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Gier Elementary School

Q: Is Gier Elementary School a good school?

Gier Elementary School ranks 1032 nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-4

1032^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Gier Elementary School in Hillsdale, MI, serves 434 students in grades K-4 as part of Hillsdale Community Schools, operating in a community where nearly two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Gier's test scores trail state averages by roughly 8-15 percentage points, but the school shows meaningful momentum. In the most recent year, 3rd grade ELA improved from 17.7% to 23.1% proficiency, and 4th grade ELA jumped from 24.3% to 30.3%. Math tells a more mixed story—4th grade improved to 31.5%, but 3rd grade math dipped to 30.8%. One of the school's standout achievements is its work with economically disadvantaged students: their statewide ranking jumped from the 27th to the 49th percentile over two years, suggesting targeted support is making a real difference. Chronic absenteeism sits at 20.6%, notably better than the state average of 27.9% and far below the 37.9% rate at nearby Hillsdale Preparatory School, which serves a similar demographic just half a mile away.

Compared to neighbors, Gier is a cost-efficient option. It spends $12,835 per student—less than Pittsford Area Elementary School ($15,600) or Litchfield Elementary School ($15,294)—while achieving comparable or better results. However, Williams Elementary School in Jonesville, just 3.6 miles away, demonstrates what's possible with similar demographics: Williams posts a 45.8% 3rd grade math proficiency rate and an 11.6% chronic absenteeism rate. Gier's test scores mirror district averages exactly, indicating challenges are systemic rather than school-specific. The recent upward trend in ELA scores offers cautious optimism, but sustaining improvement will likely depend on further reducing absenteeism and replicating the success seen with low-income students across all groups.

434

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,835

Per pupil spending ?

63.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

175 Spring St
Hillsdale, MI 49242

(517) 437-7347

District: Hillsdale Community Schools

Students who attend Gier Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Davis Middle School
High:	Hillsdale High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.4%

Two or more races:

5.1%

Hispanic:

4.6%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Gier Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 14th percentile in 2021 → 31st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 31st (2026) from a 14th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (29% vs 40% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts scores 13 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg29%

Michigan avg40%

1,032^nd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

376^th of 625Hillsdale 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	1032 of 1492	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.6	1066 of 1488	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.3	916 of 1486	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.0	1089 of 1470	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1013 of 1344	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	997 of 1153	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.6	715 of 1408	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	1030 of 1448	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.4	1001 of 1466	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.5	862 of 1548	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	23.5	1031 of 1343	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.6	976 of 1338	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.3	881 of 1342	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	13.6	1172 of 1321	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	992 of 1106	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	876 of 902	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.3	806 of 1171	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.4	965 of 1443	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	45.4	684 of 1352	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.5	775 of 1346	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.2	1015 of 1381	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	1009 of 1350	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.0	810 of 1099	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.4	686 of 749	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	60.4	377 of 1134	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.3	920 of 1397	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	25.8	1000 of 1372	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.5	1123 of 1366	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.8	923 of 1347	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.5	932 of 1334	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.6	903 of 1139	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	823 of 915	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.2	549 of 1196	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.0	1032 of 1446	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	14.0	1080 of 1199	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.4	1123 of 1206	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	1002 of 1204	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	1121 of 1198	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	1005 of 1102	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.8	950 of 1005	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	802 of 1128	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.4	1042 of 1253	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)49th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)23rd percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)10th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math31%-10 vs state

English Language Arts27%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gier 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
Gier Elementary School	Public	K-4	175 Spring St	Hillsdale	49242	Hillsdale County	Hillsdale Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 437-7347	434	28	15.6	63.1%	388 (89.4%)	2 (0.5%)	20 (4.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	28.2	1032^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	30.8%		25.6	1066^th of 1488 public elementary schools	28.4%	34			23.1	30.3				30.8	31.5								$12,835	$1,619	$11,216
Hillsdale Preparatory School	Public, Charter	K-8	160 Mechanic Rd	Hillsdale	49242	Hillsdale County	Hillsdale Preparatory School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(517) 437-4625	60	9	7.0	71.7%	55 (91.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.0%)								(n/a)																	$14,452	$1,405	$13,047
Bailey Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	59 S Manning St	Hillsdale	49242	Hillsdale County	Hillsdale Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 437-4401	34	7	4.6	73.5%	27 (79.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (8.8%)								(n/a)																	$22,297	$905	$21,392
Williams Elementary School	Public	K-5	440 Adrian Rd	Jonesville	49250	Hillsdale County	Jonesville Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 849-9175	512	34	15.1	54.5%	481 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.1%)	39	875^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.4%		49.7	720^th of 1488 public elementary schools	51.6%	155			25.0	31.5	41.1			45.8	36.0	25.6			35.6		21.1		$14,592	$1,290	$13,301
North AdamsJerome Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4555 12 Knowles Rd	North Adams	49262	Hillsdale County	North Adams-Jerome Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 689-1701	138	11	13.0	74.6%	130 (94.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	22.7	1126^th of 1492 public elementary schools	24.5%		27.7	1042^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	30.0%	84			21.1	40.0	15.0			26.3	26.7	1474.5			25.0		1476.7		$14,606	$1,953	$12,653
Reynolds Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	221 Strong St	Reading	49274	Hillsdale County	Reading Community Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 283-2188	404	23	17.6	57.4%	388 (96.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)	34.2	938^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.1%		38	894^th of 1488 public elementary schools	39.9%	44			25.5	37.5	29.2	31.3		41.8	31.3	14.6	20.3		33.3		25.0		$14,038	$2,774	$11,264
Pittsford Area Elementary School	Public	K-5	9304 Hamilton Rd	Pittsford	49271	Hillsdale County	Pittsford Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 523-3481	163	11	14.5	81.6%	153 (93.9%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.1%)								(n/a)			1270.5	1371.5	12.5			1266.6	9.1	1458.4			1474.6		1465.6		$15,600	$1,904	$13,696
Litchfield Elementary School	Public	K-5	210 Williams St	Litchfield	49252	Hillsdale County	Litchfield Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 689-5301	110	8	13.7	66.4%	102 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.6%)	21.1	1156^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.5%		18.2	1191^st of 1488 public elementary schools	20.0%	35			20.0	33.3	1471.9			15.0	33.3	1466.5			23.5		1467.1		$15,294	$2,629	$12,665
Jennings Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	44 E Liberty St	Quincy	49082	Branch County	Quincy Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 639-9885	408	26	15.4	36.8%	369 (90.4%)	3 (0.7%)	17 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.7%)	51.5	676^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.7%		40.7	854^th of 1488 public elementary schools	42.6%	178			42.7	38.5				48.8	30.8								$14,033	$1,666	$12,368
HanoverHorton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	131 Fairview St	Hanover	49241	Jackson County	Hanover-Horton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 563-0103	462	25	18.5	37.2%	420 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.9%)	53.3	655^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.1%		67.3	457^th of 1488 public elementary schools	69.3%	198			47.8	38.2	44.7			56.7	41.2	25.0			34.2		31.6		$13,209	$944	$12,266

Frequently Asked Questions about Gier Elementary School

How many students attend Gier Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 434 students attended Gier Elementary School.

What district is Gier Elementary School in?

Hillsdale Community Schools

What is the racial makeup of Gier Elementary School?

Students at Gier Elementary School are 89% White, 5% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

Is Gier Elementary School a good school?

Gier Elementary School ranks 1032^nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Gier Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Davis Middle School
High : Hillsdale High School

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Schools in Hillsdale, 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.