Covert Elementary School

Covert Elementary School is a small, rural PK-5 school in Covert, MI, serving 144 students within the Covert Public Schools district, where over 81% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

One of the most striking things about Covert Elementary is its spending. The school invests about $24,898 per student—far more than nearby schools like North Shore Elementary ($13,917) or Redwood Elementary ($14,680). Yet, despite this high level of funding, test scores remain well below state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, only about 19% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA, compared to 35.5% at North Shore. This gap suggests that money alone isn't translating into academic gains, likely due to the high concentration of poverty and other challenges the school faces.

Attendance is another major concern. In the 2024-2025 school year, 31.7% of students were chronically absent—higher than the state average of 27.9% and above most neighboring schools. The good news is this rate has improved significantly from a peak of 51% in 2021-2022. There are also bright spots worth noting: male students have shown steady academic improvement, moving from the 25th to the 34th percentile in recent years. When compared to North Shore Elementary—a school just 9 miles away serving a similar population but achieving much better results—it's clear that high poverty doesn't have to dictate low performance. Covert's leadership may find valuable lessons in how nearby schools are addressing attendance and instruction to better support their students.