Pullman Elementary School

Pullman Elementary School is a small, rural K-5 school in Pullman, MI, serving 165 students as part of the Bloomingdale Public School District. Nearly 88% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting a very high level of economic need in the community.

Academically, Pullman has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Michigan elementary schools over the past decade, with its most recent ranking placing it in the 15th percentile. Proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math are roughly half the state average. The most striking concern, however, is chronic absenteeism: 43.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2024-2025 school year—far above the state average of 27.9% and more than double the rates at nearby schools like West Ward Elementary (19.3%) and Fennville Elementary (22.5%). Even Bloomingdale Elementary, in the same district, has a lower rate at 41.7%. Interestingly, attendance alone doesn't explain the low scores—in 2022-2023, when absenteeism dropped to just 6.8%, the school's ranking still fell to the 8th percentile, suggesting deeper instructional challenges.

There are some bright spots worth noting. Pullman spends more per student ($22,064) than any nearby school, including higher-performing West Ward ($14,835), and maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 12.2. The school also shows pockets of strength: 3rd-grade ELA scores (19.4%) beat Bloomingdale's (11.9%), and 5th-grade ELA scores (21.2%) are more than double Bloomingdale's (9.52%). Most encouragingly, Pullman's largest subgroup—low-income students—ranked in the 31st percentile statewide in 2025-2026, a major jump from the 8th percentile the year before. However, a significant drop in 4th-grade performance (13.64% proficiency in both ELA and Math) suggests a specific cohort is struggling. For parents, this school offers dedicated resources and some signs of progress, but chronic absenteeism and inconsistent grade-level outcomes remain key challenges to watch.