Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Northwest Elementary School

Q: Is Northwest Elementary School a good school?

Northwest Elementary School ranks 1105 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Northwest Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 758 students attended Northwest Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Northwest Elementary School?

Students at Northwest Elementary School are 77% White, 10% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 5% African American.

Q: What schools do graduates of Northwest Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Northwest Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Northwest Kidder Middle School High : Northwest High School

Public Grades 3-5

1105^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Northwest Elementary School in Jackson, MI, serves 758 students in grades 3 through 5 and is part of the Northwest Community Schools district.

Northwest Elementary has faced significant academic challenges over the past decade, with its state ranking falling from the 59th percentile in 2015-2016 to the 26th percentile today. Proficiency rates in English Language Arts range from 29% to 33%, compared to state averages of 38-44%, while math proficiency is a particular concern—only 11% of 5th graders meet state standards, less than half the statewide average of 32%. The school has received a 1-star rating in recent years, reflecting performance well below state averages. However, there are bright spots worth noting. The school outperforms several nearby Jackson Public Schools options, including Hunt Elementary and Northeast Elementary, where ELA proficiency rates are significantly lower. Northwest also has a lower rate of students receiving free/reduced lunch (50.4%) compared to these neighboring schools, where that figure reaches 91-98%.

One of the most interesting findings is the school's success with specific student groups. While overall performance is low, the school's African American students rank in the 81st percentile statewide—a remarkable achievement that demonstrates the school is capable of producing strong outcomes. This internal success story provides a clear benchmark for what's possible. The school also spends $13,017 per student, which is less than many nearby districts that spend $18,000-$20,000, yet achieves better results—suggesting efficient resource use. Chronic absenteeism has improved significantly from a pandemic-era spike of 42% to just under 21%, which is better than the state average. However, support for special education students remains a critical area needing attention, with performance ranking at the very bottom statewide. For parents considering this school, the picture is mixed: Northwest faces real challenges, particularly in math, but its success with certain student populations and its comparative strength against nearby schools suggest potential for improvement.

758

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,017

Per pupil spending ?

50.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

3757 Lansing Ave
Jackson, MI 49202-1015

(517) 817-4704

District: Northwest Community Schools

Students who attend Northwest Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Northwest Kidder Middle School
High:	Northwest High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.8%

Two or more races:

10.2%

Hispanic:

7.4%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Northwest Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2016 → 26th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (24% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 33 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school24%

District avg24%

Michigan avg38%

1,105^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 33 pts since 2016

From top 41% (2016) to bottom 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

486^th of 625Northwest 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	23.8	1105 of 1492	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.1	1108 of 1488	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	1084 of 1486	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	1030 of 1470	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	964 of 1344	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	902 of 1153	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.0	943 of 1408	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.4	894 of 1448	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.3	912 of 1466	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	58.3	633 of 1548	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.2	708 of 1580	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	48.8	852 of 1533	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	48.2	874 of 1563	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.3	796 of 1566	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.8	882 of 1552	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	58.5	896 of 1552	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	63.7	701 of 1589	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	69.7	505 of 1577	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	70.3	441 of 1565	71.8%	★★★★☆
2006	75.6	278 of 1545	82.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	67.1	70 of 369	81.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.5	1112 of 1343	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	1045 of 1338	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	1097 of 1342	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	1003 of 1321	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	916 of 1106	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	785 of 902	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	875 of 1171	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.6	867 of 1443	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	126 of 225	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.7	114 of 209	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.8	152 of 201	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	133 of 188	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.1	25 of 86	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	38.0	143 of 222	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	39.4	13 of 17	23.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	23.0	1086 of 1352	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.6	1094 of 1346	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	1117 of 1381	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	1075 of 1350	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.2	808 of 1099	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.4	562 of 749	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.6	790 of 1134	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	898 of 1397	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	20.1	1099 of 1372	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.3	1128 of 1366	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	994 of 1347	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	1019 of 1334	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.2	882 of 1139	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	810 of 915	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	867 of 1196	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.1	871 of 1446	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.9	104 of 104	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	82 of 93	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	74 of 78	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.5	79 of 81	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	10 of 10	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	4 of 5	20.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.6	36 of 81	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	252 of 252	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	221 of 225	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	32.2	291 of 403	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	15.8	1056 of 1199	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.1	1129 of 1206	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	1058 of 1204	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	1017 of 1198	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	907 of 1102	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.0	830 of 1005	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.4	877 of 1128	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	891 of 1253	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)81st percentile+55 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile+18 vs school

Homeless (2018)24th percentile-15 vs school

Male (2026)20th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)12th percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)<1st percentile-26 vs school

Special Education (2025)<1st percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts31%-10 vs state

Science30%-10 vs state

Math18%-20 vs state

Social Studies15%-13 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Northwest Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Northwest Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Northwest Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination 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)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northwest Elementary School	Public	3-5	3757 Lansing Ave	Jackson	49202	Jackson County	Northwest Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 817-4704	758	43	17.8	50.4%	582 (76.8%)	35 (4.6%)	56 (7.4%)	6 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (10.2%)	23.8	1105^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.9%		23.1	1108^th of 1488 public elementary schools	25.5%	3			33.1	30.5	29.1			20.7	22.4	11.3			30.0		14.6				$13,017	$1,183	$11,834
Northwest Early Elementary School	Public	K-2	3735 Lansing Ave	Jackson	49202	Jackson County	Northwest Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 817-4705	848	47	18.0	54.7%	658 (77.6%)	26 (3.1%)	61 (7.2%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	94 (11.1%)								(n/a)																	92.7%	6.9%	$14,184	$1,207	$12,977
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		86%	7%	$19,801	$2,570	$17,231
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		92.5%	2.5%	$19,316	$2,408	$16,908
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		88.2%	11.8%	$18,262	$1,903	$16,359
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		95.5%	4.5%	$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)
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	93.8%	6.3%	$12,738	$1,007	$11,731
Arnold Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	4064 Page Ave	Michigan Center	49254	Jackson County	Michigan Center School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 764-5700	321	19	17.0	60.7%	272 (84.7%)	5 (1.6%)	14 (4.4%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (7.8%)								(n/a)																	92.1%	7.9%	$14,078	$993	$13,085

Frequently Asked Questions about Northwest Elementary School

How many students attend Northwest Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 758 students attended Northwest Elementary School.

Is Northwest Elementary School a good school?

Northwest Elementary School ranks 1105^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Northwest Elementary School?

Students at Northwest Elementary School are 77% White, 10% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 5% African American.

What district is Northwest Elementary School in?

Northwest Community Schools

What schools do graduates of Northwest Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Northwest Kidder Middle School
High : Northwest High School

Rate Northwest Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Jackson, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Northwest Elementary School!

Latest Michigan data All new data »

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.