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McAlearSawden Elementary School

Q: Is McAlearSawden Elementary School a good school?

McAlearSawden Elementary School ranks 906 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

906^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

McAlearSawden Elementary School in Bay City, MI, serves 378 students from Pre-K through 5th grade and is part of the Bay City School District, where over half of its students (54%) qualify for free or reduced lunch.

McAlearSawden is a mid-tier performer within its district, but it faces some notable challenges. The school's overall state ranking has been volatile, swinging between the 30th and 48th percentiles over the past decade, and it currently sits in the 39th percentile—slightly below the district average. One of the most concerning trends is a sharp decline in outcomes for students from low-income backgrounds, whose ranking plummeted from the 40th percentile in recent years to the 15th percentile in 2025-2026. Additionally, math proficiency is a systemic weakness, with scores consistently below state averages across all grade levels. For example, only 23.7% of 5th graders were proficient in math, compared to 32.2% statewide. Chronic absenteeism also remains a persistent issue, hovering around 22.8%—though that is better than the district's 32.8% rate.

There are some bright spots worth noting. The school shows a relative strength in 3rd-grade English Language Arts, with 42.9% proficiency in 2025-2026, exceeding both the district (34.6%) and state (38.2%) averages. However, this advantage fades by 4th and 5th grades. When compared to nearby schools, McAlearSawden outperforms MacGregor Elementary and Washington Elementary, but lags significantly behind Auburn Elementary and Mackensen Elementary. Interestingly, Kolb Elementary, which has a higher poverty rate (72.5% free/reduced lunch), still achieves a higher overall ranking (57th percentile), suggesting that factors beyond socio-economic status are at play. For parents, this school offers a solid early literacy foundation but requires attention in math and consistency for all student groups.

378

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,948

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 → 39th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 39th (2026) from a 28th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (31% vs 38% meeting standards)

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

!Social Studies scores 12 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school31%

District avg32%

Michigan avg38%

906^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Bay City School District

346^th of 625Bay 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
2026	36.7	906 of 1492	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	37.4	796 of 1343	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	18.9	1154 of 1352	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	29.1	949 of 1372	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	26.7	901 of 1199	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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)

Female (2026)41st percentile~ school

Male (2026)31st percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)25th percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts38%-3 vs state

Science38%~ state avg

Math28%-10 vs state

Social Studies15%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near McAlearSawden 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 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%)	36.7	906^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.3%		41.3	840^th of 1488 public elementary schools	43.5%	66	42.9	33.8	37.3	33.3	26.2	23.7	37.9	15.3	$14,948	$1,333	$13,616
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%)	52.2	665^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.4%		49.6	721^st of 1488 public elementary schools	51.5%	56	38.8	50.0	40.9	36.7	45.8	36.4	38.6	25.0	$15,648	$834	$14,814
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%)	47.7	736^th of 1492 public elementary schools	50.7%		56.7	615^th of 1488 public elementary schools	58.7%	121	33.3	54.8	49.2	35.9	41.9	24.6	37.7	21.3	$11,366	$773	$10,593
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%)	53.6	649^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.5%		38.4	887^th of 1488 public elementary schools	40.4%	238	48.2	39.4	39.1	49.4	40.9	21.9	39.1	34.4	$15,283	$1,725	$13,558
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%)	10.3	1364^th of 1492 public elementary schools	8.6%		11.6	1325^th of 1488 public elementary schools	11.0%	39	17.8	17.4	21.3	18.2	13.0	6.4	12.8	6.4	$17,157	$2,016	$15,141
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%)	16.3	1251^st of 1492 public elementary schools	16.2%		38.5	886^th of 1488 public elementary schools	40.5%	365	20.4	23.3	19.3	24.5	21.7	17.9	17.9	10.5	$12,147	$892	$11,255
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%)	15.6	1261^st of 1492 public elementary schools	15.5%		18.8	1185^th of 1488 public elementary schools	20.4%	76	29.1	13.1	22.4	27.3	14.8	13.8	20.7	6.9	$17,008	$1,751	$15,257
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%)	47	743^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	50.2%		58.1	593^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	60.1%	150	25.5	27.0	55.0	45.1	28.6	28.3	48.3	31.7	$11,734	$738	$10,996
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%)	68.5	427^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.4%		78.4	288^th of 1488 public elementary schools	80.6%	139	33.3	53.9	50.0	41.8	60.7	41.9	60.5	40.7	$14,120	$834	$13,287
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%)	27.7	1043^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	30.1%		34.7	944^th of 1488 public elementary schools	36.6%	99	23.0	29.7	35.8	18.0	20.3	19.4	40.3	19.4	$14,192	$1,594	$12,598

Frequently Asked Questions about McAlearSawden Elementary School

Is McAlearSawden Elementary School a good school?

McAlearSawden Elementary School ranks 906^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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.

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

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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.