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KI Sawyer Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-4

Summary

KI Sawyer Elementary School is a public elementary school in Gwinn, Michigan, serving 243 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Gwinn Area Community Schools district. However, the school faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism, low test scores, and a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

Despite spending more per student ($15,391) than nearby schools like George D Gilbert Elementary ($14,793) and the state average, KI Sawyer Elementary's academic performance lags behind. The school has consistently low test scores, with only 22.9% of 3rd graders proficient in ELA, compared to 27.5% for the district and 39.6% statewide. Additionally, the school's chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 26.5% to 47.5% over the past 5 years, are much higher than the state average and nearby schools like Birchview School (30.9%).

KI Sawyer Elementary's challenges extend beyond academics, with an exceptionally high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 77.14% to 80.66% over the past 3 years. This is significantly higher than nearby schools like Cherry Creek Elementary (36.04%) and Superior Hills Elementary (61.92%). Despite these challenges, the school's statewide ranking has consistently been in the bottom quarter of Michigan elementary schools, with a 1-star rating in recent years, in contrast to higher-performing nearby schools like Lakeview School and Sandy Knoll School.

207

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,993

Per pupil spending ?

72%

Free/discounted lunch ?

411 Scorpion Rd
Gwinn, MI 49841-2739

(906) 346-5567

District: Gwinn Area Community Schools

Students who attend KI Sawyer Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Gwinn MiddleHigh School

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.0%

Two or more races:

9.2%

Hispanic:

4.3%

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Compare KI Sawyer Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 35th percentile in 2014 → 31st in 2024

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (27% vs 38% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 15 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2023-2024) ?

This school27%

District avg34%

Michigan avg38%

Not ranked this year

KI Sawyer Elementary School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

476^th of 613Gwinn Area 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	29.5	1027 of 1486	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.9	1116 of 1470	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	1158 of 1344	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.1	1073 of 1153	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	1243 of 1408	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	1165 of 1448	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.7	1198 of 1466	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.8	1183 of 1548	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	41.9	973 of 1580	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.9	999 of 1533	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.2	1021 of 1563	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.8	842 of 1566	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.6	885 of 1552	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.2	873 of 1552	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	41.4	1199 of 1589	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	46.3	1101 of 1577	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.1	931 of 1565	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.7	981 of 1545	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	26.8	1006 of 1342	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	1065 of 1321	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	1193 of 1443	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	39.5	817 of 1381	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	805 of 1350	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.9	879 of 1099	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	643 of 749	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	900 of 1134	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.9	1061 of 1397	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	24.9	1007 of 1347	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	943 of 1334	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	1079 of 1446	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	24.7	945 of 1204	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	1055 of 1198	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.8	1054 of 1102	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.8	973 of 1005	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	1050 of 1128	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	1164 of 1253	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2012	64.4	295 of 900	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.6	289 of 858	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	52.1	551 of 851	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.3	608 of 847	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	51.1	544 of 839	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.4	471 of 823	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.7	577 of 806	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)41st percentile+10 vs school

Male (2024)25th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2024)25th percentile-6 vs school

White (2024)22nd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2023-2024) ?

Science37%-4 vs state

Math29%-10 vs state

English Language Arts28%-15 vs state

Social Studies14%-5 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

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2★0

1★0

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Schools Near KI Sawyer Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	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	PSAT English Language Arts 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
KI Sawyer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	411 Scorpion Rd	Gwinn	49841	Marquette County	Gwinn Area Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 346-5567	207	18	11.8	72.0%	176 (85.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.3%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (9.2%)								(n/a)																$16,993	$3,898	$13,095
George D Gilbert Elementary School	Public, Magnet	3-5	250 W Iron St	Gwinn	49841	Marquette County	Gwinn Area Community Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(906) 346-2775	208	16	13.4	56.3%	173 (83.2%)	2 (1.0%)	7 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (11.1%)	34.7	942^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	36.7%		52.6	670^th of 1486 public elementary schools	54.9%	272		29.4	22.5	30.0			38.2	27.1	34.3			38.6		25.7		$15,745	$2,096	$13,649
Cherry Creek Elementary School	Public	K-5	1111 Ortman Rd	Marquette	49855	Marquette County	Marquette Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(906) 225-4399	430	25	17.5	21.2%	369 (85.8%)	2 (0.5%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (8.1%)	58.5	586^th of 1488 public elementary schools	60.6%		59.7	555^th of 1486 public elementary schools	62.7%	31		41.1	48.5	54.8			47.9	29.4	32.8			47.5		41.0		$13,233	$695	$12,538
Superior Hills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1201 S McClellan Ave	Marquette	49855	Marquette County	Marquette Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 225-4295	405	25	16.1	29.6%	351 (86.7%)	3 (0.7%)	10 (2.5%)	4 (1.0%)	8 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.9%)	75.9	323^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	78.3%		70.8	395^th of 1486 public elementary schools	73.4%	72		52.1	50.0	57.7			70.0	46.9	48.1			57.7		36.5		$14,147	$530	$13,617
Sandy Knoll School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 N 6th St	Marquette	49855	Marquette County	Marquette Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 225-4281	322	23	13.8	26.4%	272 (84.5%)	3 (0.9%)	7 (2.2%)	7 (2.2%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.8%)	86.7	181^st of 1488 public elementary schools	87.8%		87.8	153^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	89.7%	28		60.5	57.7	68.4			72.1	73.1	52.6			57.9		45.6		$15,195	$671	$14,524
Graveraet Elementary School	Public	K-5	611 N Front St	Marquette	49855	Marquette County	Marquette Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 225-4302	289	17	16.8	29.8%	243 (84.1%)	5 (1.7%)	16 (5.5%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)	2 (0.7%)	18 (6.2%)	77.1	306^th of 1488 public elementary schools	79.4%		78.7	269^th of 1486 public elementary schools	81.9%	37		56.5	50.0	56.0			52.2	56.3	42.0			62.0		50.0		$15,023	$665	$14,358
North Star Montessori Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	3030 Wright St	Marquette	49855	Marquette County	North Star Montessori Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(906) 226-0156	145	15	9.6	49.0%	125 (86.2%)	3 (2.1%)	2 (1.4%)	2 (1.4%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.9%)	56	629^th of 1488 public elementary schools	57.7%		64.6	489^th of 1486 public elementary schools	67.1%	140	63.6	29.4	37.5	66.7	46.7	26.7	23.5	31.3	58.3	26.7	33.3	66.7	45.5	50.0	27.3	$12,776	$2,458	$10,318
Lakeview School	Public	PK, KG-4	200 Croix St	Negaunee	49866	Marquette County	Negaunee Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 475-7803	584	40	14.6	33.0%	525 (89.9%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.1%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (6.2%)	66.5	474^th of 1488 public elementary schools	68.1%		68.5	433^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	70.9%	41		52.2	51.3				51.3	41.2								$13,145	$456	$12,689
AuTrainOnota Public School	Public	PK, KG-8	8790 Deerton Rd	Deerton	49822	Alger County	AuTrain-Onota Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 343-6632	20	2	10.0	30.0%	16 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.0%)								(n/a)																$45,344	$3,855	$41,489
Birchview School	Public	PK, KG-4	663 Poplar St	Ishpeming	49849	Marquette County	Ishpeming Public School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 485-6341	233	20	11.8	49.8%	202 (86.7%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	24 (10.3%)	14.5	1267^th of 1488 public elementary schools	14.9%		37.9	886^th of 1486 public elementary schools	40.4%	381		13.2	15.8				28.9									$13,236	$1,542	$11,693

Frequently Asked Questions about KI Sawyer Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of KI Sawyer Elementary School?

Students at KI Sawyer Elementary School are 85% White, 9% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of KI Sawyer Elementary School attend?

Students who attend KI Sawyer Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Gwinn MiddleHigh School

How many students attend KI Sawyer Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 207 students attended KI Sawyer Elementary School.

What district is KI Sawyer Elementary School in?

Gwinn Area Community Schools

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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.