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Dryden Elementary School

Q: Is Dryden Elementary School a good school?

Dryden Elementary School ranks 579 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

579^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Dryden Elementary School is a small, rural school in Dryden, MI, serving 224 students in grades PK through 6 within the Dryden Community Schools district.

One of the most defining features of Dryden Elementary is its exceptionally small class sizes. With a student-teacher ratio of just 9.7, it offers far more individualized attention than nearby schools like Capac Elementary School (17.1) or Emma Murphy Elementary School (20.7). The school also stands out for its strong support of students from low-income backgrounds. Over half of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet the school earned a 4-star rating for this subgroup, ranking in the 77th percentile statewide—a notable achievement that suggests effective teaching and support systems are in place for these students.

Academically, Dryden is on an upward trajectory. Its overall state ranking has climbed dramatically from the 31st percentile in 2022-2023 to the 61st percentile in 2025-2026. However, performance varies significantly by grade level. For example, 3rd-grade math proficiency was an impressive 58.5% in 2025-2026, well above the state average, while 4th-grade math proficiency in the same year was just 16%, far below the state average. This inconsistency suggests that success may be tied to specific groups of students rather than consistent school-wide instruction. When compared to the high-performing Orchard Primary School in the Almont district, Dryden's 3rd-grade math is competitive, but its 3rd-grade ELA (39%) lags behind Orchard's 66.3%.

One growing concern is chronic absenteeism, which has risen from 17% in 2022-2023 to 27.4% currently—a trend that may be impacting academic consistency. Additionally, while Dryden spends a generous $14,474 per student (more than HamiltonParsons Elementary School at $11,969), that higher investment hasn't yet translated into the same level of test scores as some more efficient neighboring schools. Still, for parents seeking a close-knit environment with strong support for diverse learners, Dryden's recent improvements and low student-teacher ratio make it a school worth watching.

224

Students ?

9.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,474

Per pupil spending ?

53.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3835 N Mill Rd
Dryden, MI 48428-9231

(810) 448-4001

District: Dryden Community Schools

Students who attend Dryden Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Dryden High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.3%

Hispanic:

5.8%

Two or more races:

2.7%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Dryden Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 31st percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 30 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Michigan median (61st percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg41%

Michigan avg37%

579^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 30 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to top 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

305^th of 625Dryden Community 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	58.3	579 of 1492	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.6	710 of 1488	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.7	827 of 1486	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.5	1012 of 1470	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.4	789 of 1344	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.0	1004 of 1153	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.6	948 of 1408	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.5	905 of 1448	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.3	882 of 1466	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.8	1066 of 1548	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.9	1191 of 1580	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	45.0	923 of 1533	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.2	779 of 1563	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.3	666 of 1566	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.4	521 of 1552	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	78.5	194 of 1552	87.5%	★★★★☆
2009	78.9	235 of 1589	85.2%	★★★★☆
2008	66.1	604 of 1577	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	61.0	722 of 1565	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.2	722 of 1545	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.8	436 of 1343	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.3	764 of 1338	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.3	689 of 1342	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	884 of 1321	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.1	1017 of 1443	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	61.5	429 of 1352	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.2	315 of 1346	76.6%	★★★★☆
2024	47.5	675 of 1381	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	639 of 1350	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.7	501 of 1099	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.6	423 of 1134	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.5	917 of 1397	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	515 of 1372	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.6	702 of 1366	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.1	767 of 1347	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.0	716 of 1334	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.8	629 of 1139	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.0	724 of 915	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.6	604 of 1196	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.5	713 of 1446	50.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	610 of 1199	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.3	677 of 1206	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.1	845 of 1204	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	1002 of 1198	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	829 of 1102	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	896 of 1005	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	911 of 1128	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	931 of 1253	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)68th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)68th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)62nd percentile~ school

White (2026)49th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science60%+20 vs state

Math41%+4 vs state

English Language Arts40%~ state avg

Social Studies30%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Dryden 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 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 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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd 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
Dryden Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3835 N Mill Rd	Dryden	48428	Lapeer County	Dryden Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(810) 448-4001	224	23	9.7	53.1%	200 (89.3%)	2 (0.9%)	13 (5.8%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	58.3	579^th of 1492 public elementary schools	61.2%		50.6	710^th of 1488 public elementary schools	52.3%	131			39.0	32.0	46.7	40.7		58.5	16.0	36.7	40.7		60.0		30.0		$14,474	$1,531	$12,943
Orchard Primary School	Public	PK, KG-3	4664 Kidder Rd	Almont	48003	Lapeer County	Almont Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(810) 798-7019	428	25	17.3	32.5%	382 (89.3%)	2 (0.5%)	23 (5.4%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.0%)								(n/a)			66.3					62.4									$14,373	$1,035	$13,337
Borland Elementary School	Public	3-5	500 W Borland Rd	Imlay City	48444	Lapeer County	Imlay City Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(810) 724-9813	396	20	20.2	58.8%	282 (71.2%)	3 (0.8%)	104 (26.3%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	47.8	733^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	50.9%		49.4	731^st of 1488 public elementary schools	50.9%	2			38.7	45.0	37.1			45.5	51.9	27.1			31.8		21.1		$13,904	$1,349	$12,555
Weston Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	275 Weston St	Imlay City	48444	Lapeer County	Imlay City Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(810) 724-9812	389	27	14.6	62.5%	264 (67.9%)	5 (1.3%)	107 (27.5%)	4 (1.0%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.0%)								(n/a)																	$16,772	$1,915	$14,858
Leonard Elementary School	Public	K-5	335 E Elmwood	Leonard	48367	Oakland County	Oxford Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(248) 969-5300	241	18	13.5	29.9%	207 (85.9%)	10 (4.1%)	13 (5.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.7%)	32.3	966^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.3%		29.5	1020^th of 1488 public elementary schools	31.5%	54			30.8	39.5	34.1			38.5	23.7	9.8			29.3		24.4		$21,704	$610	$21,094
Kingsbury Country Day School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	5000 Hosner Rd	Oxford	48370	Oakland County	Kingsbury Country Day School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 628-2571	335	26	12.8	18.2%	285 (85.1%)	2 (0.6%)	29 (8.7%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.8%)	44.4	788^th of 1492 public elementary schools	47.2%		69.2	423^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	71.6%	365	78.6	42.9	31.8	36.1	32.5	58.1	65.2	31.8	27.8	12.5	30.0	56.5	42.5	60.7	42.5	71.4	$11,408	$575	$10,833
Emma Murphy Elementary School	Public	K-4	1100 Pratt Rd	Metamora	48455	Lapeer County	Lapeer Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(810) 538-2345	374	18	20.7	31.0%	329 (88.0%)	2 (0.5%)	19 (5.1%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.1%)	49.7	699^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.2%		67.9	446^th of 1488 public elementary schools	70.0%	253			24.4	45.5				31.7	52.7								$15,213	$1,875	$13,338
HamiltonParsons Elementary School	Public	K-5	69875 Dequindre Rd	Leonard	48367	Oakland County	Romeo Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(586) 752-0280	498	27	18.2	15.7%	475 (95.4%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.8%)	68.4	432^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	71.0%		75.8	325^th of 1488 public elementary schools	78.2%	107			47.7	55.7	57.6			47.7	49.5	44.2			54.7		22.1		$11,969	$24	$11,946
Lakeville Elementary School	Public	K-5	1400 E Lakeville Rd	Oxford	48371	Oakland County	Oxford Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 969-1850	393	34	11.5	41.0%	305 (77.6%)	13 (3.3%)	40 (10.2%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.1%)	43.8	798^th of 1492 public elementary schools	46.5%		48.6	742^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	50.1%	56			36.4	35.1	31.3			50.9	29.7	29.9			41.8		26.9		$20,230	$1,464	$18,766
Capac Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	351 W Kempf Ct	Capac	48014	St. Clair County	Capac Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(810) 395-3636	326	19	17.1	52.5%	277 (85.0%)	2 (0.6%)	41 (12.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	31.9	976^th of 1492 public elementary schools	34.6%		30.9	1000^th of 1488 public elementary schools	32.8%	24			37.8	29.5	25.5	12.1		51.4	45.5	14.9	18.2		29.8		12.8		$14,960	$1,293	$13,667

Frequently Asked Questions about Dryden Elementary School

How many students attend Dryden Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 224 students attended Dryden Elementary School.

Is Dryden Elementary School a good school?

Dryden Elementary School ranks 579^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Dryden Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dryden Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Dryden High School

What is the racial makeup of Dryden Elementary School?

Students at Dryden Elementary School are 89% White, 6% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Dryden Elementary School in?

Dryden Community Schools

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Schools in Dryden, MI

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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.