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Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School

Q: Is Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School a good school?

Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School ranks 559 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 4-8

559^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 38% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School is a small, rural school in Carson City, MI, serving 262 students in grades 4 through 8 as part of the Carson City-Crystal Area Schools district.

This school faces significant challenges, most notably a severe chronic absenteeism problem. In the 2023-2024 school year, nearly half of the student body (45%) was chronically absent, and while that rate dropped to 31.5% in 2024-2025, it remains higher than the state average and is the highest among all comparable schools in the area. For context, nearby St Johns Middle School has a chronic absenteeism rate of just 12.3%. Academic performance is inconsistent across grade levels and subjects—for example, 4th-grade math proficiency (44.8%) actually exceeds the state average, while 5th-grade math (19.3%) falls far below it. This inconsistency suggests the school lacks a cohesive instructional strategy that works across all classrooms. The school has held a 2-star rating for five consecutive years, and its overall state ranking (38th percentile) places it below all neighboring middle schools, including Fulton Middle School (66th percentile) and Donald L Pavlik Middle School (58th percentile).

There are some bright spots worth noting. The school performs relatively better for students from low-income backgrounds, ranking in the 45th percentile for this group—higher than its overall rank. Additionally, 8th-grade English Language Arts scores showed a positive trajectory, reaching 61.4% proficiency in 2024-2025, close to the state average. However, a large and volatile gender gap in performance (with boys ranking 28 percentile points higher than girls in the most recent year, though the pattern reversed the year before) points to an unstable learning environment. Notably, the school's per-student spending of $13,782 is actually higher than that of the higher-performing St Johns Middle School, and its student-teacher ratio is in line with peers—suggesting that resources aren't the primary issue. Instead, the combination of high absenteeism and inconsistent academic outcomes points to school climate and instructional effectiveness as the key areas needing attention.

262

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,782

Per pupil spending ?

54.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

213 E Sherman St
Carson City, MI 48811-8569

(989) 584-3138

District: Carson City-Crystal Area Schools

Students who attend Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School usually attend:

High:

Carson CityCrystal High School

Feeder schools for Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School:

Elementary:

Carson City Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.7%

Hispanic:

4.2%

Two or more races:

0.8%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 46th percentile in 2023 → 38th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (31% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 46th-percentile peak (2023) to 38th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school31%

District avg31%

Michigan avg39%

Elementary school

896^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 33% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

559^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 27% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

380^th of 625Carson City-Crystal Area 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	37.4	896 of 1492	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.0	965 of 1488	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.7	1023 of 1486	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.3	883 of 1470	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.2	1086 of 1344	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	1055 of 1153	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	1118 of 1408	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.3	986 of 1448	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.1	1047 of 1466	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.5	1043 of 1548	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.7	852 of 1580	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	45.8	905 of 1533	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.2	875 of 1563	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.4	946 of 1566	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.9	837 of 1552	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.6	1128 of 1552	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	60.4	793 of 1589	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	54.3	931 of 1577	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.5	1034 of 1565	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	51.0	953 of 1545	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	42.9	713 of 1343	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.7	973 of 1338	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	1003 of 1342	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.3	805 of 1321	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.4	921 of 1106	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.8	864 of 902	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.4	984 of 1443	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	41.8	12 of 17	29.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	831 of 1352	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.8	954 of 1346	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	998 of 1381	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.1	752 of 1350	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.3	899 of 1099	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.9	664 of 749	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.9	836 of 1134	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.5	1048 of 1397	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	30.7	926 of 1372	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.9	933 of 1366	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.2	985 of 1347	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.9	770 of 1334	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.8	941 of 1139	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	965 of 1196	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.9	955 of 1446	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	25.1	921 of 1199	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.3	1001 of 1206	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	1054 of 1204	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	934 of 1198	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	1041 of 1102	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.6	969 of 1005	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	1058 of 1128	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	1061 of 1253	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	36.0	559 of 896	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.1	557 of 890	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.5	568 of 897	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.7	473 of 883	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.6	536 of 776	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.6	545 of 675	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.1	523 of 792	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.5	487 of 838	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	25.0	615 of 821	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.5	657 of 894	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	52.6	426 of 919	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	46.4	536 of 921	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	30.5	672 of 919	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.9	577 of 900	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.8	517 of 858	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	56.0	508 of 851	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	52.0	551 of 847	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.9	489 of 839	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.6	500 of 823	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.5	578 of 806	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	602 of 789	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.3	559 of 789	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.4	451 of 771	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	510 of 770	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.8	526 of 657	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.4	380 of 521	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.5	494 of 658	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.3	520 of 794	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	43.2	457 of 834	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.1	536 of 832	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	532 of 836	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.8	413 of 825	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.5	355 of 691	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.0	382 of 523	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.3	528 of 672	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.6	555 of 815	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	47.0	387 of 813	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.3	500 of 798	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.0	605 of 786	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.9	341 of 776	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.7	367 of 658	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.2	421 of 540	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.7	431 of 639	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.2	373 of 797	53.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	20.0	574 of 687	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.9	568 of 696	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	574 of 701	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	489 of 688	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	533 of 638	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.0	521 of 577	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	484 of 624	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.0	474 of 678	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2026)47th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile~ school

Male (2026)33rd percentile-7 vs school

Homeless (2018)29th percentile~ school

White (2026)23rd percentile-17 vs school

Middle school

Male (2026)52nd percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)24th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts35%-5 vs state

Math31%-3 vs state

Social Studies28%-11 vs state

Science25%-15 vs state

Mathematics14%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle 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 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 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
Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School	Public	4-8	213 E Sherman St	Carson City	48811	Montcalm County	Carson City-Crystal Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 584-3138	262	15	17.8	54.2%	248 (94.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	36	559^th of 896 public middle schools	37.6%		35.1	557^th of 890 public middle schools	37.4%	2	45.1	13.7	40.3	31.6	34.8	31.4	44.8	19.3	28.3	27.5	24.6	25.5	14.3	43.1	$13,782	$1,520	$12,262
Fulton Middle School	Public	6-8	8060 Ely Hwy	Middleton	48856	Gratiot County	Fulton Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 236-7232	119	7	16.6	51.3%	102 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (11.8%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	58.9	309^th of 896 public middle schools	65.5%		48.7	425^th of 890 public middle schools	52.2%	116	58.5	41.5			37.5	36.7			41.0	30.0		43.9		46.3	$14,049	$782	$13,267
Ionia Middle School	Public	6-8	438 Union St	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Ionia Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 527-0040	629	35	17.8	57.6%	523 (83.1%)	3 (0.5%)	75 (11.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.3%)	38.6	530^th of 896 public middle schools	40.8%		47.6	435^th of 890 public middle schools	51.1%	95	66.9	36.6			25.4	23.7			20.8	14.9		33.1		40.4	$13,212	$1,410	$11,802
Donald L Pavlik Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 Pine Ave	Alma	48801	Gratiot County	Alma Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 463-3111	457	25	18.1	73.5%	381 (83.4%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (12.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (3.3%)	53.3	377^th of 896 public middle schools	57.9%		45.5	469^th of 890 public middle schools	47.3%	92	72.5	26.2			40.9	33.1			30.8	20.8		42.3		49.7	$12,873	$764	$12,109
Ashley Middle School	Public	5-8	104 N New St	Ashley	48806	Gratiot County	Ashley Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 847-4000	54	5	10.9	77.8%	45 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.4%)								(n/a)				1478.2	20.0			25.0	1571.4		33.3		1474.2		$15,855	$1,899	$13,956
St Johns Middle School	Public	6-8	900 W Townsend Rd	Saint Johns	48879	Clinton County	St. Johns Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 227-4300	584	33	17.6	31.8%	507 (86.8%)	3 (0.5%)	49 (8.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.6%)	83.2	120^th of 896 public middle schools	86.6%		82.7	114^th of 890 public middle schools	87.2%	6	78.7	43.1			42.5	58.4			44.7	46.4		66.0		72.6	$12,810	$441	$12,369

Frequently Asked Questions about Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School

What is the racial makeup of Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School?

Students at Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School are 95% White, 4% Hispanic.

Is Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School a good school?

Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School ranks 559^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School in?

Carson City-Crystal Area Schools

How many students attend Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 262 students attended Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School.

What high school do graduates of Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School attend?

Students who attend Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School usually go on to attend Carson CityCrystal High School

Rate Carson CityCrystal Upper ElementaryMiddle School!

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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.