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McAlearSawden Elementary School

Q: Is McAlearSawden Elementary School a good school?

McAlearSawden Elementary School ranks 840 th of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

840^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

McAlearSawden Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Bay City, Michigan, with 359 students. The school is part of the Bay City School District, which is ranked 352 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Unfortunately, McAlearSawden Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Michigan elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a current ranking of 840 out of 1,488 schools.

Some key challenges facing McAlearSawden Elementary include high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.1% to 31.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's proficiency rates on the M-Step assessments are also generally below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 39.3% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA, compared to 38.9% statewide and 34% in the district. Additionally, McAlearSawden has a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 51.92% to 57.38% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When comparing McAlearSawden to other elementary schools in the Bay City School District, it consistently underperforms. For example, Auburn Elementary and Mackensen Elementary have significantly higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, McAlearSawden's performance on state assessments varies significantly by student subgroup, with male students and White students tending to perform better than female students and low-socioeconomic status students. Over the past 10 years, the school's statewide ranking has steadily declined, suggesting that it is struggling to keep up with the performance of other elementary schools in the state.

378

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,105

Per pupil spending ?

54%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2300 Midland Rd
Bay City, MI 48706-9486

(989) 684-7702

District: Bay City School District

Students who attend McAlearSawden Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Western Middle School
High:	Bay City Western High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.0%

Hispanic:

9.0%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare McAlearSawden Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 28th percentile in 2021 → 44th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 44th (2025) from a 28th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg33%

Michigan avg39%

840^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 7Elementary Schools in the Bay City School District

352^nd of 613Bay City School District 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
2025	41.3	840 of 1488	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	941 of 1486	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.2	1036 of 1470	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.9	842 of 1344	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.9	830 of 1153	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.1	821 of 1408	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	746 of 1448	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.2	849 of 1466	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	55.0	695 of 1548	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.9	627 of 1580	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.7	726 of 1533	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.4	792 of 1563	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.9	816 of 1566	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	67.3	551 of 1552	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.9	568 of 1552	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	60.0	800 of 1589	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	53.1	968 of 1577	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	54.9	893 of 1565	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.3	990 of 1545	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	27.0	968 of 1338	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	967 of 1342	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.6	1041 of 1321	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.9	661 of 1106	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	568 of 902	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.2	672 of 1171	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.3	726 of 1443	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	791 of 1346	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.7	831 of 1381	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.3	885 of 1350	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.9	622 of 1099	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.3	521 of 749	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	767 of 1134	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.9	469 of 1397	66.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	46.0	717 of 1366	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	921 of 1347	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.1	999 of 1334	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	820 of 1139	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.3	747 of 915	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.5	781 of 1196	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.2	754 of 1446	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	899 of 1206	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	982 of 1204	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	1047 of 1198	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	840 of 1102	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.8	736 of 1005	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.2	767 of 1128	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.6	838 of 1253	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)48th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile~ school

Female (2025)28th percentile-16 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts41%~ state avg

Science34%-6 vs state

Math31%-7 vs state

Social Studies24%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near McAlearSawden Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				M-Step English Language Arts (2025)			M-Step Math (2025)			M-Step Science (2025)	M-Step Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
McAlearSawden Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2300 Midland Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 684-7702	378	26	14.5	54.0%	310 (82.0%)	5 (1.3%)	34 (9.0%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.8%)	41.3	840^th of 1488 public elementary schools	43.5%		34.6	941^st of 1486 public elementary schools	36.7%	101	39.3	39.3	42.9	41.0	26.3	27.0	34.4	24.2	$12,105	$1,684	$10,421
Mackensen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5535 Dennis Dr	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 684-4941	265	18	14.6	36.2%	222 (83.8%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.5%)	49.6	721^st of 1488 public elementary schools	51.5%		55.2	631^st of 1486 public elementary schools	57.5%	90	51.1	28.3	46.8	31.9	34.8	38.3	44.7	29.8	$11,841	$791	$11,050
Bangor West Central School	Public	K-5	3175 Wilder Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bangor Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 684-3373	361	14	26.4	52.1%	294 (81.4%)	4 (1.1%)	38 (10.5%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.8%)	56.7	615^th of 1488 public elementary schools	58.7%		43.2	796^th of 1486 public elementary schools	46.4%	181	58.6	45.9	44.3	46.6	42.6	23.0	42.6	34.4	$11,263	$1,436	$9,826
Kolb Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	305 W Crump St	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 893-9518	451	32	13.9	72.5%	325 (72.1%)	15 (3.3%)	66 (14.6%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.1%)	38.4	887^th of 1488 public elementary schools	40.4%		37.4	895^th of 1486 public elementary schools	39.8%	8	37.9	40.7	36.5	42.4	25.4	17.6	35.1	27.0	$12,349	$1,523	$10,826
MacGregor Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1012 Fremont St	Bay City	48708	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 892-1558	290	26	11.3	91.7%	181 (62.4%)	12 (4.1%)	63 (21.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (11.4%)	11.6	1325^th of 1488 public elementary schools	11.0%		16.8	1225^th of 1486 public elementary schools	17.6%	100	12.5	23.9	20.0		17.4		18.2	5.6	$12,790	$2,056	$10,735
Bangor Central School	Public	PK, KG-5	208 State Park Dr	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bangor Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 684-8891	332	15	22.6	68.1%	271 (81.6%)	7 (2.1%)	30 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.2%)	38.5	886^th of 1488 public elementary schools	40.5%		47.3	739^th of 1486 public elementary schools	50.3%	147	19.0	33.9	41.0	34.5	32.1	37.7	44.3	18.0	$13,424	$1,746	$11,679
Washington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1821 McKinley St	Bay City	48708	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 894-2744	362	30	12.0	91.2%	212 (58.6%)	23 (6.4%)	76 (21.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (14.1%)	18.8	1185^th of 1488 public elementary schools	20.4%		15.5	1244^th of 1486 public elementary schools	16.3%	59	20.0	25.0	31.0	23.1	13.3	21.4	21.4	19.5	$12,041	$1,728	$10,313
Bangor Lincoln School	Public	PK, KG-5	2771 N Euclid Ave	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bangor Township Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 686-7639	344	14	25.1	61.0%	276 (80.2%)	3 (0.9%)	38 (11.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.3%)	58.1	593^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	60.1%		52.4	675^th of 1486 public elementary schools	54.6%	82	48.3	46.6	56.4	44.8	24.6	27.3	45.5	46.4	$12,464	$1,348	$11,116
Auburn Elementary School	Public	K-5	301 E Midland Rd	Auburn	48611	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 662-4921	474	25	18.9	42.0%	420 (88.6%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (6.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.2%)	78.4	288^th of 1488 public elementary schools	80.6%		66.7	464^th of 1486 public elementary schools	68.8%	176	44.2	58.3	70.0	48.8	53.6	52.9	58.6	55.7	$9,604	$767	$8,836
Hampton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1908 W Youngs Ditch Rd	Bay City	48708	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 893-1100	399	24	16.6	68.7%	267 (66.9%)	14 (3.5%)	72 (18.0%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (10.0%)	34.7	944^th of 1488 public elementary schools	36.6%		39.9	849^th of 1486 public elementary schools	42.9%	95	29.2	22.9	45.9	18.5	18.6	33.8	45.9	21.6	$10,583	$1,348	$9,235

Frequently Asked Questions about McAlearSawden Elementary School

What district is McAlearSawden Elementary School in?

Bay City School District

What schools do graduates of McAlearSawden Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Western Middle School
High : Bay City Western High School

How many students attend McAlearSawden Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 378 students attended McAlearSawden Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of McAlearSawden Elementary School?

Students at McAlearSawden Elementary School are 82% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

Is McAlearSawden Elementary School a good school?

McAlearSawden Elementary School ranks 840^th of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate McAlearSawden 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.