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Belle River Elementary School

Q: Is Belle River Elementary School a good school?

Belle River Elementary School ranks 440 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades K-5

440^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Belle River Elementary School in Marine City, MI, is a K-5 school with 343 students in the East China School District, serving a community along the St. Clair River where just over half of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Belle River has quietly become one of the most improved elementary schools in the region. Over the past five years, its statewide ranking has climbed steadily from the 23rd percentile to the 71st percentile, earning a 4-star rating for the 2025-2026 school year. What makes this especially noteworthy is that the school serves a higher percentage of low-income students (53%) than any other elementary school in its district—yet those students rank in the 84th percentile statewide. That means Belle River is exceptionally effective at helping students who face economic challenges succeed academically. The school has also seen a dramatic turnaround for boys: their performance jumped from the 48th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 71st percentile just two years later, suggesting recent instructional changes are working well.

Belle River's 5th graders are particularly strong, outperforming both district and state averages in every subject. For example, 61.1% are proficient in math compared to 40.7% for the district and 32.2% statewide. This success is even more impressive when compared to nearby Anchor Bay School District schools like Great Oaks Elementary and Ashley Elementary, which have lower poverty rates but similar or lower 5th-grade math scores. However, there are areas to watch. Third and 4th grade reading scores dipped below district averages in the most recent year, and chronic absenteeism (22.5%) remains higher than district peers like Pine River Elementary (12.2%). While Belle River ranks slightly below Palms Elementary and Pine River overall, it achieves these results while serving a more economically diverse student body—a strong sign of effective teaching and resource use.

343

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,401

Per pupil spending ?

53.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1601 Chartier Rd
Marine City, MI 48039-2329

(810) 676-1150

District: East China School District

Students who attend Belle River Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Marine City Middle School
High:	Marine City High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.2%

Hispanic:

2.0%

Two or more races:

2.0%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Belle River Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 42nd percentile in 2016 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (48% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 29 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Michigan median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of East China School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg49%

Michigan avg38%

440^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▲ up 29 pts since 2016

From bottom 42% (2016) to top 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the East China School District

160^th of 625East China 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	67.6	440 of 1492	70.5%	★★★★☆
2025	59.9	560 of 1488	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.7	624 of 1486	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.3	775 of 1470	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	778 of 1344	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.3	893 of 1153	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	859 of 1408	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	882 of 1448	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.0	856 of 1466	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.3	903 of 1548	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	51.6	794 of 1580	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	48.7	855 of 1533	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.7	734 of 1563	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.1	557 of 1566	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.0	589 of 1552	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.2	847 of 1552	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.6	935 of 1589	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.2	1136 of 1577	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	50.1	999 of 1565	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	48.9	995 of 1545	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	57.4	519 of 1343	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.8	539 of 1338	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.4	526 of 1342	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	636 of 1321	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	27.2	844 of 1106	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.6	733 of 902	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.5	814 of 1171	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.9	842 of 1443	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	76.3	213 of 1352	84.2%	★★★★☆
2025	67.4	345 of 1346	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	67.3	328 of 1381	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	44.7	723 of 1350	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.6	516 of 1099	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.5	519 of 749	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.0	643 of 1134	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.6	804 of 1397	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	67.7	400 of 1372	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	55.3	583 of 1366	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.2	701 of 1347	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.1	910 of 1334	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	668 of 1139	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.4	773 of 915	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.3	724 of 1196	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.4	884 of 1446	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	142 of 246	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	148 of 225	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	122 of 195	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	56.8	487 of 1199	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.5	639 of 1206	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.0	706 of 1204	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.4	845 of 1198	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.0	818 of 1102	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	890 of 1005	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	840 of 1128	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	922 of 1253	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)84th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)71st percentile~ school

Female (2026)61st percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)59th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2026)42nd percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science59%+19 vs state

Math49%+10 vs state

English Language Arts47%+6 vs state

Social Studies39%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Belle River 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)				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
Belle River Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1601 Chartier Rd	Marine City	48039	St. Clair County	East China School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(810) 676-1150	343	24	14.3	53.1%	323 (94.2%)	5 (1.5%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	67.6	440^th of 1492 public elementary schools	70.5%		59.9	560^th of 1488 public elementary schools	62.4%	120	37.1	41.3	64.8		50.0	36.5	61.1		59.3	38.9	$13,401	$1,918	$11,483
Algonquin Elementary School	Public, Magnet	2-6	9185 Marsh Rd	Clay	48001	St. Clair County	Algonac Community School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(810) 794-9317	445	30	15.0	56.6%	425 (95.5%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	48.5	720^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.7%		62	535^th of 1488 public elementary schools	64.0%	185	34.5	41.2	54.5	38.3	45.2	36.5	24.8	23.5	39.6	24.8	$13,858	$1,134	$12,724
Millside Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-1	1904 Mill St	Clay	48001	St. Clair County	Algonac Community School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(810) 794-8880	179	12	14.8	61.5%	172 (96.1%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)								(n/a)											$17,186	$1,319	$15,867
Palms Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	6101 Palms Rd	Ira	48023	St. Clair County	East China School District	No	Yes	No	No	(810) 676-1350	245	15	16.1	26.5%	240 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	77.5	297^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.1%		68.2	440^th of 1488 public elementary schools	70.4%	143	50.0	64.3	55.9		61.4	50.0	38.2		58.8	41.2	$13,033	$610	$12,423
Pine River Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	3575 King Rd	China	48054	St. Clair County	East China School District	No	Yes	No	No	(810) 676-1050	335	22	15.1	28.4%	313 (93.4%)	3 (0.9%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	81.1	250^th of 1492 public elementary schools	83.2%		84.6	211^th of 1488 public elementary schools	85.8%	39	67.3	61.3	66.7		58.2	47.5	42.0		59.4	43.5	$14,039	$628	$13,411
Saint Clair River Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4335 Yankee Rd	Saint Clair	48079	St. Clair County	East China School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(810) 676-1650	353	23	15.3	40.8%	333 (94.3%)	8 (2.3%)	10 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	57.6	587^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.7%		68	445^th of 1488 public elementary schools	70.1%	142	56.1	54.2	41.8		57.6	39.0	26.6		38.5	26.9	$13,896	$1,425	$12,471
Francois Maconce Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	6300 Church Rd	Ira	48023	St. Clair County	Anchor Bay School District	No	No	No	Yes	(586) 725-0284	319	23	13.9	64.6%	253 (79.3%)	7 (2.2%)	27 (8.5%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.8%)	31.4	981^st of 1492 public elementary schools	34.2%		44.4	802^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	46.1%	179	30.1	37.3			26.4	28.8					$15,714	$2,089	$13,625
Ashley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	52347 Ashley St	New Baltimore	48047	Macomb County	Anchor Bay School District	No	No	No	No	(586) 725-2801	441	26	16.6	20.4%	390 (88.4%)	11 (2.5%)	21 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.9%)	66.4	467^th of 1492 public elementary schools	68.7%		83.8	222^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	85.1%	245	49.3	46.8			50.7	46.8					$15,892	$1,192	$14,700
Lighthouse Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	51880 Washington St	New Baltimore	48047	Macomb County	Anchor Bay School District	No	No	No	No	(586) 725-6404	441	26	17.1	26.5%	394 (89.3%)	7 (1.6%)	11 (2.5%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.4%)	49.3	706^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.7%		70	410^th of 1488 public elementary schools	72.4%	296	38.0	42.3			42.3	36.6					$15,019	$1,171	$13,848
Lottie M Schmidt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	33700 Hooker Rd	Chesterfield	48047	Macomb County	Anchor Bay School District	No	No	No	Yes	(586) 725-7541	338	21	16.0	28.4%	279 (82.5%)	14 (4.1%)	22 (6.5%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.9%)	46.8	747^th of 1492 public elementary schools	49.9%		60.4	558^th of 1488 public elementary schools	62.5%	189	47.2	45.0			30.2	30.0					$15,812	$1,720	$14,092

Frequently Asked Questions about Belle River Elementary School

What district is Belle River Elementary School in?

East China School District

Is Belle River Elementary School a good school?

Belle River Elementary School ranks 440^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Belle River Elementary School?

Students at Belle River Elementary School are 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Belle River Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Belle River Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Marine City Middle School
High : Marine City High School

How many students attend Belle River Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 343 students attended Belle River Elementary School.

Rate Belle River Elementary School!

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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.