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Wilson Elementary

Q: Is Wilson Elementary a good school?

Wilson Elementary ranks 834 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

834^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Wilson Elementary is a K-5 school in Herron, MI, serving 220 students as part of the Alpena Public Schools district, located in a rural area about 10-15 miles from Alpena proper. The school currently ranks in the 44th percentile statewide (2 stars), a solid mid-range position that reflects steady improvement from a low point just a few years ago.

The most remarkable thing about Wilson is its attendance record. Only 10.6% of students are chronically absent—a stunning 33-point advantage over the district average of 44% and far better than the state average of 27.9%. This is Wilson's superpower, and it likely fuels another strength: the school excels at supporting students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, ranking in the 81st percentile for low-income students in the most recent full year. That's a better result than many wealthier schools achieve. Wilson also spends its money wisely—at $13,934 per student, it spends less than Lincoln Elementary (which spends $16,275) yet achieves comparable overall results with a lower poverty rate. Compared to Posen Elementary School 18 miles away, Wilson trails in test scores, but Posen belongs to a higher-performing district (Posen Consolidated School District No. 9) and serves a smaller, less economically challenged population, suggesting Wilson's challenges are partly systemic to its district.

The school's biggest academic challenge is a clear drop-off after 3rd grade. In the latest year, 3rd graders hit 45% proficiency in ELA and 65% in math—well above district averages—but by 5th grade, proficiency falls to just 16.7% in ELA and 22.2% in math. This pattern suggests strong early-elementary teaching that loses momentum in upper grades, or a particularly strong current 3rd-grade cohort. With only about 30-35 students per grade, year-to-year swings can be dramatic (5th grade science jumped from 56% to 31% proficiency in one year), so it's wise to look at multi-year trends rather than any single year. For parents, Wilson offers a caring environment where kids show up, and where disadvantaged students genuinely thrive—but you may want to ask how the school plans to keep that early-grade momentum going through 5th grade.

220

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,934

Per pupil spending ?

55%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4999 S Herron Rd
Herron, MI 49744-9600

(989) 358-5700

District: Alpena Public Schools

Students who attend Wilson Elementary usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.1%

Hispanic:

5.5%

Two or more races:

4.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Wilson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg33%

Michigan avg38%

834^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	41.4	834 of 1492	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.6	668 of 1488	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.5	837 of 1486	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.2	1072 of 1470	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.4	866 of 1344	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.2	881 of 1153	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.1	766 of 1408	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	944 of 1448	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.6	910 of 1466	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.6	1006 of 1548	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.4	1064 of 1580	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.7	889 of 1533	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.3	1101 of 1563	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.7	1050 of 1566	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	58.8	811 of 1552	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	62.7	765 of 1552	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.9	952 of 1589	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	37.1	1249 of 1577	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	22.3	1395 of 1565	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.6	1313 of 1545	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	689 of 1343	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.2	637 of 1338	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.5	811 of 1342	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.8	970 of 1321	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	831 of 1106	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	805 of 902	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	876 of 1171	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.0	1033 of 1443	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	49.9	615 of 1352	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.3	253 of 1346	81.2%	★★★★☆
2024	51.3	612 of 1381	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.5	845 of 1350	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	685 of 1099	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.3	494 of 749	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.3	206 of 1134	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	40.9	877 of 1397	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	36.3	854 of 1372	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.8	658 of 1366	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.0	724 of 1347	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.3	1061 of 1334	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.6	905 of 1139	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.7	706 of 915	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	54.1	521 of 1196	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	752 of 1446	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	877 of 1199	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.9	800 of 1206	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.7	877 of 1204	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	1069 of 1198	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	911 of 1102	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.4	863 of 1005	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.0	782 of 1128	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.4	1015 of 1253	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2010	39.6	652 of 851	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	36.7	657 of 847	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.5	720 of 839	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	39.8	624 of 823	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.6	699 of 806	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)55th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)49th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)38th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math39%~ state avg

English Language Arts34%-7 vs state

Science31%-9 vs state

Social Studies19%-8 vs state

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Schools Near Wilson Elementary

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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
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
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
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
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
Hillman Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	245 E 3rd St	Hillman	49746	Montmorency County	Hillman Community Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(989) 742-4537	203	14	14.2	49.3%	186 (91.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.4%)	30.7	993^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	33.4%		30.3	1008^th of 1488 public elementary schools	32.3%	15	23.8	16.2	42.1		21.4	10.8	31.6		39.5	26.3	$16,812	$1,983	$14,829
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilson Elementary

Is Wilson Elementary a good school?

Wilson Elementary ranks 834^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Wilson Elementary in?

Alpena Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Wilson Elementary?

Students at Wilson Elementary are 89% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Wilson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Wilson Elementary usually go on to attend:

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

How many students attend Wilson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 220 students attended Wilson Elementary.

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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.