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Shay Elementary School

Q: Is Shay Elementary School a good school?

Shay Elementary School ranks 602 nd of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-4

602^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 60% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Blackbird Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-2 in Harbor Springs, Michigan, part of the Harbor Springs School District, which is ranked 110 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating. With 163 students, Blackbird Elementary stands out for its strong performance among low-income students, but faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates and underperformance in Math compared to the state average.

Blackbird Elementary students outperform the state average in English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency for both 3rd and 4th grades, but underperform in Math. However, the school's low-income students perform very well, ranking 369 out of 1,346 Michigan elementary schools in this subgroup, with a 4-star rating. Compared to nearby schools, Blackbird Elementary outperforms Inland Lakes Elementary in both ELA and Math, and Charlevoix Elementary in Math, though Charlevoix has higher ELA proficiency. The high-performing Lincoln School in Petoskey outperforms Blackbird Elementary across all grade levels.

Blackbird Elementary's high spending per student, ranging from $19,716 to $24,658 over the past four years, and low student-teacher ratio, from 9.9 to 12 students per teacher, suggest a focus on providing additional resources and support to students. However, the school's chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 8.4% to 30.8% over the past two years, are a concern and may be impacting student performance. Overall, Blackbird Elementary's strengths and challenges highlight the importance of addressing attendance and supporting low-income students to drive academic success.

258

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,658

Per pupil spending ?

23.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

175 E Lake St
Harbor Springs, MI 49740-1152

(231) 526-4600

District: Harbor Springs School District

Students who attend Shay Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Harbor Springs Middle School
High:	Harbor Springs High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.6%

Hispanic:

5.0%

Two or more races:

5.0%

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At a glance

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (60th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg44%

Michigan avg41%

602^nd of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 40%

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

110^th of 613Harbor Springs School District among Michigan districts

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 (2025)73rd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)67th percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)45th percentile-15 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts50%+9 vs state

Math38%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Shay Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	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
Shay Elementary School	Public	K-4	175 E Lake St	Harbor Springs	49740	Emmet County	Harbor Springs School District	No	No	No	No	(231) 526-4600	258	21	12.2	23.3%	226 (87.6%)	2 (0.8%)	13 (5.0%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.0%)	57.2	602^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	59.5%					(n/a)	48.4	52.3			37.5	38.6					$24,658	$1,364	$23,294
Lincoln School	Public, Magnet	K-5	616 Connable Ave	Petoskey	49770	Emmet County	Public Schools of Petoskey	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 348-2120	237	16	14.8	30.4%	206 (86.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	3 (1.3%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.6%)	89.9	119^th of 1488 public elementary schools	92.0%		88.5	142^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	90.4%	23	62.2	69.6	70.2		59.5	65.2	66.0		76.1	44.7	$17,056	$1,292	$15,764
Central Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	410 State St	Petoskey	49770	Emmet County	Public Schools of Petoskey	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 348-2111	234	16	14.6	26.5%	202 (86.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (10.3%)	74.3	347^th of 1488 public elementary schools	76.7%		77.8	285^th of 1486 public elementary schools	80.8%	62	56.4	51.2	69.6		66.7	53.5	43.5		50.0	30.4	$17,712	$1,495	$16,217
Ottawa Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	871 Kalamazoo Ave	Petoskey	49770	Emmet County	Public Schools of Petoskey	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 348-2130	250	21	11.9	40.8%	220 (88.0%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.4%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.0%)	60.9	553^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	62.8%		68.9	422^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	71.6%	131	34.2	56.8	50.0		50.0	46.5	32.6		47.8	34.8	$17,352	$2,039	$15,313
Sheridan School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1415 Howard St	Petoskey	49770	Emmet County	Public Schools of Petoskey	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 348-2140	252	18	14.0	27.4%	222 (88.1%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.5%)	77.6	295^th of 1488 public elementary schools	80.2%		74.1	337^th of 1486 public elementary schools	77.3%	42	56.4	52.3	62.1		56.4	45.5	45.5		56.1	48.5	$16,747	$1,041	$15,707
Pellston Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	114 Zipf St	Pellston	49769	Emmet County	Pellston Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 539-8421	220	20	11.0	52.7%	173 (78.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (16.4%)	79.7	276^th of 1488 public elementary schools	81.5%		77.9	283^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	81.0%	7	36.8	64.9	62.5		42.1	73.0	62.5		68.8	56.3	$19,559	$2,867	$16,692
Charlevoix Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	108 E Garfield Ave	Charlevoix	49720	Charlevoix County	Charlevoix Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 547-8115	398	32	12.6	49.2%	365 (91.7%)	3 (0.8%)	9 (2.3%)	4 (1.0%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)	67.1	463^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	68.9%		67.9	441^st of 1486 public elementary schools	70.3%	22	59.4	51.0	67.9	48.8	42.2	27.5	26.8	37.2	59.6	46.4	$17,379	$1,717	$15,662
Boyne City Elementary School	Public	K-4	930 Brockway St	Boyne City	49712	Charlevoix County	Boyne City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 439-8300	425	26	16.1	43.8%	382 (89.9%)	3 (0.7%)	7 (1.6%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.6%)	73	369^th of 1488 public elementary schools	75.2%		74.6	330^th of 1486 public elementary schools	77.8%	39	53.2	47.6			60.6	48.8					$20,367	$1,707	$18,660
Inland Lakes Elementary School	Public	K-5	4363 S Straits Hwy	Indian River	49749	Cheboygan County	Inland Lakes Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 238-6868	316	21	14.9	71.2%	283 (89.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.6%)	31	996^th of 1488 public elementary schools	33.1%		40.2	844^th of 1486 public elementary schools	43.2%	152	31.6	30.8	36.7		31.6	23.1	12.2		42.9	20.4	$15,102	$2,150	$12,952

Frequently Asked Questions about Shay Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Shay Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Harbor Springs Middle School
High : Harbor Springs High School

Is Shay Elementary School a good school?

Shay Elementary School ranks 602^nd of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Shay Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 258 students attended Shay Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Shay Elementary School?

Students at Shay Elementary School are 88% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What district is Shay Elementary School in?

Harbor Springs School District

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Schools in Harbor Springs, MI

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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.