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Franklin Elementary School

Q: Is Franklin Elementary School a good school?

Franklin Elementary School ranks 635 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

635^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Franklin Elementary School is a PK-5 public school in Cadillac, MI, serving 563 students within the Cadillac Area Public Schools district, where it has historically been a solid performer but is currently experiencing a notable downturn in academic rankings.

Franklin's greatest strength lies in its early-grade instruction. Third-grade students consistently outperform state averages in both reading and math, with recent proficiency rates near 49% and 51% respectively, compared to state averages around 38% and 43%. The school also manages chronic absenteeism well—at 21.6%, it's better than the district (24.7%) and state (27.9%) averages. However, these early gains tend to fade by 5th grade, particularly in math. The most striking concern is the dramatic volatility in 5th-grade math scores: after an exceptional 74.7% proficiency rate in 2024-2025, scores plummeted to just 28.8% in 2025-2026—far below both the district (38.8%) and state (32.2%) averages. This 46-point swing suggests a possible cohort-specific issue rather than a systemic decline, but it's a trend worth monitoring closely. Social studies has also remained a persistent weakness, with proficiency hovering between 21% and 34.5% over recent years.

Compared to nearby schools, Franklin's recent dip stands out. While Forest View Elementary—just 9.6 miles away—improved to the 81st percentile and has now overtaken Franklin as the district's top performer, Franklin dropped to the 57th percentile. The gap is especially pronounced in upper-grade math: Forest View's 5th-grade math proficiency is 62.2% versus Franklin's 28.8%. Franklin also spends nearly identically to Forest View ($14,123 vs. $14,134 per student) yet achieves weaker results. Nearby McBain Elementary spends slightly less ($13,752) but ranks significantly higher (72nd percentile). For parents, this suggests Franklin offers strong early elementary foundations but may require additional support at home as children approach 5th grade, particularly in math and social studies.

563

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,123

Per pupil spending ?

55.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

505 Lester St
Cadillac, MI 49601-2299

(231) 876-5200

District: Cadillac Area Public Schools

Students who attend Franklin Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Mackinaw Trail Middle School
High:	Cadillac Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.4%

Hispanic:

5.7%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Franklin Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 78th percentile in 2016 → 57th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg43%

Michigan avg38%

635^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 22% (2016) to top 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Cadillac Area Public Schools

194^th of 625Cadillac Area 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	54.3	635 of 1492	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.7	482 of 1488	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.3	370 of 1486	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	71.1	375 of 1470	74.5%	★★★★☆
2022	58.8	499 of 1344	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.1	381 of 1153	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	476 of 1408	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.8	572 of 1448	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	78.6	234 of 1466	84.0%	★★★★☆
2016	74.7	335 of 1548	78.4%	★★★★☆
2015	82.4	222 of 1580	85.9%	★★★★☆
2014	80.6	233 of 1533	84.8%	★★★★☆
2013	78.0	291 of 1563	81.4%	★★★★☆
2012	73.5	379 of 1566	75.8%	★★★★☆
2011	74.6	359 of 1552	76.9%	★★★★☆
2010	74.0	367 of 1552	76.4%	★★★★☆
2009	65.8	638 of 1589	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.2	991 of 1577	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	49.6	1013 of 1565	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	62.6	657 of 1545	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	641 of 1343	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.4	452 of 1338	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.6	296 of 1342	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	67.8	339 of 1321	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	53.7	473 of 1106	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.2	303 of 902	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.5	384 of 1171	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.1	415 of 1443	71.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	757 of 1352	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	59.5	470 of 1346	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.5	282 of 1381	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	78.1	178 of 1350	86.8%	★★★★☆
2022	68.8	247 of 1099	77.5%	★★★★☆
2021	74.7	115 of 749	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	78.7	128 of 1134	88.7%	★★★★☆
2018	62.6	451 of 1397	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	50.8	636 of 1372	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.6	478 of 1366	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.8	443 of 1347	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.0	405 of 1334	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.4	460 of 1139	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.5	345 of 915	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.4	501 of 1196	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.2	686 of 1446	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	36.2	149 of 225	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.8	708 of 1199	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.7	525 of 1206	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.3	401 of 1204	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.8	406 of 1198	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.7	547 of 1102	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.6	391 of 1005	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.1	555 of 1128	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.4	664 of 1253	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)54th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)52nd percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2024)34th percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts46%+5 vs state

Science44%+4 vs state

Math40%~ state avg

Social Studies21%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Franklin 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Franklin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	505 Lester St	Cadillac	49601	Wexford County	Cadillac Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 876-5200	563	33	17.1	55.8%	481 (85.4%)	11 (2.0%)	32 (5.7%)	10 (1.8%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.1%)	54.3	635^th of 1492 public elementary schools	57.4%		65.7	482^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	67.6%	153	48.8	42.5	46.7	51.2	41.4	28.8	43.8	21.0	$14,123	$1,418	$12,705
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	K-5	125 Ayer St	Cadillac	49601	Wexford County	Cadillac Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 876-5400	480	30	16.1	64.0%	437 (91.0%)	5 (1.0%)	13 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.0%)	52.3	664^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.5%		45.6	782^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	47.4%	118	28.6	43.1	50.7	38.5	43.1	41.1	45.2	26.0	$14,351	$1,396	$12,956
McBain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	107 E Maple St	Mc Bain	49657	Missaukee County	McBain Rural Agricultural Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 825-2021	520	28	18.8	51.2%	441 (84.8%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	69.2	419^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.9%		68.4	435^th of 1488 public elementary schools	70.8%	16	50.6	40.4	60.6	42.0	44.9	53.2	59.6	31.9	$13,752	$1,240	$12,512
Forest View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7840 S 25 Rd	Boon	49618	Wexford County	Cadillac Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 876-5100	257	15	16.5	49.8%	231 (89.9%)	3 (1.2%)	10 (3.9%)	4 (1.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.7%)	77.8	290^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.6%		77	307^th of 1488 public elementary schools	79.4%	17	47.3	54.8	51.4	45.5	71.4	62.2	62.2	45.9	$14,134	$1,026	$13,108
Lake City Elementary School	Public	K-5	5534 W Davis Rd	Lake City	49651	Missaukee County	Lake City Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 839-6600	508	32	16.1	68.9%	468 (92.1%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (4.9%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	65.4	487^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.4%		63.5	518^th of 1488 public elementary schools	65.2%	31	32.3	39.5	59.0	39.8	53.1	51.8	57.8	38.6	$14,614	$1,367	$13,247
Manton Consolidated Elementary School	Public	K-4	105 5th St	Manton	49663	Wexford County	Manton Consolidated Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 824-6413	345	24	14.2	57.1%	308 (89.3%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (6.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.2%)	56.5	603^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	59.6%		77.8	293^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	80.3%	310	46.9	38.7		63.3	34.7				$16,396	$1,868	$14,528
Pine River Area Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	408 W Gilbert St	Leroy	49655	Osceola County	Pine River Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 768-4481	270	16	16.4	68.1%	248 (91.9%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.7%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)								(n/a)	38.1			47.6					$17,099	$1,605	$15,494
Marion Elementary School	Public	K-5	510 W Main St	Marion	49665	Osceola County	Marion Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 743-6251	185	14	13.2	76.8%	171 (92.4%)	2 (1.1%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	4 (2.2%)	66.7	461^st of 1492 public elementary schools	69.1%		44.6	798^th of 1488 public elementary schools	46.4%	337	45.2	37.9	55.6	77.4	27.6	37.0	55.6	44.4	$18,177	$2,213	$15,964
Floyd M Jewett Elementary School	Public	K-5	210 E Mesick Ave	Mesick	49668	Wexford County	Mesick Consolidated Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 885-1207	256	21	12.3	61.7%	242 (94.5%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.6%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	41.7	829^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.4%		45.2	790^th of 1488 public elementary schools	46.9%	39	31.3	39.5	37.3	33.3	42.1	31.4	43.1	15.7	$17,846	$2,122	$15,724

Frequently Asked Questions about Franklin Elementary School

How many students attend Franklin Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 563 students attended Franklin Elementary School.

Is Franklin Elementary School a good school?

Franklin Elementary School ranks 635^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Franklin Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Mackinaw Trail Middle School
High : Cadillac Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Franklin Elementary School?

Students at Franklin Elementary School are 85% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

What district is Franklin Elementary School in?

Cadillac Area Public Schools

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MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Cadillac, MI

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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.