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Sister Lakes Elementary School

Q: Is Sister Lakes Elementary School a good school?

Sister Lakes Elementary School ranks 835 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Sister Lakes Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 166 students attended Sister Lakes Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Sister Lakes Elementary School?

Students at Sister Lakes Elementary School are 57% White, 33% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Q: What schools do graduates of Sister Lakes Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Sister Lakes Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Dowagiac Middle School High : Union High School

Public Grades K-5

835^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Sister Lakes Elementary School is a small, rural K-5 school in Benton Harbor, MI, serving 166 students as part of the Dowagiac Union School District, where about two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most encouraging news for parents is the school's growing success with students from low-income backgrounds. Sister Lakes jumped from the 30th percentile statewide for this group in 2023-24 to the 61st percentile in 2025-26—a remarkable improvement that earned it a 3-star rating. This suggests the school is finding effective ways to support its core student population. You can also see a clear "5th grade bump" in reading: while 3rd and 4th graders score below state averages in English Language Arts, 5th graders hit a 48.3% proficiency rate, beating both the district (45.3%) and state (43.8%). That points to either a standout 5th-grade teacher or a literacy program that gains momentum in upper elementary. Chronic absenteeism has also dropped dramatically, from 44.1% in 2020-21 to 24.8% now—actually better than the district and state averages—which signals a more engaging school culture.

Compared to its sister schools in the Dowagiac Union School District, Sister Lakes sits in the middle: Kincheloe Elementary ranks highest at the 65th percentile, Justus Gage Elementary follows at the 56th, Sister Lakes lands at the 44th, and Patrick Hamilton Elementary trails at the 19th. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending $16,995 per child—well above other district elementaries (which range from $13,948 to $14,806)—and maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 13.8. Math remains a relative weakness, and 5th-grade science (34.5%) lags the district average (44%), so those are areas to watch. Overall, Sister Lakes is a school making targeted, measurable progress for the students who need it most.

166

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,995

Per pupil spending ?

66.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

93.8%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 6.3% (any vaccine)

68079 M 152
Benton Harbor, MI 49047-9360

(269) 782-4468

District: Dowagiac Union School District

Students who attend Sister Lakes Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Dowagiac Middle School
High:	Union High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.6%

Hispanic:

33.1%

Two or more races:

7.2%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Sister Lakes Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Near the bottom of Dowagiac Union School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg35%

Michigan avg38%

835^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 22% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Dowagiac Union School District

375^th of 625Dowagiac 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
2026	41.3	835 of 1492	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.1	891 of 1488	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.2	863 of 1486	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.0	766 of 1470	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.2	908 of 1344	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.4	824 of 1153	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.0	1082 of 1408	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.6	1230 of 1448	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.0	1195 of 1466	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.4	1203 of 1548	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.1	1144 of 1580	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	41.8	982 of 1533	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	56.6	718 of 1563	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	38.7	1077 of 1566	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	35.3	1242 of 1552	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.5	1226 of 1552	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	41.1	1207 of 1589	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	33.5	1292 of 1577	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	38.8	1209 of 1565	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.0	1289 of 1545	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	10.1	269 of 270	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	52.9	566 of 1343	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.1	806 of 1338	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.5	916 of 1342	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	785 of 1321	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	14.0	1276 of 1443	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	143 of 209	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	92 of 201	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.6	113 of 188	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.1	209 of 222	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	532 of 1352	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.5	723 of 1346	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	973 of 1381	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	57.1	491 of 1350	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.2	426 of 1099	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.9	420 of 749	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	714 of 1134	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.0	1165 of 1397	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	712 of 1372	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.6	843 of 1366	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.4	795 of 1347	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.9	642 of 1334	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.6	819 of 1139	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.4	589 of 915	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.9	960 of 1196	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	1102 of 1446	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	738 of 1199	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.4	571 of 1206	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	379 of 1204	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.2	372 of 1198	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	17.3	1108 of 1253	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)61st percentile+17 vs school

Female (2026)58th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)48th percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)38th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)32nd percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2018)<1st percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts36%-5 vs state

Math35%-3 vs state

Science34%-6 vs state

Social Studies21%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sister Lakes 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 Vaccination 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)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sister Lakes Elementary School	Public	K-5	68079 M 152	Benton Harbor	49047	Cass 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%)	41.3	835^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.0%		38.1	891^st of 1488 public elementary schools	40.1%	56	34.8	25.8	48.3	34.8	35.5	34.5	34.5	20.7	93.8%	6.3%	$16,995	$2,448	$14,547
Countryside Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	4722 Meadowbrook Rd	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Countryside Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(269) 944-3319	384	24	16.3	83.1%	27 (7.0%)	213 (55.5%)	125 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	20.5	1168^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.7%		17.9	1198^th of 1488 public elementary schools	19.5%	30	12.2	12.5	39.6	20.4	16.1	13.2	28.3	22.6	92.3%	5.1%	$14,523	$2,186	$12,336
South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	433 Lucinda Ln	Watervliet	49098	Berrien County	Watervliet School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 463-0820	335	23	14.8	66.9%	252 (75.2%)	7 (2.1%)	56 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.7%)								(n/a)									92.2%	3.3%	$15,384	$1,421	$13,962
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%)	18.4	1206^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.2%		16.6	1231^st of 1488 public elementary schools	17.3%	25	27.6	25.6	22.5	23.3	25.6	14.6	20.0	10.0			$14,122	$2,059	$12,063
North Elementary School	Public	3-5	287 West Baldwin Ave	Watervliet	49098	Berrien County	Watervliet School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 463-0824	312	18	17.4	73.4%	225 (72.1%)	8 (2.6%)	61 (19.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	34.1	940^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.0%		38.1	892^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	40.1%	48	23.2	40.6	35.5	31.0	39.6	15.5	33.3	21.6			$14,183	$1,565	$12,617
Redwood Elementary	Public	K-5	395 Woodside Dr	Hartford	49057	Van Buren County	Hartford Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 621-7300	516	33	15.6	89.0%	177 (34.3%)	2 (0.4%)	333 (64.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25.5	1076^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.9%		23	1112^th of 1488 public elementary schools	25.3%	36	19.2	29.0	32.6	20.8	28.0	28.6	27.5	13.2	94.6%	4.1%	$14,680	$1,984	$12,695
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%)	53.4	653^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	56.2%		49	734^th of 1488 public elementary schools	50.7%	81	29.8	22.6	50.0	48.9	32.1	44.4	57.4	29.6	95.5%	4.5%	$13,948	$1,928	$12,019
Coloma Intermediate School	Public	4-5	274a S West St	Coloma	49038	Berrien County	Coloma Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 468-2415	175	10	16.8	78.9%	99 (56.6%)	13 (7.4%)	41 (23.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (12.0%)	18.3	1209^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.0%		18.9	1182^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	20.6%	27		30.5	25.6		20.7	10.5	20.9	12.8			$14,116	$2,162	$11,955
Coloma Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	262 West St	Coloma	49038	Berrien County	Coloma Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 468-2420	356	21	16.7	74.7%	217 (61.0%)	29 (8.1%)	68 (19.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.2%)								(n/a)	19.3			16.9					90.1%	4.9%	$15,709	$2,235	$13,474
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%)	15.1	1273^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	14.7%		19.9	1158^th of 1488 public elementary schools	22.2%	115	15.2	27.8	23.1	12.1	25.0	12.8	15.4	1471.5	94.7%	2.6%	$18,284	$2,268	$16,016

Frequently Asked Questions about Sister Lakes Elementary School

How many students attend Sister Lakes Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 166 students attended Sister Lakes Elementary School.

Is Sister Lakes Elementary School a good school?

Sister Lakes Elementary School ranks 835^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Sister Lakes Elementary School in?

Dowagiac Union School District

What schools do graduates of Sister Lakes Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Sister Lakes Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Dowagiac Middle School
High : Union High School

What is the racial makeup of Sister Lakes Elementary School?

Students at Sister Lakes Elementary School are 57% White, 33% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Rate Sister Lakes Elementary School!

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.