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

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Michigan rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Pellston Elementary School

Q: Is Pellston Elementary School a good school?

Pellston Elementary School ranks 299 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

299^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Pellston Elementary School is a small, rural school in Pellston, MI, serving 220 students in grades PK through 5 as part of the Pellston Public Schools district.

This school is a true success story. Over the past several years, Pellston Elementary has climbed from the bottom quarter of Michigan elementary schools to the top 20%, earning a 4-star rating and a state rank of 299 out of 1,492 schools. What makes this achievement especially remarkable is that the school excels with a student body where over half (52.7%) qualify for free or reduced lunch. In fact, Pellston ranks in the 95th percentile statewide for academic performance among low-income students—a 5-star result. The school’s math scores are particularly impressive: 5th-grade math proficiency hit 62.2% in the most recent school year, nearly double the state average of 32.2%. This performance even surpasses several more affluent schools in the nearby Public Schools of Petoskey district, such as Ottawa Elementary School (32.6%) and Lincoln School (58.7%). Science scores are equally strong, with a 62.2% proficiency rate that outpaces the state average by more than 20 points.

Pellston’s success is backed by significant investment in its students. The school spends $18,426 per student—higher than most comparable area schools—and maintains a favorable 11:1 student-teacher ratio, lower than nearby Sheridan School (14:1) and Inland Lakes Elementary School (14.9:1). This combination of small class sizes and targeted support likely drives the school’s exceptional outcomes. One area to watch is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 22.6%—lower than the state average but higher than some neighbors like Shay Elementary School (10.9%). Still, for parents seeking a school that delivers strong academics, especially in math and science, and that achieves outstanding results for students from all backgrounds, Pellston Elementary is a standout choice.

220

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,426

Per pupil spending ?

52.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

114 Zipf St
Pellston, MI 49769

(231) 539-8421

District: Pellston Public Schools

Students who attend Pellston Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Pellston MiddleHigh School

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.6%

Two or more races:

16.4%

American Indian:

2.7%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Pellston Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2016 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (53% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of Michigan elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 45 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg53%

Michigan avg38%

299^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▲ up 45 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

211^th of 625Pellston 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	77.4	299 of 1492	80.0%	★★★★☆
2025	79.7	276 of 1488	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	283 of 1486	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	68.1	423 of 1470	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	56.1	541 of 1344	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.9	751 of 1153	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.1	1105 of 1408	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.0	852 of 1448	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.2	884 of 1466	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.3	1013 of 1548	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.5	963 of 1580	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	66.8	492 of 1533	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.2	702 of 1563	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	48.8	863 of 1566	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.1	941 of 1552	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.3	1208 of 1552	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	49.9	1056 of 1589	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	58.3	813 of 1577	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	50.2	997 of 1565	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	65.2	571 of 1545	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	71.7	302 of 1343	77.5%	★★★★☆
2025	76.5	254 of 1338	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	228 of 1342	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	69.0	318 of 1321	75.9%	★★★★☆
2022	59.0	391 of 1106	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.4	678 of 902	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.6	742 of 1171	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.0	811 of 1443	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	88.0	74 of 1352	94.5%	★★★★★
2025	80.5	152 of 1346	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	87.9	74 of 1381	94.6%	★★★★★
2023	82.7	129 of 1350	90.4%	★★★★★
2022	80.3	107 of 1099	90.3%	★★★★★
2021	41.5	442 of 749	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.4	637 of 1134	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.9	588 of 1397	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	71.9	332 of 1372	75.8%	★★★★☆
2025	76.8	282 of 1366	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	67.6	387 of 1347	71.3%	★★★★☆
2023	63.7	445 of 1334	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.4	635 of 1139	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.5	1078 of 1196	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	41.9	874 of 1446	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	70.0	320 of 1199	73.3%	★★★★☆
2025	77.3	243 of 1206	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.5	325 of 1204	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	64.1	387 of 1198	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.5	468 of 1102	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.4	724 of 1005	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	1042 of 1128	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	857 of 1253	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)95th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)78th percentile~ school

Male (2026)76th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)73rd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science62%+22 vs state

Math57%+19 vs state

English Language Arts50%+8 vs state

Social Studies43%+16 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Pellston 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

What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I have had children at Pellston Public Schools for 16 years and have found the staff to be WAY ABOVE AVERAGE!!! I have several relatives who have gone to other schools and know first hand that Pellston Schools education is above average regardless of what the test scores show.
Like all things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. If you take advantage of the wonderful staff and programs at Pellston, you will succeed.
Pellston is a small close-knit school, where the teachers and support staff care about the students. The problem with Pellston is that in a lot of cases the school staff cares more about the students the parents. When these to groups come closer in this aspect, Pellston will blow all the other districts out of the water. Close Quote

Schools Near Pellston 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 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
Pellston Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	114 Zipf St	Pellston	49769	Emmet County	Pellston Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 539-8421	220	20	11.0	52.7%	173 (78.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (16.4%)	77.4	299^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.0%		79.7	276^th of 1488 public elementary schools	81.5%	23	55.9	47.7	45.9		50.0	59.1	62.2		62.2	43.2	$18,426	$2,159	$16,268
Inland Lakes Elementary School	Public	K-5	4363 S Straits Hwy	Indian River	49749	Cheboygan County	Inland Lakes Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 238-6868	316	21	14.9	71.2%	283 (89.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.6%)	31.1	986^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.9%		31	996^th of 1488 public elementary schools	33.1%	10	23.1	22.4	40.4		34.6	24.1	25.5		48.9	6.4	$14,733	$1,233	$13,500
Shay Elementary School	Public	K-4	175 E Lake St	Harbor Springs	49740	Emmet County	Harbor Springs School District	No	No	No	No	(231) 526-4600	258	21	12.2	23.3%	226 (87.6%)	2 (0.8%)	13 (5.0%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.0%)	63.1	510^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.8%		57.2	602^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	59.5%	92	53.4	48.5			48.3	37.9					$25,067	$864	$24,203
Ottawa Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	871 Kalamazoo Ave	Petoskey	49770	Emmet County	Public Schools of Petoskey	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 348-2130	250	21	11.9	40.8%	220 (88.0%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.4%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.0%)	77.5	298^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.0%		60.9	553^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	62.8%	255	75.0	60.0	58.1		70.0	45.0	32.6		55.8	39.5	$20,683	$1,641	$19,042
Central Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	410 State St	Petoskey	49770	Emmet County	Public Schools of Petoskey	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 348-2111	234	16	14.6	26.5%	202 (86.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (10.3%)	75	338^th of 1492 public elementary schools	77.3%		74.3	347^th of 1488 public elementary schools	76.7%	9	43.9	52.5	78.0		46.3	35.0	61.0		68.3	41.5	$17,496	$515	$16,981
Lincoln School	Public, Magnet	K-5	616 Connable Ave	Petoskey	49770	Emmet County	Public Schools of Petoskey	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 348-2120	237	16	14.8	30.4%	206 (86.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	3 (1.3%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.6%)	79.5	269^th of 1492 public elementary schools	82.0%		89.9	119^th of 1488 public elementary schools	92.0%	150	33.3	74.4	71.7		42.9	74.4	58.7		60.9	41.3	$18,128	$526	$17,602
Sheridan School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1415 Howard St	Petoskey	49770	Emmet County	Public Schools of Petoskey	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 348-2140	252	18	14.0	27.4%	222 (88.1%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.5%)	90.5	126^th of 1492 public elementary schools	91.6%		77.6	295^th of 1488 public elementary schools	80.2%	169	79.1	57.5	63.6		76.7	60.0	50.0		68.2	61.4	$18,535	$983	$17,552
East Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	440 Garfield Ave	Cheboygan	49721	Cheboygan County	Cheboygan Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 627-5211	301	20	15.0	75.7%	231 (76.7%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (17.6%)								(n/a)											$15,711	$1,434	$14,277
Bois Blanc Pines School	Public	K-8	100 Sioux Ave	Pointe Aux Pins	49775	Mackinac County	Bois Blanc Pines School District	No	No	No	No	(231) 634-7225	6	1	6.0		5 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$28,233	$2,416	$25,817

Frequently Asked Questions about Pellston Elementary School

What district is Pellston Elementary School in?

Pellston Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Pellston Elementary School attend?

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

High : Pellston MiddleHigh School

Is Pellston Elementary School a good school?

Pellston Elementary School ranks 299^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pellston Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 220 students attended Pellston Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Pellston Elementary School?

Students at Pellston Elementary School are 79% White, 16% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Hispanic.

Rate Pellston Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Pellston, MI

Sign up for updates!

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

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.