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Patrick Hamilton Elementary

Public Grades K-5

1231^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Patrick Hamilton Elementary is a public elementary school in Dowagiac, Michigan, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Dowagiac Union School District, which is ranked 373 out of 613 school districts in the state.

Despite the school's higher per-student spending, Patrick Hamilton Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Michigan elementary schools, with a 1-star or 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in M-Step English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies are significantly lower than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 17.9% of 3rd graders at Patrick Hamilton were proficient in ELA, compared to 27% for the district and 38.9% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low in Math, with only 9.76% of 4th graders and 15.8% of 5th graders proficient.

Patrick Hamilton Elementary also faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 27.8% to 32.4% over the past few years, notably higher than the state average of around 20%. Compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as Kincheloe Elementary and Justus Gage Elementary, Patrick Hamilton's academic performance is significantly lower across all grade levels and subject areas. The school's high percentage of students from low-income families, ranging from 86.82% to 90.25% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, is likely a significant factor contributing to its persistent low performance.

224

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,868

Per pupil spending ?

83%

Free/discounted lunch ?

614 Spruce St
Dowagiac, MI 49047-1036

(269) 782-4450

District: Dowagiac Union School District

Students who attend Patrick Hamilton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Dowagiac Middle School
High:	Union High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.2%

African American:

17.9%

Hispanic:

16.5%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 21st percentile in 2015 → 17th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (19% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 22 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg31%

Michigan avg39%

1,231^st of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Dowagiac Union School District

373^rd of 613Dowagiac Union School District 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
2025	16.6	1231 of 1488	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	1251 of 1486	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	1132 of 1470	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.9	1213 of 1344	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.5	985 of 1153	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.4	1358 of 1408	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	1260 of 1448	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.6	1201 of 1466	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.9	1182 of 1548	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.5	1249 of 1580	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	28.1	1195 of 1533	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.2	1265 of 1563	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	20.7	1349 of 1566	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.5	1287 of 1552	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.2	1299 of 1552	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	37.7	1263 of 1589	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	41.4	1181 of 1577	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	47.7	1045 of 1565	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	53.9	882 of 1545	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	12.6	1209 of 1338	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	1106 of 1342	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	1236 of 1321	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.3	1165 of 1443	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	44.6	107 of 209	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	1082 of 1346	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	1138 of 1381	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.6	912 of 1350	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	18.0	945 of 1099	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.9	513 of 749	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.2	1088 of 1134	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	1157 of 1397	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	18.7	1103 of 1366	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	1164 of 1347	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	1009 of 1334	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.8	705 of 915	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	1282 of 1446	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	28.2	57 of 81	29.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	1133 of 1206	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	1087 of 1204	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	1007 of 1198	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.1	685 of 1005	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	13.9	1147 of 1253	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)49th percentile+32 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)30th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile~ school

Male (2025)19th percentile~ school

Female (2025)10th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)6th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Science26%-14 vs state

English Language Arts19%-22 vs state

Social Studies18%-11 vs state

Math17%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Patrick Hamilton Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				M-Step English Language Arts (2025)			M-Step Math (2025)			M-Step Science (2025)	M-Step Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Patrick Hamilton Elementary	Public	K-5	614 Spruce St	Dowagiac	49047	Cass County	Dowagiac Union School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 782-4450	224	15	15.4	83.0%	117 (52.2%)	40 (17.9%)	37 (16.5%)	2 (0.9%)	9 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (8.5%)	16.6	1231^st of 1488 public elementary schools	17.3%		14.8	1251^st of 1486 public elementary schools	15.8%	20	17.9	12.2	28.9	25.6	9.8	15.8	26.3	18.4	$13,868	$2,437	$11,431
Justus Gage Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Oak St	Dowagiac	49047	Cass County	Dowagiac Union School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 782-4460	262	17	15.1	74.8%	174 (66.4%)	17 (6.5%)	42 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (8.0%)	49	734^th of 1488 public elementary schools	50.7%		42.4	810^th of 1486 public elementary schools	45.5%	76	21.2	40.4	52.2	50.0	36.5	28.3	50.0	28.3	$12,441	$1,779	$10,663
Kincheloe Elementary School	Public	K-5	25121 Gage St	Dowagiac	49047	Cass County	Dowagiac Union School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 782-4464	214	15	14.4	60.3%	160 (74.8%)	1 (0.5%)	32 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (8.9%)	40.9	850^th of 1488 public elementary schools	42.9%		34	954^th of 1486 public elementary schools	35.8%	104	51.3	55.3	31.9	43.6	34.2	17.0	31.9	14.9	$13,820	$2,483	$11,337
Sam Adams Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	114 Depot St	Cassopolis	49031	Cass County	Cassopolis Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 445-0530	368	23	16.2	69.0%	229 (62.2%)	32 (8.7%)	28 (7.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (20.7%)	31.7	983^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	33.9%		17.4	1213^th of 1486 public elementary schools	18.4%	230	23.5	38.0	32.8	25.5	25.4	21.3	34.4	29.5	$15,255	$2,046	$13,209
Sister Lakes Elementary School	Public	K-5	68079 M 152	Benton Harbor	49022	Van Buren County	Dowagiac Union School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 782-4468	166	12	13.8	66.9%	94 (56.6%)	1 (0.6%)	55 (33.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	2 (1.2%)	12 (7.2%)	38.1	891^st of 1488 public elementary schools	40.1%		39.2	863^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	41.9%	28	18.2	35.5	40.6	36.4	35.5	37.5	34.4	22.6	$15,606	$2,828	$12,778
Lybrook Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6238 W Main St	Eau Claire	49111	Berrien County	Eau Claire Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 461-6191	233	18	12.7	91.0%	74 (31.8%)	75 (32.2%)	81 (34.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	19.9	1158^th of 1488 public elementary schools	22.2%		11.1	1324^th of 1486 public elementary schools	10.9%	166	28.6	30.3	20.6	20.6	22.9	14.7	23.5		$16,850	$2,877	$13,974
HowardEllis Elementary School	Public	K-5	2788 Mannix St	Niles	49120	Cass County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 683-4633	529	27	19.4	66.4%	336 (63.5%)	85 (16.1%)	48 (9.1%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (10.0%)	57.3	601^st of 1488 public elementary schools	59.6%		53.4	659^th of 1486 public elementary schools	55.7%	58	36.2	50.9	56.8	53.2	46.2	29.7	40.5	24.3	$12,780	$2,098	$10,682
Davis Elementary School	Public	K-5	409 N Phelps St	Decatur	49045	Van Buren County	Decatur Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 423-6950	356	22	16.0	64.0%	236 (66.3%)	1 (0.3%)	96 (27.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.2%)	57.2	603^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	59.5%		49	714^th of 1486 public elementary schools	52.0%	111	26.6	51.0	50.7	32.8	38.8	40.0	61.3	34.7	$15,761	$2,418	$13,343
Northside Child Development Center	Public	PK-K	2020 N 5th St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 683-1982	13	3	4.4	23.1%	11 (84.6%)	1 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)								(n/a)									$25,491	$12,528	$12,963
Mars Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1 Sylvester Ave	Berrien Springs	49103	Berrien County	Berrien Springs Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 471-1836	338	28	12.0	60.1%	133 (39.3%)	95 (28.1%)	56 (16.6%)	17 (5.0%)	5 (1.5%)	7 (2.1%)	25 (7.4%)								(n/a)									$16,460	$1,529	$14,931

Frequently Asked Questions about Patrick Hamilton Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Patrick Hamilton Elementary?

Students at Patrick Hamilton Elementary are 52% White, 18% African American, 17% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 4% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Patrick Hamilton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Patrick Hamilton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Dowagiac Middle School
High : Union High School

What district is Patrick Hamilton Elementary in?

Dowagiac Union School District

How many students attend Patrick Hamilton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 224 students attended Patrick Hamilton Elementary.

Is Patrick Hamilton Elementary a good school?

Patrick Hamilton Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.3% of Michigan elementary schools.

Rate Patrick Hamilton Elementary!

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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.