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Baldwin Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1278^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Baldwin Elementary School in Baldwin, MI, serves approximately 220 students from Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the Baldwin Community Schools district, in a community where nearly all families (97.7%) qualify for free or reduced lunch.

One of the most striking things about Baldwin Elementary is its extraordinary spending level. At $25,590 per student, the school spends dramatically more than nearby schools—about 71% more than GT Norman Elementary School ($14,954) and 41% more than Walkerville Elementary ($18,096). This investment supports a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.7:1, which is better than the 15.4:1 ratio at GT Norman. However, despite these resources, academic outcomes remain below state averages across most subjects and grade levels. The school currently ranks in the 14th percentile statewide, though it has shown improvement from its lowest point in 2021-2022. Interestingly, 4th grade math stands out as a relative bright spot, with 28.9% proficiency—the school's strongest subject-grade combination—suggesting possible targeted interventions worth replicating.

Chronic absenteeism remains a significant challenge, with 36.2% of students chronically absent in 2024-2025 compared to the state rate of 27.9%. While this is an improvement from the pandemic-era peak of 47.1%, it still exceeds nearby GT Norman Elementary (24.5%) and Mason County Eastern Elementary School (26.5%). On a more encouraging note, when compared to similar students across Michigan, Baldwin's low-income students perform in the 20th percentile statewide—better than the school's overall 14th percentile ranking suggests. This indicates that the school's low overall ranking partly reflects the concentration of poverty rather than ineffective instruction. The spending-achievement paradox highlights the compounding challenges of serving a population where nearly all students face economic hardship, requiring additional resources for transportation, nutrition, and support services just to maintain baseline operations.

220

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,590

Per pupil spending ?

97.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

525 4th St
Baldwin, MI 49304-9518

(231) 745-3261

District: Baldwin Community Schools

Students who attend Baldwin Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Baldwin Junior High School
High:	Baldwin Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.5%

African American:

20.9%

Two or more races:

9.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Baldwin Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2015 → 14th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (19% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg19%

Michigan avg38%

1,278^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 26% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

575^th of 625Baldwin 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	15.0	1278 of 1492	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	1213 of 1488	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	1124 of 1486	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	1303 of 1470	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.1	1228 of 1344	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.3	1049 of 1408	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.8	932 of 1448	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	23.7	1099 of 1466	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.3	1146 of 1548	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.7	1208 of 1580	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.6	1339 of 1533	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	21.5	1301 of 1563	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.1	1394 of 1566	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.2	1351 of 1552	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.6	1359 of 1552	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.8	1291 of 1589	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.4	1343 of 1577	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	17.6	1433 of 1565	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	28.6	1323 of 1545	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	12.7	1219 of 1343	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	25.2	995 of 1338	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.7	853 of 1342	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.0	1049 of 1321	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.8	824 of 1171	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.9	948 of 1443	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	1081 of 1352	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.2	990 of 1346	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.0	933 of 1381	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.0	1147 of 1350	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	976 of 1099	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.7	736 of 1134	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.4	629 of 1397	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	12.4	1221 of 1366	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.1	1204 of 1347	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.3	866 of 1446	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	37.0	45 of 81	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	14.3	1075 of 1199	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	7.3	1172 of 1206	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.6	1069 of 1204	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.5	1157 of 1198	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	24.7	803 of 1005	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.1	926 of 1128	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	890 of 1253	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2014	7.6	869 of 921	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	28.1	694 of 919	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	20.7	757 of 900	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.0	760 of 858	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	47.0	598 of 851	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	33.8	677 of 847	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	8.0	793 of 839	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.2	813 of 823	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

Multi-racial (2018)44th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)11th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)10th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)9th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math21%-17 vs state

English Language Arts18%-23 vs state

Science16%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Baldwin Elementary School

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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
Baldwin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	525 4th St	Baldwin	49304	Lake County	Baldwin Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 745-3261	220	19	11.7	97.7%	131 (59.5%)	46 (20.9%)	17 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.8%)	21 (9.5%)	15	1278^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.3%		17.4	1213^th of 1488 public elementary schools	18.5%	65	15.8	24.4	12.9		12.8	28.9	1463.4		15.6	1468.4	$25,590	$3,345	$22,245
Big Jackson Public School	Public	K-5	4020 E 13 Mile Rd	Paris	49338	Mecosta County	Big Jackson School District	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 796-8947	1	0	10.0		1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
GT Norman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	338 W Lincoln Ave	Reed City	49677	Osceola County	Reed City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 832-5548	540	35	15.4	59.1%	478 (88.5%)	6 (1.1%)	22 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.1%)	36.2	911^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.9%		40.1	862^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	42.1%	49	27.7	35.6			34.8	35.6					$14,954	$1,847	$13,106
Great Start Readiness Program	Public	PK, KG-4	338 W Lincoln Ave	Reed City	49677	Osceola County	Reed City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 832-2201	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Walkerville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	170 E North St	Walkerville	49459	Oceana County	Walkerville Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(231) 873-4850	50	6	7.7	80.0%	34 (68.0%)	1 (2.0%)	11 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (8.0%)								(n/a)											$18,096	$4,958	$13,139
Mason County Eastern Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	18 S Main St	Custer	49405	Mason County	Mason County Eastern Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 757-3733	181	12	15.5	86.7%	169 (93.4%)	2 (1.1%)	4 (2.2%)	1 (0.6%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	17.2	1234^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.3%		18.8	1183^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	20.5%	51	14.3	17.2	26.1	1579.7	38.1	17.2	1468.5	1569.8	15.8	13.6	$16,315	$3,890	$12,425

Frequently Asked Questions about Baldwin Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Baldwin Elementary School?

Students at Baldwin Elementary School are 60% White, 21% African American, 10% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 2% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Baldwin Elementary School?

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

What schools do graduates of Baldwin Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Baldwin Junior High School
High : Baldwin Senior High School

What district is Baldwin Elementary School in?

Baldwin Community Schools

Is Baldwin Elementary School a good school?

Baldwin Elementary School ranks in the bottom 14.3% of Michigan elementary schools.

Rate Baldwin Elementary School!

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Schools in Baldwin, MI

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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.