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Cascades Elementary School

Public, Magnet Grades K-5

1288^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Cascades Elementary School in Jackson, MI, serves 398 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade within the Jackson Public Schools district, where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Parents should know that Cascades faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 49%—meaning nearly half of its students miss substantial instructional time. This is far higher than the state average of 27.9% and also exceeds nearby schools like Hunt Elementary School (33%) and John R Lewis Elementary (36.6%). Academic proficiency is low overall, with the school ranking in the bottom quartile statewide. However, there is a notable bright spot: 4th-grade students performed dramatically better than their 3rd and 5th-grade peers, with ELA proficiency at 29.1% compared to just 10.2% in 3rd grade and 7.3% in 5th grade. This suggests that effective teaching practices exist within the building that could potentially be replicated across other grade levels.

Despite spending a substantial $19,265 per student—higher than nearby Sharp Park Academy ($15,677) and Paragon Charter Academy ($12,738)—academic returns remain low. The contrast with Sharp Park, located just 1.7 miles away, is striking: Sharp Park serves a lower-poverty population (60% FRPL) and achieves proficiency rates often double or triple those at Cascades. On a positive note, Cascades' state ranking has improved for three consecutive years, moving from the 3rd percentile to the 14th percentile. For parents, the most urgent takeaway is that attendance is the critical lever—addressing the absenteeism crisis could have a cascading positive effect on learning outcomes and school culture.

398

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,265

Per pupil spending ?

91.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

1200 S Wisner St
Jackson, MI 49203-2864

(517) 841-3900

District: Jackson Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

41.2%

White:

29.4%

Two or more races:

19.6%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 3rd percentile in 2024 → 14th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 14th (2026) from a 3rd-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (17% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (49% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg21%

Michigan avg38%

1,288^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 4 pts since 2022

From bottom 10% (2022) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Jackson Public Schools

515^th of 625Jackson 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	14.5	1288 of 1492	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.4	1332 of 1488	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.1	1436 of 1486	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.4	1352 of 1470	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.7	1214 of 1344	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	30.6	1149 of 1580	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	22.1	1258 of 1533	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.6	1355 of 1563	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	23.6	1299 of 1566	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	43.2	1126 of 1552	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	32.1	203 of 321	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	21.3	1071 of 1343	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.6	1173 of 1338	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	1294 of 1342	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	1209 of 1321	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.0	1062 of 1106	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	1095 of 1352	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.8	1222 of 1346	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	1332 of 1381	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	1219 of 1350	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	978 of 1099	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.6	1219 of 1372	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	903 of 1206	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	5.2	1185 of 1204	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.1	1115 of 1198	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2023)37th percentile+29 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)20th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)11th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math22%-16 vs state

English Language Arts17%-25 vs state

Science7%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cascades 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Cascades Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1200 S Wisner St	Jackson	49203	Jackson County	Jackson Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 841-3900	398	28	14.0	91.0%	117 (29.4%)	164 (41.2%)	29 (7.3%)	7 (1.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (19.6%)	14.5	1288^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.7%		11.4	1332^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	10.5%	44			10.2	29.1	7.3			14.3	29.1	1456.1			7.3		1467.3		$19,265	$2,993	$16,272
Local Based Special Education Early Childhood Programs	Public	PK-K	1226 S Wisner St	Jackson	49203	Jackson County	Jackson Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(517) 768-5205	0	10	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
JPS Montessori Center	Public	K-6	820 Bennett St	Jackson	49202	Jackson County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 841-3870	146	9	16.9	78.1%	59 (40.4%)	38 (26.0%)	6 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (28.8%)	29.9	1004^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.7%		24	1094^th of 1488 public elementary schools	26.5%	90			20.8	47.8	21.7			20.8	30.4	26.1			30.4		1472.2		$18,262	$1,903	$16,359
Sharp Park Academy	Public, Magnet	K-5	766 Park Rd	Jackson	49203	Jackson County	Jackson Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 841-2860	337	19	17.5	60.2%	158 (46.9%)	95 (28.2%)	23 (6.8%)	16 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	44 (13.1%)	66.5	463^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	69.0%		71.7	388^th of 1488 public elementary schools	73.9%	75			51.0	63.6	45.5			49.0	56.8	38.6			47.7		22.7		$15,677	$1,723	$13,955
Paragon Charter Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	3750 McCain Rd	Jackson	49201	Jackson County	Paragon Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(517) 750-9500	627	35	17.8	63.8%	263 (41.9%)	138 (22.0%)	78 (12.4%)	50 (8.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	96 (15.3%)	65.2	490^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.2%		56.6	617^th of 1488 public elementary schools	58.5%	127	82.4	56.9	41.7	54.5	52.2	46.3	56.5	46.5	54.5	52.2	42.6	54.3	37.7	54.9	21.7	64.7	$12,738	$1,007	$11,731
Hunt Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1143 N Brown St	Jackson	49202	Jackson County	Jackson Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 841-2610	366	27	13.5	95.4%	116 (31.7%)	122 (33.3%)	38 (10.4%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (23.2%)	11.6	1338^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.3%		13.4	1290^th of 1488 public elementary schools	13.3%	48			13.2	23.2	20.0			17.0	23.2	6.0			10.0		5.9		$19,316	$2,408	$16,908
John R Lewis Elementary	Public	K-5	154 W Clark St	Jackson	49203	Jackson County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 841-2600	140	10	13.5	95.0%	51 (36.4%)	68 (48.6%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (12.9%)	8.9	1393^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	6.6%		9.5	1367^th of 1488 public elementary schools	8.1%	26			1264.0	20.5	1455.4			9.1	10.3	1450.0			1462.2		1457.0		$20,894	$2,357	$18,537
Dibble Elementary School	Public	K-5	3450 Kibby Rd	Jackson	49203	Jackson County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 841-3970	282	17	17.0	70.2%	133 (47.2%)	74 (26.2%)	18 (6.4%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (19.1%)	35.6	923^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	38.1%		40.1	861^st of 1488 public elementary schools	42.1%	62			30.4	35.2	45.5			42.2	25.9	25.0			29.5		13.6		$17,082	$1,992	$15,090
Da Vinci Schools K5	Public, Virtual, Charter	PK, KG-5	559 Murphy St	Jackson	49202	Jackson County	Da Vinci Schools	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(517) 780-9980	117	7	15.8	79.5%	83 (70.9%)	8 (6.8%)	4 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (18.8%)	15.6	1262^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	15.4%		26.7	1057^th of 1488 public elementary schools	29.0%	205			18.2	1374.3	26.3			18.2	1374.6	15.8			15.8		15.8		$15,832	$2,568	$13,265
Northeast Elementary School	Public	K-5	1024 Fleming Ave	Jackson	49202	Jackson County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 841-2501	396	28	14.1	98.0%	129 (32.6%)	126 (31.8%)	49 (12.4%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (21.5%)	7.6	1420^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.8%		8	1399^th of 1488 public elementary schools	6.0%	21			1262.2	12.0	15.7			1259.4	16.0	1458.0			5.9		1463.3		$19,801	$2,570	$17,231

Frequently Asked Questions about Cascades Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Cascades Elementary School?

Students at Cascades Elementary School are 41% African American, 29% White, 20% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

What district is Cascades Elementary School in?

Jackson Public Schools

Is Cascades Elementary School a good school?

Cascades Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.7% of Michigan elementary schools.

How many students attend Cascades Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 398 students attended Cascades Elementary School.

Rate Cascades Elementary School!

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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.