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

Hinks Elementary

Q: Is Hinks Elementary a good school?

Hinks Elementary ranks 588 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

588^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Hinks Elementary is a small, rural K-5 school in Alpena, MI, serving 132 students as part of the Alpena Public Schools district. This school has quietly become a standout in its district, showing a remarkable turnaround from a 1-star rating in 2020-2021 to a consistent 3-star rating over the last four years, now ranking in the 61st percentile statewide.

The most impressive thing about Hinks is how well it supports students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. With 56% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, this subgroup ranks in the 84th percentile statewide—a 4-star performance that far exceeds expectations. The school also boasts remarkably low chronic absenteeism at just 13%, which is less than a third of the district's alarming 44% rate and well below the state average. This points to a strong, engaging school culture that keeps kids coming to class. In fact, Hinks is the top-performing elementary school in its district, outranking nearby Besser Elementary School, Wilson Elementary, and Sanborn Elementary by a significant margin.

Academically, Hinks shows clear strengths in upper-grade English Language Arts, with 4th and 5th grade proficiency rates (55% and 58.8%) far exceeding both district and state averages. However, 3rd grade math is a notable weak spot at 30.8% proficiency—a sharp drop from the previous year's 54.5%. There's also a persistent gender gap, with girls outperforming boys by 12-16 percentile points over the past three years. While Hinks has improved dramatically, it still trails high-performing rural neighbor Posen Elementary School (74th percentile), though Hinks serves a higher percentage of students in need. For parents, Hinks represents a school that has clearly found a formula for success, especially for students facing economic challenges.

132

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,921

Per pupil spending ?

56.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7667 Us Highway 23 N
Alpena, MI 49707-7905

(989) 358-5560

District: Alpena Public Schools

Students who attend Hinks Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thunder Bay Junior High School
High:	Alpena High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.7%

Hispanic:

3.0%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Hinks Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 32nd percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (43% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 29 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Alpena Public Schools

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg33%

Michigan avg38%

588^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 28 pts since 2016

From bottom 32% (2016) to top 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Elementary Schools in the Alpena Public Schools

360^th of 625Alpena 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	588 of 1492	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.4	641 of 1488	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.5	558 of 1486	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.6	713 of 1470	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.9	854 of 1344	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.5	907 of 1153	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	865 of 1408	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.0	991 of 1448	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	29.3	1030 of 1466	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.1	1048 of 1548	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	50.0	829 of 1580	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	64.0	555 of 1533	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	37.2	1069 of 1563	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.5	1034 of 1566	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	62.1	718 of 1552	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.0	521 of 1552	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.9	515 of 1589	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.3	551 of 1577	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	67.4	529 of 1565	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	48.8	1001 of 1545	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	63.0	432 of 1343	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.1	429 of 1338	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.7	386 of 1342	71.2%	★★★★☆
2023	67.2	349 of 1321	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	38.8	919 of 1443	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	76.0	219 of 1346	83.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.1	297 of 1381	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	56.1	513 of 1350	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	32.8	1016 of 1397	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	49.7	657 of 1372	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.0	589 of 1366	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.3	599 of 1347	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.1	596 of 1334	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.8	1038 of 1446	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	41.9	697 of 1199	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.7	620 of 1206	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.8	596 of 1204	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.6	739 of 1198	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.6	882 of 1102	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.9	884 of 1128	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	967 of 1253	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2010	84.2	49 of 851	94.2%	★★★★★
2009	68.2	314 of 847	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	80.7	109 of 839	87.0%	★★★★☆
2007	83.7	68 of 823	91.7%	★★★★★
2006	42.4	598 of 806	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile+27 vs school

Female (2026)68th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)52nd percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)42nd percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science53%+13 vs state

English Language Arts46%+5 vs state

Math38%~ state avg

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Hinks Elementary

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 Hinks Elementary

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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th 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
Hinks Elementary	Public	K-5	7667 Us Highway 23 N	Alpena	49707	Alpena County	Alpena Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 358-5560	132	8	16.3	56.1%	125 (94.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.3%)	57.5	588^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.6%		55.4	641^st of 1488 public elementary schools	56.9%	53	30.8	55.0	58.8		30.8	50.0	35.3		52.9	1487.0	$15,921	$2,064	$13,856
Besser Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	375 Wilson St	Alpena	49707	Alpena County	Alpena Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 358-5100	470	26	18.3	59.4%	416 (88.5%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.2%)	40.9	843^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	43.5%		59.4	568^th of 1488 public elementary schools	61.8%	275	20.2	26.0	53.8		23.8	19.5	30.8		59.0	29.5	$12,601	$1,240	$11,361
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-5	309 W Lake St	Alpena	49707	Alpena County	Alpena Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 358-5900	146	10	14.5	78.8%	131 (89.7%)	2 (1.4%)	3 (2.1%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.2%)	37.4	894^th of 1492 public elementary schools	40.1%		19.7	1167^th of 1488 public elementary schools	21.6%	273	1270.8	38.1	35.3		1269.0	1374.1	1468.1		29.4	1473.3	$16,275	$1,860	$14,415
Ella M White Elementary	Public	K-5	201 N Ripley Blvd	Alpena	49707	Alpena County	Alpena Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 358-5950	440	25	17.7	68.6%	396 (90.0%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.8%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.6%)	44.2	792^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	46.9%		39	880^th of 1488 public elementary schools	40.9%	88	23.9	45.8	40.5		40.0	31.9	21.6		48.6	27.0	$12,889	$1,501	$11,388
Wilson Elementary	Public	K-5	4999 S Herron Rd	Herron	49744	Alpena County	Alpena Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 358-5700	220	15	14.7	55.0%	196 (89.1%)	2 (0.9%)	12 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.5%)	41.4	834^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.1%		53.6	668^th of 1488 public elementary schools	55.1%	166	45.0	37.2	16.7		65.0	30.2	22.2		30.6	19.4	$13,934	$1,279	$12,655
Posen Elementary School	Public	K-6	10575 Michigan Ave	Posen	49776	Presque Isle County	Posen Consolidated School District No. 9	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 248-6500	118	7	16.4	48.3%	114 (96.6%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	71.6	384^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.3%		76.4	317^th of 1488 public elementary schools	78.7%	67	64.3	40.9	58.3	58.3	50.0	45.5	1485.2	58.3	50.0	33.3	$14,602	$1,169	$13,433
Sanborn Elementary	Public	K-5	12170 Us Highway 23 S	Ossineke	49766	Alpena County	Alpena Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 358-5800	201	10	20.2	55.7%	182 (90.5%)	1 (0.5%)	11 (5.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	40.8	844^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.4%		41.7	836^th of 1488 public elementary schools	43.8%	8	30.6	29.0	46.2		41.7	22.6	28.2		41.0	23.1	$12,143	$1,497	$10,647

Frequently Asked Questions about Hinks Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Hinks Elementary?

Students at Hinks Elementary are 95% White, 3% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Hinks Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hinks Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thunder Bay Junior High School
High : Alpena High School

Is Hinks Elementary a good school?

Hinks Elementary ranks 588^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hinks Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 132 students attended Hinks Elementary.

What district is Hinks Elementary in?

Alpena Public Schools

Rate Hinks Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Alpena, MI

Sign up for updates!

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

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.