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Clare Primary School

Q: Is Clare Primary School a good school?

Clare Primary School ranks 862 nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

862^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Clare Primary School in Clare, MI, serves 557 students from Pre-K through 4th grade as part of Clare Public Schools, a district rated in the top 60% of Michigan districts. The school has shown one of the most consistent improvement trajectories in the region, climbing from the 10th percentile statewide in 2020-2021 to the 42nd percentile by 2025-2026—a remarkable 32-point jump over five years.

Perhaps the school's most impressive asset is its attendance record. Only 9.8% of students are chronically absent, which is less than half the district rate (13.6%) and nearly a third of the state average (27.9%). Every nearby elementary school reports chronic absenteeism above 16%, with most falling in the 22-31% range. This exceptional attendance suggests a school culture where students want to be present, which is especially notable given that about 55% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Academically, 3rd graders are performing near state averages in math (42.9% proficient vs. 42.9% statewide), though English Language Arts remains a challenge at 24.5% proficiency compared to the state's 38.2%. The school also operates efficiently, spending $14,927 per student—less than many comparable schools like Ganiard School ($20,023) while achieving comparable results.

Parents considering Clare Primary should know that the school is in a positive transition, with steady investment in resources (per-student spending up 28% over three years) and a clear focus on academic growth. The most striking comparison in the region is Weidman Elementary School, just 14 miles away, which ranks in the top 10% statewide with dramatically higher proficiency rates—though Weidman also struggles with 27.2% chronic absenteeism, suggesting high achievement and attendance challenges can coexist. While Clare Primary's ELA scores have shown some volatility, particularly in 4th grade, the school's overall upward trend, strong attendance, and efficient spending make it a solid choice for families seeking a stable, improving elementary experience in mid-Michigan.

557

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,927

Per pupil spending ?

54.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

205 E Wheaton Ave
Clare, MI 48617-1300

(989) 386-3438

District: Clare Public Schools

Students who attend Clare Primary School usually attend:

Middle:	Clare Middle School
High:	Clare High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.9%

Hispanic:

4.7%

Two or more races:

4.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Clare Primary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 10th percentile in 2021 → 42nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 42nd (2026) from a 10th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (35% vs 40% meeting standards)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg35%

Michigan avg40%

862^nd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

252^nd of 625Clare 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	39.9	862 of 1492	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.6	744 of 1488	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.9	755 of 1486	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	994 of 1470	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1012 of 1344	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.2	1041 of 1153	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.8	857 of 1408	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.7	921 of 1448	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.0	831 of 1466	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	54.0	724 of 1548	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	48.3	862 of 1580	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	65.2	524 of 1533	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.6	736 of 1563	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	46.5	922 of 1566	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	66.1	586 of 1552	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	63.5	735 of 1552	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.6	1064 of 1589	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	54.3	929 of 1577	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.5	969 of 1565	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	62.5	658 of 1545	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	33.4	853 of 1343	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.0	719 of 1338	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	733 of 1342	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	881 of 1321	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.6	968 of 1106	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.2	879 of 902	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.8	758 of 1171	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	980 of 1443	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	32.0	915 of 1352	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.5	684 of 1346	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	731 of 1381	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.4	956 of 1350	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.9	877 of 1099	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	692 of 749	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.0	765 of 1134	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	1020 of 1397	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	37.2	841 of 1372	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.8	730 of 1366	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.2	784 of 1347	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.1	1064 of 1334	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	929 of 1139	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.9	867 of 915	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	842 of 1196	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.3	827 of 1446	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	25.7	179 of 225	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	25.8	910 of 1199	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.9	826 of 1206	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	812 of 1204	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.2	1036 of 1198	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	1018 of 1102	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.0	963 of 1005	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.0	880 of 1128	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	979 of 1253	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)39th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)24th percentile-18 vs school

Special Education (2024)20th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math39%~ state avg

English Language Arts31%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Clare Primary 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/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	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 Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th 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
Clare Primary School	Public	PK, KG-4	205 E Wheaton Ave	Clare	48617	Clare County	Clare Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 386-3438	557	35	16.0	54.8%	501 (89.9%)	3 (0.5%)	26 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.5%)	39.9	862^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	42.2%		48.6	744^th of 1488 public elementary schools	50.0%	118	24.5	36.4			42.9	36.4					$14,927	$1,071	$13,856
Farwell Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-3	268 E Ohio St	Farwell	48622	Clare County	Farwell Area Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(989) 588-9916	336	22	15.0	81.5%	306 (91.1%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.8%)								(n/a)	14.1				23.1						$15,837	$1,307	$14,530
Coleman Elementary School	Public	K-6	1010 E Washington St	Coleman	48618	Midland County	Coleman Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 465-6179	315	19	16.6	63.2%	291 (92.4%)	4 (1.3%)	14 (4.4%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	27.5	1045^th of 1492 public elementary schools	30.0%		24.5	1089^th of 1488 public elementary schools	26.8%	44	31.3	26.1	25.5	16.7	25.0	32.6	25.5	20.0	25.5	23.4	$14,792	$1,906	$12,886
Beal City Elementary School	Public	K-5	3117 Elias Rd	Mount Pleasant	48858	Isabella County	Beal City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 644-2740	265	17	15.2	39.6%	244 (92.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	49.9	696^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.4%		48.4	747^th of 1488 public elementary schools	49.8%	51	38.0	26.1	45.7		44.0	28.3	30.4		56.5	32.6	$15,942	$1,173	$14,769
Robert M Larson Elementary School	Public	1-5	455 W Spruce St	Harrison	48625	Clare County	Harrison Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 539-3259	582	36	15.9	83.2%	543 (93.3%)	3 (0.5%)	14 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.4%)	18.6	1201^st of 1492 public elementary schools	19.5%		21.5	1132^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	23.9%	69	29.4	20.4	20.0		35.3	12.0	12.0		25.0	9.1	$17,364	$4,287	$13,076
Hillside Elementary School	Public	PK-K	201 N 4th St	Harrison	48625	Clare County	Harrison Community Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(989) 741-8193	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Weidman Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-4	3311 N School Rd	Weidman	48893	Isabella County	Chippewa Hills School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(989) 644-3430	258	16	16.4	73.3%	228 (88.4%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.0%)	91.5	110^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.6%		90.5	115^th of 1488 public elementary schools	92.3%	5	67.5	61.9			85.0	65.1					$16,706	$1,989	$14,717
Beaverton Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	440 S Ross St	Beaverton	48612	Gladwin County	Beaverton Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(989) 246-3020	411	27	15.2	56.9%	377 (91.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.4%)	38.1	889^th of 1492 public elementary schools	40.4%		36.2	916^th of 1488 public elementary schools	38.4%	27	22.2	21.0	31.9		38.9	30.9	30.4		43.5	33.3	$14,525	$3,017	$11,508
Mary McGuire School	Public	3-5	4883 Crosslanes St	Mount Pleasant	48858	Isabella County	Mt. Pleasant City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 775-2260	276	22	12.8	60.5%	181 (65.6%)	11 (4.0%)	21 (7.6%)	5 (1.8%)	23 (8.3%)	1 (0.4%)	34 (12.3%)	21.1	1154^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.7%		25.4	1072^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	28.0%	82	22.4	22.1	24.0		29.4	19.8	21.1		28.1	14.6	$16,047	$1,950	$14,097
Pullen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	251 S Brown St	Mount Pleasant	48858	Isabella County	Mt. Pleasant City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 775-2270	303	20	14.8	62.7%	187 (61.7%)	14 (4.6%)	40 (13.2%)	5 (1.7%)	26 (8.6%)	3 (1.0%)	28 (9.2%)								(n/a)											$16,736	$1,855	$14,881

Frequently Asked Questions about Clare Primary School

What schools do graduates of Clare Primary School attend?

Students who attend Clare Primary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Clare Middle School
High : Clare High School

What district is Clare Primary School in?

Clare Public Schools

How many students attend Clare Primary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 557 students attended Clare Primary School.

What is the racial makeup of Clare Primary School?

Students at Clare Primary School are 90% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

Is Clare Primary School a good school?

Clare Primary School ranks 862^nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Clare Primary School!

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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.