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Southwest Elementary School

Q: Is Southwest Elementary School a good school?

Southwest Elementary School ranks 656 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

656^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 56% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Southwest Elementary School in Howell, MI, serves 526 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade as part of the Howell Public Schools district, where about 38% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The most important thing for parents to know right now is that Southwest is dealing with a serious attendance challenge. In the most recent school year, 44.4% of students were chronically absent—meaning they missed 10% or more of school days. That's dramatically higher than the district average of 31.8% and more than double the rate at nearby Hornung Elementary in the Brighton Area Schools district, which has just 11.3% chronic absenteeism. This attendance spike appears to be directly connected to a drop in test scores. For example, 3rd-grade reading proficiency fell from 49.5% to 28.4% in one year, and 5th-grade math dropped from 50.7% to 39.1%. The school's overall state ranking slipped from the 73rd to the 56th percentile during this same period.

There are some bright spots worth noting. Southwest earns high marks for its work with Hispanic students, ranking in the 92nd percentile statewide for that group—a 5-star rating that remained strong even during the challenging year. Also, 4th graders performed well recently, with over half scoring proficient in both reading and math. However, the school's spending has risen to $16,803 per student, which is higher than several comparable schools like Voyager Elementary ($13,070) and Challenger Elementary ($15,997), yet outcomes haven't improved accordingly. For parents, the key takeaway is that getting your child to school every day is the single most powerful way to support their success at Southwest right now.

526

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,803

Per pupil spending ?

38.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

915 Gay St
Howell, MI 48843-2064

(517) 548-6288

District: Howell Public Schools

Students who attend Southwest Elementary School usually attend:

Elementary:	Parker Middle School
High:	Howell High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.6%

Hispanic:

11.6%

Two or more races:

3.6%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Southwest Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 28% Michigan)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2016

!Near the bottom of Howell Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg43%

Michigan avg38%

656^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 20 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Howell Public Schools

216^th of 625Howell 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	53.2	656 of 1492	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.4	397 of 1488	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	67.3	452 of 1486	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.0	366 of 1470	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	62.6	448 of 1344	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.3	348 of 1153	69.8%	★★★★☆
2019	64.4	454 of 1408	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.5	466 of 1448	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	74.5	287 of 1466	80.4%	★★★★☆
2016	72.8	368 of 1548	76.2%	★★★★☆
2015	78.2	302 of 1580	80.9%	★★★★☆
2014	83.3	182 of 1533	88.1%	★★★★☆
2013	73.9	363 of 1563	76.8%	★★★★☆
2012	69.7	446 of 1566	71.5%	★★★★☆
2011	71.3	454 of 1552	70.7%	★★★★☆
2010	69.1	556 of 1552	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.4	393 of 1589	75.3%	★★★★☆
2008	77.8	270 of 1577	82.9%	★★★★☆
2007	75.7	293 of 1565	81.3%	★★★★☆
2006	78.2	219 of 1545	85.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	749 of 1343	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.2	455 of 1338	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.5	460 of 1342	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.8	369 of 1321	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	50.4	523 of 1106	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.4	351 of 902	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.7	409 of 1171	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.4	398 of 1443	72.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	56 of 225	75.1%	★★★★☆
2025	84.0	17 of 209	91.9%	★★★★★
2023	76.6	26 of 188	86.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	634 of 1352	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.2	364 of 1346	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	64.9	365 of 1381	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	66.2	341 of 1350	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	249 of 1099	77.3%	★★★★☆
2021	56.9	270 of 749	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.8	631 of 1134	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.0	466 of 1397	66.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	56.4	557 of 1372	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.4	324 of 1366	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	64.9	427 of 1347	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.2	374 of 1334	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	60.8	394 of 1139	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.6	355 of 915	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.1	491 of 1196	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.9	542 of 1446	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	52.3	107 of 246	56.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	683 of 1199	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.7	398 of 1206	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.1	415 of 1204	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.6	353 of 1198	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	61.3	394 of 1102	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.6	315 of 1005	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.4	433 of 1128	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	451 of 1253	64.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)75th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2026)59th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2026)57th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)53rd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)44th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)43rd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math46%+8 vs state

English Language Arts39%~ state avg

Science34%-6 vs state

Social Studies28%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Southwest 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
Southwest Elementary School	Public	K-5	915 Gay St	Howell	48843	Livingston County	Howell Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 548-6288	526	33	15.8	38.2%	424 (80.6%)	2 (0.4%)	61 (11.6%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	13 (2.5%)	19 (3.6%)	53.2	656^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.0%		71.4	397^th of 1488 public elementary schools	73.3%	259			28.4	51.7	39.1			45.3	52.8	39.1			34.5		27.6		$16,803	$918	$15,885
Challenger Elementary School	Public	K-5	1066 W Grand River Ave	Howell	48843	Livingston County	Howell Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 548-6375	465	33	14.3	29.0%	432 (92.9%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.4%)	70	405^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.9%		63.5	517^th of 1488 public elementary schools	65.3%	112			27.6	50.6	63.9			51.3	54.4	52.8			47.2		41.7		$15,997	$821	$15,176
Voyager Elementary School	Public	K-5	1450 Byron Rd	Howell	48843	Livingston County	Howell Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 552-7500	517	29	17.7	24.4%	488 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.7%)	66.5	465^th of 1492 public elementary schools	68.8%		62.4	532^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	64.2%	67			36.1	50.6	48.2			44.6	62.9	44.6			50.6		33.7		$13,070	$545	$12,525
Northwest Elementary School	Public	K-5	1233 Bower St	Howell	48843	Livingston County	Howell Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 548-6297	418	29	14.4	18.4%	394 (94.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	59	574^th of 1492 public elementary schools	61.5%		52.2	683^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	54.1%	109			49.3	34.8	45.3			65.8	43.5	32.8			37.5		31.7		$19,237	$545	$18,692
Parker Middle School	Public	K-8	400 Wright Rd	Howell	48843	Livingston County	Howell Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 552-4600	1,011	46	21.9	21.4%	916 (90.6%)	4 (0.4%)	55 (5.4%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	29 (2.9%)	58.1	583^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	60.9%					(n/a)	71.1	35.6	40.6	45.8	70.0	37.9	30.6	31.3	50.0	65.0	32.6	37.1	55.0	38.7	40.0	44.0	$14,314	$545	$13,769
Ruahmah J Hutchings Elementary	Public	K-5	3503 Bigelow Rd	Howell	48855	Livingston County	Howell Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 234-6074	416	29	14.5	16.6%	377 (90.6%)	3 (0.7%)	13 (3.1%)	11 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.9%)	63.1	511^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.8%		73.1	368^th of 1488 public elementary schools	75.3%	143			53.7	50.0	49.3			43.3	51.3	40.8			45.1		22.5		$17,114	$545	$16,569
Three Fires Elementary	Public	K-5	4125 Crooked Lake Rd	Howell	48843	Livingston County	Howell Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 548-6387	753	46	16.4	33.6%	672 (89.2%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (5.6%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.4%)	45.2	773^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	48.2%		54.9	648^th of 1488 public elementary schools	56.5%	125			31.1	43.7	38.5			31.8	42.1	30.3			33.0		33.9		$15,410	$901	$14,509
Natalie Kreeger Elementary School	Public	3-5	430 N Hibbard St	Fowlerville	48836	Livingston County	Fowlerville Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 223-6006	539	31	17.2	33.8%	510 (94.6%)	3 (0.6%)	17 (3.2%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	61.3	535^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.1%		56	631^st of 1488 public elementary schools	57.6%	96			48.7	42.5	48.0			56.5	39.9	32.6			41.1		38.3		$15,211	$1,057	$14,154
Fowlerville Elementary School	Public	K-2	420 N Hibbard St	Fowlerville	48836	Livingston County	Fowlerville Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 223-6005	494	30	16.3	37.4%	453 (91.7%)	5 (1.0%)	28 (5.7%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)								(n/a)																	$14,634	$1,135	$13,499
Hornung Elementary School	Public	K-4	4680 Bauer Rd	Brighton	48116	Livingston County	Brighton Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(810) 299-4450	558	31	18.0	9.1%	525 (94.1%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.7%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.6%)	93.2	80^th of 1492 public elementary schools	94.6%		94.5	60^th of 1488 public elementary schools	96.0%	20			61.2	74.3				67.0	79.6								$13,402	$572	$12,830

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Southwest Elementary School attend?

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

Elementary : Parker Middle School
High : Howell High School

What district is Southwest Elementary School in?

Howell Public Schools

Is Southwest Elementary School a good school?

Southwest Elementary School ranks 656^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Southwest Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 526 students attended Southwest Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Elementary School?

Students at Southwest Elementary School are 81% White, 12% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% Pacific Islander.

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Schools in Howell, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 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.