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Emerson School

Q: Is Emerson School a good school?

Emerson School ranks 979 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

979^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 34% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Emerson School is a small elementary school in Ionia, MI, serving 166 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Ionia Public Schools district. It serves a high-poverty population, with 78.31% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch—the highest rate among its district peers.

Emerson stands out for its significant investment in student support. It spends more per student ($17,009) than any other comparable school in the area, and it has the lowest student-teacher ratio (14:1) among larger district schools. For context, RB Boyce Elementary School spends $12,432 per student with a ratio of 18.1:1, while AA Rather School spends $12,569 with a ratio of 20.1:1. Despite these resources, Emerson's overall state ranking (34th percentile) lags behind AA Rather (55th-59th percentile), which serves a more affluent population. However, Emerson has shown recent improvement, moving from the 28th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 34th percentile in 2025-2026.

Academically, Emerson shows both strengths and challenges. A clear highlight is 5th-grade science, where 48% of students were proficient in 2025-2026—well above the district (32.5%) and state (40%) averages. However, performance varies widely across subjects and grade levels, and chronic absenteeism remains a persistent issue at nearly 30%. Perhaps most notably, there is a significant gender achievement gap: male students rank in the 56th percentile statewide, while female students rank in the 32nd percentile. This gap has persisted for three years, suggesting that recent school-wide improvements have been driven primarily by gains among male students. For parents, this means Emerson offers strong science instruction and small class sizes, but you may want to ask about how the school supports regular attendance and addresses the gender gap in achievement.

166

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,009

Per pupil spending ?

78.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

645 Hackett St
Ionia, MI 48846-1418

(616) 527-8018

District: Ionia Public Schools

Students who attend Emerson School usually attend:

Middle:	Ionia Middle School
High:	Ionia High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.7%

Hispanic:

21.1%

Two or more races:

6.0%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Emerson School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 43rd percentile in 2025 → 34th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (27% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 43rd-percentile peak (2025) to 34th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg31%

Michigan avg38%

979^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the Ionia Public Schools

415^th of 625Ionia 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	31.5	979 of 1492	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.1	846 of 1488	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.4	1063 of 1486	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.9	838 of 1470	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.6	831 of 1344	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.7	1142 of 1408	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.0	1013 of 1448	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.7	1057 of 1466	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.3	1084 of 1548	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	29.9	1161 of 1580	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	62.1	595 of 1533	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	27.8	1221 of 1563	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.6	1313 of 1566	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.8	1308 of 1552	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.8	1259 of 1552	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	48.0	1092 of 1589	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.3	761 of 1577	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	41.3	1165 of 1565	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	26.8	1343 of 1545	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	29.4	910 of 1343	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.0	912 of 1338	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.5	1008 of 1342	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.2	929 of 1443	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	36.2	849 of 1352	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.4	702 of 1346	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.0	699 of 1381	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.2	658 of 1350	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	421 of 1099	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.5	826 of 1134	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	50.5	719 of 1397	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	52.5	610 of 1372	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.8	689 of 1366	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.4	965 of 1347	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	1017 of 1446	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	977 of 1199	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.1	954 of 1206	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	1045 of 1204	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	926 of 1198	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	959 of 1102	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.4	1059 of 1128	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	970 of 1253	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)56th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)37th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile~ school

White (2026)19th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science48%+8 vs state

English Language Arts32%-9 vs state

Social Studies20%-8 vs state

Math18%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Emerson 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)				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	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
Emerson School	Public	PK, KG-5	645 Hackett St	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Ionia Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 527-8018	166	12	14.0	78.3%	119 (71.7%)	1 (0.6%)	35 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.0%)	31.5	979^th of 1492 public elementary schools	34.4%		41.1	846^th of 1488 public elementary schools	43.1%	133	25.0	36.0	36.0		16.7	12.0	24.0		48.0	20.0	$17,009	$1,557	$15,452
Jefferson School	Public	PK, KG-5	420 N Jefferson St	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Ionia Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 527-2740	272	15	18.1	68.4%	206 (75.7%)	1 (0.4%)	51 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.8%)	28	1038^th of 1492 public elementary schools	30.4%		32	980^th of 1488 public elementary schools	34.1%	58	41.7	30.2	22.5		27.8	32.6	15.0		25.0	17.5	$14,955	$1,673	$13,282
AA Rather School	Public	PK, KG-5	380 E Tuttle Rd	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Ionia Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 527-1720	308	15	20.1	51.0%	261 (84.7%)	2 (0.6%)	32 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.2%)	51.7	672^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	55.0%		57.1	607^th of 1488 public elementary schools	59.2%	65	37.8	42.9	47.3		31.1	51.8	23.6		43.6	29.1	$12,569	$1,632	$10,937
North LeValley Elementary School	Public	K-5	2120 N State Rd	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Ionia Township S/D #2	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 527-4900	10	1	9.5	40.0%	10 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$27,526	$9,774	$17,752
Haynor School	Public	K-6	1779 Haynor Rd	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Easton Township S/D #6	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 527-4900	10	2	6.4	30.0%	10 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$21,492	$3,930	$17,561
RB Boyce Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3550 N State Rd	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Ionia Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 527-0571	254	13	19.6	55.9%	229 (90.2%)	1 (0.4%)	21 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	35.8	917^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.5%		31.2	992^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	33.3%	75	37.8	36.7	24.5		43.5	46.9	17.0		24.5	18.9	$12,432	$1,768	$10,663
Coon School	Public	K-6	6679 S State Rd	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Berlin Township S/D #3	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 527-4900	15	1	13.0	66.7%	15 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$11,487	$2,640	$8,847
Twin Rivers Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	435 Lou Lemke Ln	Muir	48860	Ionia County	Ionia Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 522-0005	183	10	19.0	65.0%	154 (84.2%)	3 (1.6%)	17 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.4%)	23.6	1110^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.6%		29.7	1019^th of 1488 public elementary schools	31.5%	91	27.0	23.8	33.3		27.0	19.1	21.2		24.2	15.2	$14,029	$1,783	$12,246
Saranac Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	250 Pleasant St	Saranac	48881	Ionia County	Saranac Community Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(616) 642-1200	433	28	15.4	44.1%	394 (91.0%)	5 (1.2%)	24 (5.5%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	56.4	605^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.5%		58.6	582^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	60.9%	23	35.6	42.6	41.5	44.1	39.7	42.6	38.5	30.5	44.6	37.5	$15,451	$814	$14,637
Westwood Elementary School	Public	3-5	883 Cross St	Portland	48875	Ionia County	Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 647-2989	423	25	16.7	37.6%	379 (89.6%)	6 (1.4%)	17 (4.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.5%)	37.6	892^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	40.2%		47.9	753^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	49.4%	139	26.1	30.9	36.7		35.1	44.6	31.3		36.7	13.6	$12,860	$1,072	$11,788

Frequently Asked Questions about Emerson School

What district is Emerson School in?

Ionia Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Emerson School?

Students at Emerson School are 72% White, 21% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Is Emerson School a good school?

Emerson School ranks 979^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Emerson School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 166 students attended Emerson School.

What schools do graduates of Emerson School attend?

Students who attend Emerson School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ionia Middle School
High : Ionia High School

Rate Emerson School!

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MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Ionia, 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.