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Bear Lake Elementary School

Q: Is Bear Lake Elementary School a good school?

Bear Lake Elementary School ranks 581 st of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

581^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Bear Lake Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 166 students in grades PK-6 in Bear Lake, Michigan, which is part of the Bear Lake Schools district, ranked 174 out of 613 districts in the state.

The school has shown strong performance in certain grade levels and subjects, such as 4th grade M-Step Math, where 78.9% of students were proficient, significantly higher than the state average of 39.4%. However, the school has struggled in other areas, like 5th grade M-Step Math, where only 17.65% of students were proficient, compared to the state average of 32.9%. Interestingly, the school's low-income students have performed exceptionally well, ranking 71 out of 1,381 Michigan elementary schools in this subgroup for the 2023-2024 school year, with a 5-star rating. The school has also shown strong performance with its male and female student subgroups, ranking in the top 400 Michigan elementary schools for both groups in recent years.

Compared to nearby schools, Frankfort Elementary School has shown stronger overall performance, with higher proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Math across multiple grade levels. Meanwhile, John F. Kennedy Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, both part of the Manistee Area Public Schools district, have lower proficiency rates compared to Bear Lake Elementary in several subject areas. However, the school's high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.3% to 30.8%, are a concern and may be impacting student performance.

147

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,524

Per pupil spending ?

61.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7748 Cody St
Bear Lake, MI 49614-9789

(231) 864-3133

District: Bear Lake Schools

Students who attend Bear Lake Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Bear Lake High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.4%

Hispanic:

12.2%

Two or more races:

1.4%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Bear Lake Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 30th percentile in 2015 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (44% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Michigan median (61st percentile)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg44%

Michigan avg38%

581^st of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 31 pts since 2015

From bottom 30% (2015) to top 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

174^th of 613Bear Lake 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	581 of 1488	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.2	404 of 1486	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	54.6	619 of 1470	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.9	707 of 1344	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.9	624 of 1153	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.5	568 of 1408	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.0	724 of 1448	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.4	483 of 1466	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	38.2	979 of 1548	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.0	1099 of 1580	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.9	945 of 1533	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.1	745 of 1563	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	49.0	859 of 1566	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	64.0	652 of 1552	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.5	1031 of 1552	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.4	1024 of 1589	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	64.9	642 of 1577	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.8	630 of 1565	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.7	652 of 1545	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	65.0	380 of 1342	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	60.1	457 of 1321	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.2	586 of 1443	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	76.8	206 of 1346	84.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	71 of 1381	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	71.7	253 of 1350	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	58.4	394 of 1099	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	523 of 1397	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	68.4	391 of 1366	71.4%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	332 of 1347	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	60.9	482 of 1334	63.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	56.3	506 of 1206	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.5	448 of 1204	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.6	625 of 1198	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	744 of 1102	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.0	647 of 1005	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.4	672 of 1128	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.8	685 of 1253	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)85th percentile+24 vs school

Female (2024)72nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)71st percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)58th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Math51%+14 vs state

English Language Arts44%+3 vs state

Science35%-5 vs state

Social Studies24%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bear Lake 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 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
Bear Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	7748 Cody St	Bear Lake	49614	Manistee County	Bear Lake Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 864-3133	147	10	14.8	61.2%	127 (86.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	58.8	581^st of 1488 public elementary schools	61.0%		70.2	404^th of 1486 public elementary schools	72.8%	177	35.0	63.2	29.4	47.4	55.0	78.9	17.7	47.4	35.3	23.5	$15,524	$3,714	$11,810
KND Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-6	4400 Highbridge Rd	Brethren	49619	Manistee County	Kaleva Norman Dickson School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 477-5353	289	16	18.1	76.8%	249 (86.2%)	12 (4.2%)	14 (4.8%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	20.5	1150^th of 1488 public elementary schools	22.7%		14.9	1250^th of 1486 public elementary schools	15.9%	100	20.5	20.0	20.4	23.4	38.5	22.9	16.3	6.4	26.5	20.4	$15,209	$2,663	$12,547
Betsie Valley School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	17936 Cadillac Hwy	Thompsonville	49683	Manistee County	Benzie County Central Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 378-4164	131	10	13.3	71.0%	119 (90.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.9%)	18.7	1186^th of 1488 public elementary schools	20.3%		18.4	1192^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	19.8%	6	11.5	13.6	25.0		23.1	22.7	20.8		33.3		$00	$00	$00
Homestead Hills Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	7048 Severance St	Benzonia	49616	Benzie County	Benzie County Central Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 882-4641	209	14	14.8	63.2%	182 (87.1%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.7%)	22.6	1118^th of 1488 public elementary schools	24.9%		22.4	1136^th of 1486 public elementary schools	23.6%	18	25.0	20.7	39.3		25.0	14.3	14.3		32.1	17.9	$00	$00	$00
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School	Public	K-2	515 Bryant Ave	Manistee	49660	Manistee County	Manistee Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 723-9285	292	16	18.4	51.0%	257 (88.0%)	12 (4.1%)	11 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)								(n/a)											$15,866	$1,223	$14,643
Frankfort Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	613 Leelanau Ave	Frankfort	49635	Benzie County	Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 352-4641	240	17	13.8	56.7%	217 (90.4%)	5 (2.1%)	12 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	73.3	362^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	75.7%		56.8	598^th of 1486 public elementary schools	59.8%	236	41.7	65.0	57.9		50.0	37.5	55.3		63.2	42.1	$20,027	$2,472	$17,555
John F Kennedy Elementary School	Public	3-5	1309 Madison Rd	Manistee	49660	Manistee County	Manistee Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 723-3271	270	17	16.0	41.5%	230 (85.2%)	3 (1.1%)	18 (6.7%)	3 (1.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.2%)	43.4	821^st of 1488 public elementary schools	44.8%		46.4	747^th of 1486 public elementary schools	49.7%	74	41.9	40.7	36.7		37.6	49.4	28.9		34.4	15.6	$15,635	$1,364	$14,271

Frequently Asked Questions about Bear Lake Elementary School

What district is Bear Lake Elementary School in?

Bear Lake Schools

What schools do graduates of Bear Lake Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Bear Lake Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Bear Lake High School

Is Bear Lake Elementary School a good school?

Bear Lake Elementary School ranks 581^st of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Bear Lake Elementary School?

Students at Bear Lake Elementary School are 86% White, 12% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Bear Lake Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 147 students attended Bear Lake Elementary School.

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Schools in Bear Lake, MI

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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.