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Fulton Elementary School

Q: Is Fulton Elementary School a good school?

Fulton Elementary School ranks 522 nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

522^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 65% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Fulton Elementary School in Middleton, MI, is a rural Pre-K through 5th-grade school serving 261 students within the Fulton Schools district, and it has become a standout success story in recent years.

Fulton Elementary has undergone a remarkable turnaround. After ranking in the 29th percentile statewide in 2018-2019, the school has climbed steadily to the 65th percentile in 2025-2026, earning a 3-star rating. What makes this improvement especially noteworthy is that the school serves a student population where nearly 64% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In fact, Fulton's low-income students ranked in the 81st percentile statewide in 2025-2026—a 4-star performance that outpaces nearby schools with similar or higher economic disadvantage rates, such as Hillcrest Elementary School or Carson City Elementary School. The gains are broad-based, with male students jumping from the 31st to 69th percentile and white students from the 25th to 57th percentile over the same period. Fulton also shows particular strength in upper elementary math, with 5th-grade proficiency (42%) running nearly 10 points above the state average.

While the academic trajectory is clearly positive, chronic absenteeism remains an area to watch. Fulton's rate of 15.3% is far better than the state average of 27.9%, but it trails high-performing nearby schools like PewamoWestphalia Elementary School (11.5%) and Waldron Elementary and Middle School (7.0%). The school also shows some inconsistency across grade levels—3rd-grade reading dipped below state averages in 2025-2026 while 4th and 5th grades exceeded them. On the financial side, Fulton spends $14,291 per student, which is in line with peers yet delivers stronger results than schools spending more, such as Eureka School ($18,299) or Ashley Elementary School ($23,100). For parents, Fulton represents a school that is effectively serving its community and demonstrating that meaningful academic progress is possible regardless of economic challenges.

261

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,291

Per pupil spending ?

64%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8060 Ely Hwy
Middleton, MI 48856-9704

(989) 236-7234

District: Fulton Schools

Students who attend Fulton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Fulton Middle School
High:	Fulton High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.4%

Hispanic:

5.0%

American Indian:

1.9%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Fulton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 43rd percentile in 2015 → 65th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (44% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Michigan median (65th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg44%

Michigan avg38%

522^nd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 35%▲ up 29 pts since 2016

From bottom 36% (2016) to top 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

279^th of 625Fulton 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	62.7	522 of 1492	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.0	701 of 1488	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.7	892 of 1486	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.6	842 of 1470	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	704 of 1344	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.8	997 of 1408	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	994 of 1448	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.9	858 of 1466	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.1	983 of 1548	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	46.4	898 of 1580	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.1	899 of 1533	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.8	865 of 1563	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.8	914 of 1566	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	68.4	526 of 1552	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	72.8	419 of 1552	73.0%	★★★★☆
2009	67.0	609 of 1589	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.8	583 of 1577	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.1	684 of 1565	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.0	668 of 1545	56.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	630 of 1343	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	31.7	896 of 1338	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.0	849 of 1342	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.4	695 of 1321	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.4	417 of 1106	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.2	713 of 1171	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.4	955 of 1443	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	72.5	256 of 1352	81.1%	★★★★☆
2025	46.3	688 of 1346	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.4	819 of 1381	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.6	504 of 1350	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.8	418 of 1099	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.2	744 of 1134	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.1	942 of 1397	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	65.9	421 of 1372	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.6	452 of 1366	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.4	927 of 1347	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	881 of 1334	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.3	824 of 1139	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.7	951 of 1196	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	1014 of 1446	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	54.9	514 of 1199	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.8	754 of 1206	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.1	908 of 1204	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.3	869 of 1198	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.0	756 of 1102	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.0	938 of 1128	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	972 of 1253	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)81st percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)69th percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)57th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)53rd percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math48%+10 vs state

Science48%+8 vs state

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

Social Studies32%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Fulton 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
Fulton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8060 Ely Hwy	Middleton	48856	Gratiot County	Fulton Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 236-7234	261	16	16.4	64.0%	236 (90.4%)	4 (1.5%)	13 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	62.7	522^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	65.0%		51	701^st of 1488 public elementary schools	52.9%	179			32.4	44.1	48.0			58.8	47.1	42.0			48.0		32.0		$14,291	$1,695	$12,596
Carson City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	338 Eagle Ave	Carson City	48811	Montcalm County	Carson City-Crystal Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 584-3138	216	18	12.3	66.2%	199 (92.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)								(n/a)			50.0					65.9									$16,210	$1,354	$14,856
South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	400 Webster St	Ithaca	48847	Gratiot County	Ithaca Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 875-4741	234	17	14.1	48.7%	202 (86.3%)	2 (0.9%)	24 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)								(n/a)																	$15,228	$1,308	$13,920
North Elementary School	Public	3-6	201 E Arcada St	Ithaca	48847	Gratiot County	Ithaca Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 875-3047	295	18	16.6	50.8%	260 (88.1%)	3 (1.0%)	23 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (2.0%)	44.2	791^st of 1492 public elementary schools	47.0%		43.4	819^th of 1488 public elementary schools	45.0%	28			32.1	30.4	41.9	34.3		46.2	23.2	27.0	29.9		44.6		28.4		$14,209	$1,155	$13,054
Eureka School	Public	PK, KG-5	7500 N Welling Rd	Saint Johns	48879	Clinton County	St. Johns Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 227-4900	114	8	13.7	38.6%	96 (84.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (14.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53.8	645^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.8%		56	630^th of 1488 public elementary schools	57.7%	15			40.0	50.0	31.3			44.0	41.7	40.0			33.3		33.3		$18,299	$974	$17,326
Waldron Elementary and Middle School	Public, Magnet	K-8	11214 W Kent St	Fowler	48835	Clinton County	Fowler Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(989) 593-2160	262	18	14.4	18.3%	251 (95.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	91.8	106^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.9%		91.5	100^th of 1488 public elementary schools	93.3%	6	82.1	71.4	56.0	76.0	83.3	80.8	83.3	56.0	88.0	54.2	57.7	54.2	58.3	64.3	66.7	89.3	$13,794	$319	$13,475
Ashley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	104 New St	Ashley	48806	Gratiot County	Ashley Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 847-2102	60	7	9.1	75.0%	52 (86.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.3%)								(n/a)			1282.6					21.4									$23,100	$2,632	$20,468
Gateway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	915 N Lansing St	Saint Johns	48879	Clinton County	St. Johns Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 227-4600	320	21	15.3	45.6%	259 (80.9%)	2 (0.6%)	43 (13.4%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)								(n/a)																	$13,285	$856	$12,429
Hillcrest Elementary School	Public	1-3	515 E Elizabeth St	Alma	48801	Gratiot County	Alma Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 463-3111	400	24	16.7	77.3%	344 (86.0%)	1 (0.3%)	35 (8.8%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)								(n/a)			33.9					39.1									$13,472	$1,158	$12,314
PewamoWestphalia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	430 W Jefferson St	Pewamo	48873	Ionia County	Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 593-3488	249	17	15.0	28.5%	240 (96.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	74.1	352^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	76.4%		76.2	319^th of 1488 public elementary schools	78.6%	33			56.1	40.7	59.3			56.1	48.1	51.9			44.4		44.4		$14,741	$394	$14,347

Frequently Asked Questions about Fulton Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Fulton Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Fulton Middle School
High : Fulton High School

What is the racial makeup of Fulton Elementary School?

Students at Fulton Elementary School are 90% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, 2% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Is Fulton Elementary School a good school?

Fulton Elementary School ranks 522^nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Fulton Elementary School in?

Fulton Schools

How many students attend Fulton Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 261 students attended Fulton Elementary School.

Rate Fulton Elementary School!

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Schools in Middleton, 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.