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Countryside Elementary School

Public Grades K-4

2^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 100% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Countryside Elementary School in Byron Center, MI, is a K-4 public school serving 426 students and is part of the top-ranked Byron Center Public Schools district.

Countryside is an academic powerhouse, currently ranked #2 in the entire state of Michigan. This isn't a fluke—the school has earned a 5-star rating for a decade and has been in the state's top 11 schools for four straight years. The numbers are striking: 94.1% of 4th graders are proficient in math and 88.2% in ELA, which is more than double the state average. What makes this even more impressive is that the school achieves these results for all students. In fact, Countryside ranks #1 in the state for its low-income students, showing that success isn't limited to any one group. This stands in stark contrast to nearby schools like Southwood Elementary, just 2 miles away, where only 18.3% of 4th graders are proficient in math. Even the highly-rated Cross Creek Charter Academy trails Countryside by 10-20 percentage points in most subjects.

Beyond test scores, Countryside excels in areas that matter for day-to-day learning. Chronic absenteeism is just 7.2%, nearly four times lower than the state average of 27.9%. This means students are consistently in class, ready to learn. The school also uses its resources wisely, spending $13,601 per student—less than many lower-performing schools in the nearby Kentwood Public Schools district, some of which spend over $20,000 per student with far weaker results. The data points to a school with a strong culture, effective teaching, and a community that prioritizes education. For parents, Countryside represents a rare combination: top-tier academic outcomes, consistency over time, and a supportive environment where students show up and succeed.

426

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,601

Per pupil spending ?

21.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8200 Eastern Ave SE
Byron Center, MI 49315-9317

(616) 878-6900

District: Byron Center Public Schools

Students who attend Countryside Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Byron Center West Middle School
	Robert L Nickels Intermediate School
High:	Byron Center High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.9%

Hispanic:

9.6%

Two or more races:

6.6%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Countryside Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2016 → 100th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (88% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of Michigan elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school88%

District avg86%

Michigan avg40%

2^nd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Byron Center Public Schools

3^rd of 625Byron Center Public 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
2026	99.2	2 of 1492	99.9%	★★★★★
2025	98.4	9 of 1488	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	98.2	9 of 1486	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.9	11 of 1470	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	97.9	5 of 1344	99.6%	★★★★★
2021	99.2	3 of 1153	99.7%	★★★★★
2019	98.1	8 of 1408	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	96.0	26 of 1448	98.2%	★★★★★
2017	93.1	46 of 1466	96.9%	★★★★★
2016	95.8	29 of 1548	98.1%	★★★★★
2015	89.0	114 of 1580	92.8%	★★★★★
2014	82.4	195 of 1533	87.3%	★★★★☆
2013	85.7	152 of 1563	90.3%	★★★★★
2012	82.0	221 of 1566	85.9%	★★★★☆
2011	81.3	137 of 1552	91.2%	★★★★★
2010	83.5	36 of 1552	97.7%	★★★★★
2009	83.6	109 of 1589	93.1%	★★★★★
2008	81.1	166 of 1577	89.5%	★★★★☆
2007	69.9	453 of 1565	71.1%	★★★★☆
2006	72.9	344 of 1545	77.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	96.2	26 of 1338	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	18 of 1342	98.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.6	17 of 1321	98.7%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	6 of 1106	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	98.9	3 of 902	99.7%	★★★★★
2018	96.1	20 of 1443	98.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	97.1	3 of 201	98.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	97.7	12 of 1352	99.1%	★★★★★
2025	99.1	1 of 1346	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	99.0	2 of 1381	99.9%	★★★★★
2023	98.4	9 of 1350	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	98.9	3 of 1099	99.7%	★★★★★
2021	93.6	15 of 749	98.0%	★★★★★
2019	98.5	4 of 1134	99.6%	★★★★★
2018	97.7	8 of 1397	99.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	98.8	5 of 1372	99.6%	★★★★★
2025	98.9	2 of 1366	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	98.2	5 of 1347	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	6 of 1334	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	98.1	5 of 1139	99.6%	★★★★★
2021	99.2	2 of 915	99.8%	★★★★★
2019	95.9	16 of 1196	98.7%	★★★★★
2018	94.1	38 of 1446	97.4%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	98.9	4 of 1199	99.7%	★★★★★
2025	98.1	4 of 1206	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	98.4	2 of 1204	99.8%	★★★★★
2023	97.8	2 of 1198	99.8%	★★★★★
2022	97.8	4 of 1102	99.6%	★★★★★
2021	99.1	3 of 1005	99.7%	★★★★★
2019	97.9	2 of 1128	99.8%	★★★★★
2018	94.6	28 of 1253	97.8%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)100th percentile~ school

Male (2026)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math90%+49 vs state

English Language Arts86%+46 vs state

★

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Schools Near Countryside 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)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	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	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Countryside Elementary School	Public	K-4	8200 Eastern Ave SE	Byron Center	49315	Kent County	Byron Center Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 878-6900	426	23	18.5	21.6%	319 (74.9%)	10 (2.3%)	41 (9.6%)	27 (6.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.6%)	99.2	2^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	99.9%		98.4	9^th of 1488 public elementary schools	99.4%	7			83.1	88.2				86.7	94.1								$13,601	$470	$13,131
Cross Creek Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	7701 Kalamazoo Ave SE	Byron Center	49315	Kent County	Cross Creek Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(616) 656-4000	809	39	20.9	41.3%	466 (57.6%)	76 (9.4%)	107 (13.2%)	73 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (10.8%)	94.6	57^th of 1492 public elementary schools	96.2%		96	41^st of 1488 public elementary schools	97.2%	16	86.0	66.3	56.6	73.8	73.6	62.4	63.1	68.7	84.5	71.3	61.2	67.9	71.3	67.4	60.9	82.6	$11,831	$566	$11,265
Southwood Elementary	Public	K-5	630 66th St SE	Grand Rapids	49548	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 455-7230	302	20	15.3	81.1%	109 (36.1%)	68 (22.5%)	78 (25.8%)	14 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.9%)	32.9	956^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.9%		48.1	750^th of 1488 public elementary schools	49.6%	206			35.6	33.3	41.7			36.7	18.3	29.2			29.2		6.3		$20,632	$2,527	$18,105
Explorer Elementary	Public	K-5	2307 68th St SE	Caledonia	49316	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 554-0302	556	34	16.5	55.8%	188 (33.8%)	151 (27.2%)	78 (14.0%)	68 (12.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (12.2%)	81.1	252^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	83.1%		82.1	242^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	83.7%	10			48.3	60.9	63.3			52.8	63.0	48.0			51.0		52.0		$16,412	$1,713	$14,699
Townline Elementary	Public	K-5	100 60th St SE	Grand Rapids	49548	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 538-4120	320	21	14.9	83.1%	77 (24.1%)	78 (24.4%)	98 (30.6%)	29 (9.1%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	34 (10.6%)	18.6	1202^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	19.4%		30.9	999^th of 1488 public elementary schools	32.9%	203			8.7	28.0	26.9			26.1	28.0	15.4			19.6		11.8		$18,008	$1,814	$16,194
Glenwood Elementary	Public	K-5	912 Silverleaf St SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 455-2510	543	30	17.9	77.2%	123 (22.7%)	209 (38.5%)	118 (21.7%)	51 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (7.7%)	76.4	317^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.8%		52.1	685^th of 1488 public elementary schools	54.0%	368			50.0	56.9	62.1			46.9	55.2	50.5			52.4		37.9		$14,623	$1,669	$12,953
Discovery Elementary	Public	K-5	2461 60th St SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 871-1080	674	37	18.3	72.0%	166 (24.6%)	231 (34.3%)	109 (16.2%)	107 (15.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (8.9%)	45.3	772^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	48.3%		49.5	728^th of 1488 public elementary schools	51.1%	44			45.2	41.6	39.5			38.7	40.3	24.0			26.7		26.7		$17,266	$3,839	$13,427
Brookwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5465 Kalamazoo Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 455-0030	370	27	13.8	76.2%	75 (20.3%)	167 (45.1%)	49 (13.2%)	41 (11.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.7%)	33	954^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.1%		41.1	844^th of 1488 public elementary schools	43.3%	110			31.7	40.7	30.4			31.7	45.6	17.4			21.7		8.9		$19,094	$2,474	$16,620
Southeast Kelloggsville School	Public	K-2	240 52nd St SE	Grand Rapids	49548	Kent County	Kelloggsville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 532-1590	287	18	15.7	82.6%	32 (11.1%)	121 (42.2%)	97 (33.8%)	15 (5.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (7.0%)								(n/a)																	$16,950	$1,450	$15,500
Heritage Elementary School	Public	K-4	8638 Byron Center Ave SW	Byron Center	49315	Kent County	Byron Center Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(616) 878-6800	398	21	18.8	26.1%	316 (79.4%)	6 (1.5%)	37 (9.3%)	8 (2.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.5%)	99.2	3^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	99.8%					(n/a)			87.3	83.5				95.2	85.9								$15,781	$1,026	$14,755

Frequently Asked Questions about Countryside Elementary School

What district is Countryside Elementary School in?

Byron Center Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Countryside Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Byron Center West Middle School
Middle : Robert L Nickels Intermediate School
High : Byron Center High School

What is the racial makeup of Countryside Elementary School?

Students at Countryside Elementary School are 75% White, 10% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 2% African American.

Is Countryside Elementary School a good school?

Yes! Countryside Elementary School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 2^nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools.

How many students attend Countryside Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 426 students attended Countryside Elementary School.

Rate Countryside Elementary School!

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Schools in Byron Center, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 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.