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HowardEllis Elementary School

Q: Is HowardEllis Elementary School a good school?

HowardEllis Elementary School ranks 708 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

708^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

HowardEllis Elementary School in Niles, MI, serves 529 students in grades K-5 as part of the Niles Community Schools district, earning a 3-star rating and ranking in the 53rd percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year.

HowardEllis stands out for its remarkable progress with Hispanic students, now ranking in the 81st percentile statewide for this group—a dramatic jump from the 47th percentile just a few years ago. The school also shows a strong pattern in reading, where 5th graders achieve 51.3% proficiency, well above the state average of 43.8% and a 16-point improvement over the same cohort's 3rd grade performance. Perhaps most impressive is the school's attendance record: at 18.0%, chronic absenteeism is well below both the district (19.9%) and state (27.9%) averages. This is particularly notable when compared to nearby Edwardsburg Intermediate School, which serves a more affluent population but struggles with chronic absenteeism rates between 32.6% and 42.0%. Despite serving a student body where 66% qualify for free or reduced lunch, HowardEllis outperforms neighboring Brandywine Elementary School (14th percentile) and Patrick Hamilton Elementary (19th percentile), which face similar economic challenges.

While HowardEllis shows clear strengths, there are areas needing attention. Math proficiency declines as students advance—3rd graders exceed state averages at 50.6%, but by 5th grade only 29.2% are proficient, below the state's 32.2%. Social studies remains the weakest subject at 21.6% proficiency in 5th grade, though this represents significant improvement from just 4.7% three years ago. The school's student-teacher ratio of 19.4 is slightly higher than nearby schools, which may limit individualized attention. Within the district, Eastside Connections School ranks higher overall (72nd percentile), but serves a less economically disadvantaged population. Given its demographic challenges, HowardEllis delivers competitive results, with steady year-over-year improvement since 2021 and particular success in building strong literacy skills by upper elementary grades.

529

Students ?

19.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,892

Per pupil spending ?

66.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

2788 Mannix St
Niles, MI 49120-9420

(269) 683-4633

District: Niles Community Schools

Students who attend HowardEllis Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Ring Lardner Middle School
High:	Niles Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.5%

African American:

16.1%

Two or more races:

10.0%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare HowardEllis Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 56th percentile in 2016 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (53rd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg39%

Michigan avg38%

708^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

From top 44% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Niles Community Schools

250^th of 625Niles 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	49.2	708 of 1492	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.3	601 of 1488	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	659 of 1486	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	689 of 1470	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.3	757 of 1344	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.8	753 of 1153	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.4	758 of 1408	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	880 of 1448	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.2	762 of 1466	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	55.9	681 of 1548	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.0	736 of 1580	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.5	588 of 1533	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.3	721 of 1563	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.7	735 of 1566	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.9	596 of 1552	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	72.0	446 of 1552	71.3%	★★★★☆
2009	63.7	703 of 1589	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.5	539 of 1577	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.5	638 of 1565	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	66.0	559 of 1545	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	38.7	776 of 1343	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.0	756 of 1338	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.4	676 of 1342	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.7	606 of 1321	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.2	620 of 1106	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.9	694 of 902	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.6	680 of 1171	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.9	880 of 1443	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	42 of 225	81.3%	★★★★☆
2025	62.8	53 of 209	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	44.7	117 of 222	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	587 of 1352	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.9	476 of 1346	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.1	547 of 1381	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.9	478 of 1350	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.6	675 of 1099	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.7	397 of 749	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.3	340 of 1134	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	51.7	695 of 1397	50.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	49.0	675 of 1372	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.4	483 of 1366	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	620 of 1347	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.4	694 of 1334	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.3	825 of 1139	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.9	582 of 915	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.3	693 of 1196	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.9	835 of 1446	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	50.6	34 of 93	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.1	44 of 78	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.3	60 of 81	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	74 of 81	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	140 of 246	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.1	101 of 225	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.9	54 of 195	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	44.3	208 of 403	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	45.4	642 of 1199	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.0	539 of 1206	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	533 of 1204	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.1	568 of 1198	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.2	728 of 1102	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.5	678 of 1005	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.8	611 of 1128	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.0	766 of 1253	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)81st percentile+29 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)63rd percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)57th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)51st percentile~ school

White (2026)46th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2026)43rd percentile-9 vs school

Female (2026)42nd percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts42%~ state avg

Science40%~ state avg

Math38%~ state avg

Social Studies22%-6 vs state

2.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Staff at school difficult. School has failed to communicate with parents often. This school refused to provide special education services to my child for several years. Howard school has a disciplinary policy that the majority of students are held to, however the administration has exempted their few select students. These exempt students are allowed to break rules while the administration and teachers look the other way. Close Quote

Schools Near HowardEllis 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
HowardEllis Elementary School	Public	K-5	2788 Mannix St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 683-4633	529	27	19.4	66.4%	336 (63.5%)	85 (16.1%)	48 (9.1%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (10.0%)	49.2	708^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.5%		57.3	601^st of 1488 public elementary schools	59.6%	107			35.3	36.4	51.3			50.6	37.5	29.2			40.2		21.6		$13,892	$1,466	$12,426
Eastside Connections School	Public, Magnet	K-8	1 Tyler St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 682-2585	403	22	18.5	51.1%	257 (63.8%)	57 (14.1%)	42 (10.4%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.9%)	69	423^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	71.6%		76.1	321^st of 1488 public elementary schools	78.4%	102	74.1	35.2	34.1	68.5	65.5	80.4	64.1	43.2	70.4	34.5	27.7	43.6	43.1	48.1	32.8	55.6	$13,710	$1,038	$12,672
Northside Child Development Center	Public	PK-K	2020 N 5th St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 683-1982	13	3	4.4	23.1%	11 (84.6%)	1 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)								(n/a)																	$27,161	$10,353	$16,808
Edwardsburg Intermediate School	Public	4-5	27157 Us Highway 12	Edwardsburg	49112	Cass County	Edwardsburg Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 663-1063	361	20	18.2	37.7%	336 (93.1%)	7 (1.9%)	9 (2.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	75.8	327^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.1%		77.6	296^th of 1488 public elementary schools	80.1%	31				55.7	57.5				52.7	47.8			53.8		34.4		$13,919	$1,087	$12,832
Edwardsburg Primary School	Public	K-1	69100 Section St	Edwardsburg	49112	Cass County	Edwardsburg Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 663-1037	342	20	17.2	34.8%	304 (88.9%)	4 (1.2%)	23 (6.7%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)								(n/a)																	$13,173	$1,055	$12,118
Merritt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1620 Lasalle Ave	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Brandywine Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 684-6511	304	22	14.0	73.0%	235 (77.3%)	9 (3.0%)	25 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	30 (9.9%)								(n/a)																	$14,262	$1,684	$12,577
Brandywine Elementary School	Public	3-6	2428 S 13th St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Brandywine Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 684-8574	379	23	16.5	68.6%	310 (81.8%)	16 (4.2%)	19 (5.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	27 (7.1%)	14.4	1290^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.5%		19.9	1159^th of 1488 public elementary schools	22.1%	131			14.3	25.6	21.7	16.3		22.0	16.7	8.7	12.8		19.6		12.0		$13,876	$1,223	$12,653
Ballard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 W Chicago Rd	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 683-5900	516	28	18.4	77.7%	311 (60.3%)	62 (12.0%)	77 (14.9%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	59 (11.4%)	44.7	782^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	47.6%		46.8	768^th of 1488 public elementary schools	48.4%	14			37.0	39.0	45.6			41.1	35.4	32.5			39.2		12.8		$14,047	$2,046	$12,000
Eagle Lake Elementary School	Public	2-3	23889 Avenue C	Edwardsburg	49112	Cass County	Edwardsburg Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 663-1040	385	21	18.2	40.0%	344 (89.4%)	2 (0.5%)	16 (4.2%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	17 (4.4%)								(n/a)			51.6					53.3									$12,386	$976	$11,411
Sam Adams Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	114 Depot St	Cassopolis	49031	Cass County	Cassopolis Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 445-0530	368	23	16.2	69.0%	229 (62.2%)	32 (8.7%)	28 (7.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (20.7%)	29.3	1013^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.1%		31.7	983^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	33.9%	30			13.8	28.8	42.9			27.6	11.5	12.9			45.7		18.6		$15,250	$1,785	$13,465

Frequently Asked Questions about HowardEllis Elementary School

What schools do graduates of HowardEllis Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Ring Lardner Middle School
High : Niles Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of HowardEllis Elementary School?

Students at HowardEllis Elementary School are 64% White, 16% African American, 10% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic.

Is HowardEllis Elementary School a good school?

HowardEllis Elementary School ranks 708^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend HowardEllis Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 529 students attended HowardEllis Elementary School.

What district is HowardEllis Elementary School in?

Niles Community Schools

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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.