, Dawson sits in a competitive middle ground—outperforming Bloomingdale Elementary School (20th percentile) but lagging behind higher-performing schools like Hamilton Elementary School (89th percentile) and Hopkins Elementary School (76th percentile).

278

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,007

Per pupil spending ?

62.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

125 Elm St
Allegan, MI 49010-9401

(269) 673-6925

District: Allegan Public Schools

Students who attend Dawson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	LE White Middle School
High:	Allegan High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.7%

Two or more races:

8.3%

Hispanic:

7.2%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Dawson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (32% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2016

!Social Studies scores 12 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg35%

Michigan avg38%

901^st of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Allegan Public Schools

321^st of 625Allegan Public 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	901 of 1492	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	63.0	524 of 1488	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.2	841 of 1486	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.6	464 of 1470	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.2	663 of 1344	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.2	648 of 1153	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.2	719 of 1408	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.3	592 of 1448	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.6	642 of 1466	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.7	646 of 1548	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.5	909 of 1580	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	55.2	733 of 1533	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	50.1	843 of 1563	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	65.8	512 of 1566	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	74.1	368 of 1552	76.3%	★★★★☆
2010	60.9	826 of 1552	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	76.1	319 of 1589	79.9%	★★★★☆
2008	71.4	451 of 1577	71.4%	★★★★☆
2007	69.2	472 of 1565	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	73.8	320 of 1545	79.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	746 of 1343	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.5	500 of 1338	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	677 of 1342	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.9	366 of 1321	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	47.5	556 of 1106	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.1	395 of 902	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.1	573 of 1443	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	51.1	595 of 1352	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.8	370 of 1346	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	42.8	754 of 1381	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.6	421 of 1350	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.0	317 of 1099	71.2%	★★★★☆
2021	63.2	212 of 749	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	74.9	174 of 1134	84.7%	★★★★☆
2018	71.2	300 of 1397	78.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	958 of 1372	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.4	542 of 1366	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.5	778 of 1347	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.4	580 of 1334	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.5	697 of 1139	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	570 of 915	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.2	594 of 1446	58.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	887 of 1199	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	56.4	504 of 1206	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.3	806 of 1204	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.1	427 of 1198	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.7	723 of 1102	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.8	709 of 1005	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.6	843 of 1128	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.5	595 of 1253	52.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)44th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)30th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)26th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts36%-5 vs state

Math34%-5 vs state

Science29%-11 vs state

Social Studies16%-12 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Dawson Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Dawson Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Dawson Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				M-Step English Language Arts (2026)			M-Step Math (2026)			M-Step Science (2026)	M-Step Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Dawson Elementary School	Public	K-5	125 Elm St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Allegan Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 673-6925	278	18	15.4	62.9%	230 (82.7%)	2 (0.7%)	20 (7.2%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.3%)	37.1	901^st of 1492 public elementary schools	39.6%		63	524^th of 1488 public elementary schools	64.8%	377	32.0	42.9	31.6	34.0	38.8	26.3	28.9	15.8	$17,007	$1,198	$15,809
West Ward Elementary School	Public	K-5	630 Vernon St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Allegan Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 673-7000	247	15	16.4	64.0%	208 (84.2%)	8 (3.2%)	14 (5.7%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.7%)	61.6	530^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.5%		44.7	796^th of 1488 public elementary schools	46.5%	266	62.2	29.7	48.6	55.6	40.5	45.9	43.2	24.3	$14,835	$1,204	$13,630
North Ward Elementary School	Public	PK-K	440 River St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Allegan Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 673-6003	29	4	8.2	82.8%	25 (86.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)	1 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)	1 (3.4%)								(n/a)									$29,244	$1,035	$28,209
Pine Trails Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2950 Center St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Allegan Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 673-5379	326	20	16.7	74.5%	257 (78.8%)	9 (2.8%)	35 (10.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.4%)	38.9	877^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.2%		27.4	1048^th of 1488 public elementary schools	29.6%	171	41.7	27.3	45.7	40.7	25.5	30.4	26.1	19.6	$16,215	$1,583	$14,631
Hopkins Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 S Clark St	Hopkins	49328	Allegan County	Hopkins Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 793-7286	393	24	16.1	38.9%	344 (87.5%)	5 (1.3%)	25 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.8%)	73.9	358^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.0%		75.4	332^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	77.7%	26	51.0	41.8	59.7	70.6	38.8	50.7	53.7	43.3	$13,277	$1,177	$12,100
Washington Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	538 Washington St	Otsego	49078	Allegan County	Otsego Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 694-7800	448	26	17.4	48.0%	396 (88.4%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (5.4%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.9%)	58.7	577^th of 1492 public elementary schools	61.3%		63.7	511^th of 1488 public elementary schools	65.7%	66	48.7	46.3	50.0	60.5	34.2	23.1	47.4	29.5	$11,657	$368	$11,289
Dix Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	503 Dix St	Otsego	49078	Allegan County	Otsego Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 694-7703	357	24	14.6	50.1%	293 (82.1%)	6 (1.7%)	17 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.5%)	31.3	983^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	34.1%		53.7	665^th of 1488 public elementary schools	55.3%	318	25.5	38.5	35.4	25.5	42.3	12.5	31.3	14.6	$11,526	$396	$11,130
Bloomingdale Elementary School	Public	K-5	307 E Willow St	Bloomingdale	49026	Van Buren County	Bloomingdale Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 521-3935	272	18	15.1	71.3%	167 (61.4%)	2 (0.7%)	83 (30.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.0%)	19.3	1190^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.2%		17.8	1202^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	19.2%	12	11.9	28.6	9.5	33.3	33.3	11.9	19.0	1472.5	$18,762	$2,111	$16,651
Robert D Brandon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1583 University St	Martin	49070	Allegan County	Martin Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 442-0450	299	18	16.7	50.2%	255 (85.3%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)	33.4	948^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.5%		51	702^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	52.8%	246	20.8	40.0	30.6	31.3	22.5	14.3	51.0	22.4	$15,244	$1,214	$14,030
Hamilton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3472 Lincoln Rd	Hamilton	49419	Allegan County	Hamilton Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 751-5413	359	22	16.1	33.1%	311 (86.6%)	3 (0.8%)	29 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.5%)	88	165^th of 1492 public elementary schools	88.9%		88.6	146^th of 1488 public elementary schools	90.2%	19	59.7	55.7		74.6	65.6				$17,311	$1,005	$16,306

Frequently Asked Questions about Dawson Elementary School

How many students attend Dawson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 278 students attended Dawson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Dawson Elementary School?

Students at Dawson Elementary School are 83% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

What district is Dawson Elementary School in?

Allegan Public Schools

Is Dawson Elementary School a good school?

Dawson Elementary School ranks 901^st of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Dawson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dawson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : LE White Middle School
High : Allegan High School

Rate Dawson Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Allegan, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Dawson Elementary School!

Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

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.