Ryan Elementary School

Ryan Elementary School serves 217 students in grades 3-5 in Bronson, Michigan, as part of the Bronson Community School District, where roughly 71% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Ryan Elementary's biggest success story is attendance. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 27.2% in 2021-2022 to just 13.4% in 2024-2025—a 51% reduction that puts the school well below the district average (21.8%) and less than half the state average (27.9%). This improvement suggests the school has implemented effective strategies to get kids to school consistently. Academically, the picture is mixed. Third-grade English language arts proficiency (38.6%) essentially matches the state average, and 5th-grade science (39.4%) is right in line with state performance. However, math remains a persistent challenge, particularly in 5th grade, where proficiency has hovered between 12.5% and 23.9% over the past four years—well below state averages. The school also shows notable strengths with specific student groups: Hispanic students rank in the 65th percentile statewide, and students from low-income backgrounds have shown meaningful improvement, recently ranking in the 53rd percentile.

Compared to nearby schools, Ryan outperforms Eastwood School in Sturgis—which serves the same grades and a similar economic population—by significant margins in nearly every subject. Ryan also edges out Lakeland Elementary in Coldwater in 4th and 5th grade ELA. However, Ryan spends considerably more per student ($16,025) than either Eastwood ($13,572) or Lakeland ($12,828), raising questions about how efficiently those additional resources are being used. The school's attendance success and strong performance with Hispanic and low-income students suggest effective interventions worth celebrating, while the persistent 5th-grade math weakness points to an area needing focused attention.