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Barkell Elementary School

Q: Is Barkell Elementary School a good school?

Barkell Elementary School ranks 456 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

456^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Barkell Elementary School in Hancock, MI, serves 257 students in kindergarten through 5th grade as part of the Hancock Public Schools district, a mid-sized school in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that has earned a reputation for strong early academics and exceptional support for students facing economic challenges.

What truly sets Barkell apart is its remarkable success with students from low socio-economic backgrounds. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school ranked in the 92nd percentile statewide for effectiveness with these students—a 5-star rating that far exceeds its overall 69th percentile ranking. This isn't a fluke; the school achieved a 94th percentile ranking for this group in 2023-2024 as well. Barkell has also made dramatic strides in reducing chronic absenteeism, cutting its rate from a staggering 34.8% in 2021-2022 to just 11.9% in 2024-2025—nearly 16 percentage points below the state average and lower than nearby CLK Elementary School (16.2%), EB Holman Elementary School (13.0%), and South Range Elementary School (12.0%).

Barkell's 3rd-grade test scores are a clear highlight, with 65.2% proficiency in English Language Arts and 67.4% in math—well above state averages and even surpassing Houghton Elementary School's 3rd-grade math scores (52%), despite Houghton having a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch. However, a "sliding scale" pattern emerges: proficiency declines as students progress, with 5th-grade math dropping to 35.1%. This suggests Barkell's primary program (K-2) is exceptionally strong, but sustaining that momentum through upper elementary is an area for growth. The 2024-2025 school year showed a temporary dip across all metrics, but 2025-2026 data reveals a strong rebound, indicating resilience rather than decline. With per-student spending of $14,293, Barkell appears to use its resources effectively, delivering outcomes that rival schools with more affluent demographics.

257

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,293

Per pupil spending ?

42%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1201 N Elevation St
Hancock, MI 49930-1148

(906) 487-9030

District: Hancock Public Schools

Students who attend Barkell Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Hancock MiddleHigh School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.8%

Hispanic:

3.5%

Two or more races:

3.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Barkell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 75th percentile in 2016 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

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

✓Above the Michigan median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg48%

Michigan avg38%

456^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 25% (2016) to top 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

185^th of 625Hancock Public 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	66.8	456 of 1492	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.5	545 of 1488	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.5	399 of 1486	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	65.8	462 of 1470	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.8	292 of 1344	78.3%	★★★★☆
2021	89.4	75 of 1153	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	78.9	247 of 1408	82.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.6	227 of 1448	84.3%	★★★★☆
2017	71.8	328 of 1466	77.6%	★★★★☆
2016	72.1	383 of 1548	75.3%	★★★★☆
2015	72.8	396 of 1580	74.9%	★★★★☆
2014	74.6	347 of 1533	77.4%	★★★★☆
2013	63.6	562 of 1563	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.3	601 of 1566	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	74.9	347 of 1552	77.6%	★★★★☆
2010	78.7	183 of 1552	88.2%	★★★★☆
2009	81.1	174 of 1589	89.0%	★★★★☆
2008	85.3	61 of 1577	96.1%	★★★★★
2007	75.6	294 of 1565	81.2%	★★★★☆
2006	71.9	388 of 1545	74.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.1	447 of 1343	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.5	501 of 1338	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	378 of 1342	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	405 of 1321	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	87.1	95 of 1106	91.4%	★★★★★
2021	84.4	84 of 902	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	72.2	261 of 1171	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.9	176 of 1443	87.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	84.9	112 of 1352	91.7%	★★★★★
2025	61.3	433 of 1346	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	87.4	76 of 1381	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	73.9	223 of 1350	83.5%	★★★★☆
2022	81.3	95 of 1099	91.4%	★★★★★
2021	96.8	6 of 749	99.2%	★★★★★
2019	81.5	101 of 1134	91.1%	★★★★★
2018	86.7	96 of 1397	93.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	513 of 1372	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.7	581 of 1366	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.6	403 of 1347	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	56.6	541 of 1334	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.6	389 of 1139	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	83.0	99 of 915	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	77.3	216 of 1196	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	77.5	286 of 1446	80.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	53.5	532 of 1199	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.0	576 of 1206	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	467 of 1204	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	502 of 1198	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.7	342 of 1102	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	85.6	89 of 1005	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	70.0	294 of 1128	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	73.2	299 of 1253	76.1%	★★★★☆

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)92nd percentile+22 vs school

Female (2026)67th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)63rd percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math55%+17 vs state

English Language Arts51%+10 vs state

Science38%~ state avg

Social Studies30%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, October 11, 2010

I love Barkell and the teachers and staff! Close Quote

Schools Near Barkell 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
Barkell Elementary School	Public	K-5	1201 N Elevation St	Hancock	49930	Houghton County	Hancock Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 487-9030	257	18	14.6	42.0%	236 (91.8%)	2 (0.8%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	66.8	456^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.4%		61.5	545^th of 1488 public elementary schools	63.4%	89			65.2	42.9	40.5			67.4	60.0	35.1			37.8		29.7		$14,293	$1,370	$12,923
Houghton Elementary School	Public	K-5	203 W Jacker Ave	Houghton	49931	Houghton County	Houghton-Portage Township School District	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 482-0456	618	37	16.7	27.8%	555 (89.8%)	10 (1.6%)	4 (0.6%)	32 (5.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.6%)	85.5	189^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.3%		86.5	185^th of 1488 public elementary schools	87.6%	4			48.0	68.3	60.7			52.0	68.3	57.1			70.5		48.2		$14,247	$939	$13,308
South Range Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2 Whealkate Dr	South Range	49963	Houghton County	Adams Township School District	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 482-0599	204	18	11.4	42.6%	202 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	59.7	563^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	62.3%		85.8	193^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	87.0%	370			34.4	28.9	55.6	68.2		56.3	26.3	29.6	72.7		51.9		40.7		$16,559	$1,087	$15,473
EB Holman Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-8	50870 Holman School Rd	Atlantic Mine	49905	Houghton County	Stanton Township Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(906) 482-2797	183	10	18.3	56.3%	177 (96.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59.9	558^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.6%		67.1	462^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	69.0%	96			38.5	40.0	35.0	61.5	35.0	53.9	48.0	20.0	1615.2	55.0	60.0		40.0		$12,142	$1,141	$11,000
CLK Elementary School	Public	K-5	57070 Mine St	Calumet	49913	Houghton County	Public Schools of Calumet Laurium & Keweenaw	No	No	No	Yes	(906) 337-0311	496	32	15.5	49.4%	480 (96.8%)	4 (0.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	51.9	671^st of 1492 public elementary schools	55.0%		56.5	619^th of 1488 public elementary schools	58.4%	52			52.7	44.8	27.2			59.5	47.1	17.3			38.3		27.2		$13,881	$958	$12,923

Frequently Asked Questions about Barkell Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Barkell Elementary School?

Students at Barkell Elementary School are 92% White, 4% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Barkell Elementary School attend?

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

High : Hancock MiddleHigh School

Is Barkell Elementary School a good school?

Barkell Elementary School ranks 456^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Barkell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 257 students attended Barkell Elementary School.

What district is Barkell Elementary School in?

Hancock Public Schools

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Schools in Hancock, 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.