Roscommon Elementary School

Roscommon Elementary School in Roscommon, MI, serves 276 students in Pre-K through 4th grade within the Roscommon Area Public Schools district, a small school in a rural, north-central Michigan community where over half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

If you're looking at this school, the most striking thing you'll notice is an unusual academic split. Your child is likely to get a very strong foundation in math—especially by 4th grade, where 44.3% of students are proficient, beating the state average (39.4%) and far outpacing nearby Collins Elementary School (23.5%) and Grayling Elementary School (29.9%). However, reading and English language arts are a persistent challenge. Only about 30% of 3rd and 4th graders are proficient in ELA, which is roughly 8–12 points below the state average year after year. This isn't a one-year blip—it's a consistent pattern suggesting the school's teaching strategies are far more effective in math than in literacy.

There are some encouraging signs and some things to watch. The school has made real progress with its male students, whose performance ranking jumped from the 24th to the 45th percentile over the past few years, while female students have stayed flat. Chronic absenteeism, which spiked to nearly 60% a few years ago, has dropped to 26.8%—now in line with the district and Grayling. One thing that might give you pause: Roscommon spends significantly more per student ($19,999) than its neighbors (Grayling spends $17,258, Collins $16,492), yet overall test scores are only marginally better. That higher investment seems to pay off in math, but it hasn't closed the reading gap. If you're choosing between Roscommon and Grayling Elementary—which are similar in size, grades served, and poverty rates—the real question is whether you prioritize math (Roscommon's strength) or reading (where Grayling does better).