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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 338 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades K-5

338^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School is a K-5 public school in Petoskey, MI, serving 234 students as part of the highly-rated Public Schools of Petoskey district, which ranks in the 90th percentile statewide.

Central Elementary is a solid performer with a 4-star rating, but its most remarkable feature is the exceptional growth students show by 5th grade. In the most recent school year, 5th graders posted proficiency rates of 78% in English Language Arts and 61% in math—well above state averages (43.8% and 32.2%) and even surpassing district averages. This represents a dramatic jump from 3rd grade, where ELA proficiency was just 43.9%. The clear upward trajectory suggests the school effectively builds skills over time, with a particularly strong upper-elementary program. One area to watch is 4th-grade math, where proficiency dipped to 35%, below both district and state averages—a potential target for intervention. The school also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.6:1 and spends generously at $17,496 per pupil.

Within the Petoskey district, Central is one of four elementary schools, and it consistently ranks behind peers like Sheridan School, Lincoln School, and Ottawa Elementary School—despite having a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (26.5%). Chronic absenteeism at 19.8% is better than state averages but higher than at Lincoln (13.4%) and Sheridan (16.4%), suggesting attendance could be a lever for improvement. Compared to schools in the wider region, however, Central shines—schools like Wolverine Elementary School and Inland Lakes Elementary School serve far higher shares of economically disadvantaged students and post much lower proficiency rates. For parents, Central offers a strong, growth-oriented education in a supportive setting, with its 5th-grade results being a standout highlight.

234

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,496

Per pupil spending ?

26.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

96.8%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 3.2% (any vaccine)

410 State St
Petoskey, MI 49770-2749

(231) 348-2111

District: Public Schools of Petoskey

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Petoskey Middle School
High:	Petoskey High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.3%

Two or more races:

10.3%

Hispanic:

2.6%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 75th percentile in 2016 → 77th in 2026

Strengths

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

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Michigan elementary schools

Worth a look

!Near the bottom of Public Schools of Petoskey's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg57%

Michigan avg38%

338^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Public Schools of Petoskey

60^th of 625Public Schools of Petoskey 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	75.0	338 of 1492	77.3%	★★★★☆
2025	74.3	347 of 1488	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	77.8	285 of 1486	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	74.0	336 of 1470	77.1%	★★★★☆
2022	61.9	456 of 1344	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.7	332 of 1153	71.2%	★★★★☆
2019	78.0	260 of 1408	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	74.3	373 of 1448	74.2%	★★★★☆
2017	62.6	463 of 1466	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	71.7	394 of 1548	74.5%	★★★★☆
2015	76.1	341 of 1580	78.4%	★★★★☆
2014	60.4	632 of 1533	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.4	646 of 1563	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	74.6	348 of 1566	77.8%	★★★★☆
2011	78.0	252 of 1552	83.8%	★★★★☆
2010	83.4	40 of 1552	97.4%	★★★★★
2009	82.4	142 of 1589	91.1%	★★★★★
2008	76.1	313 of 1577	80.2%	★★★★☆
2007	80.7	181 of 1565	88.4%	★★★★☆
2006	68.6	477 of 1545	69.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	67.2	374 of 1343	72.2%	★★★★☆
2025	61.1	456 of 1338	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.5	550 of 1342	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.8	338 of 1321	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	47.5	557 of 1106	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	68.8	214 of 902	76.3%	★★★★☆
2019	53.6	520 of 1171	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.8	481 of 1443	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	67.1	346 of 1352	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	56.0	527 of 1346	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.3	375 of 1381	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	278 of 1350	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	206 of 1099	81.3%	★★★★☆
2019	72.1	208 of 1134	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	79.8	175 of 1397	87.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	73.0	318 of 1372	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	77.9	268 of 1366	80.4%	★★★★☆
2024	89.2	96 of 1347	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	81.8	192 of 1334	85.6%	★★★★☆
2022	77.0	214 of 1139	81.2%	★★★★☆
2021	57.9	338 of 915	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.7	239 of 1196	80.0%	★★★★☆
2018	75.9	320 of 1446	77.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	63.7	393 of 1199	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.4	363 of 1206	69.9%	★★★★☆
2024	72.1	291 of 1204	75.8%	★★★★☆
2023	65.2	374 of 1198	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.6	466 of 1102	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.7	352 of 1005	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.9	222 of 1128	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	70.2	344 of 1253	72.5%	★★★★☆

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)77th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)74th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)72nd percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)67th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science68%+28 vs state

English Language Arts58%+17 vs state

Math48%+9 vs state

Social Studies42%+14 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, December 16, 2016

Lucy did exceptionally well here an loved each of her teachers!! Thank you!! Close Quote

Schools Near Central 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 Vaccination 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)	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	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	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
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	96.8%	3.2%	$17,496	$515	$16,981
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	92%	8%	$18,535	$983	$17,552
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	97.1%	2.9%	$20,683	$1,641	$19,042
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	90%	10%	$18,128	$526	$17,602
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					86.4%	11.4%	$25,067	$864	$24,203
Boyne City Elementary School	Public	K-4	930 Brockway St	Boyne City	49712	Charlevoix County	Boyne City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 439-8300	425	26	16.1	43.8%	382 (89.9%)	3 (0.7%)	7 (1.6%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.6%)	73.3	364^th of 1492 public elementary schools	75.6%		73	369^th of 1488 public elementary schools	75.2%	5	47.4	49.5			60.5	53.5					90.9%	9.1%	$15,453	$990	$14,463
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	90%	10%	$18,427	$2,159	$16,268
Charlevoix Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	108 E Garfield Ave	Charlevoix	49720	Charlevoix County	Charlevoix Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 547-8115	398	32	12.6	49.2%	365 (91.7%)	3 (0.8%)	9 (2.3%)	4 (1.0%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)	65.4	488^th of 1492 public elementary schools	67.3%		67.1	463^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	68.9%	25	61.1	59.1	54.4	44.4	50.0	27.3	14.0	38.1	57.9	43.9	96.2%	3.8%	$19,470	$1,044	$18,427
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	81.4%	18.6%	$14,733	$1,233	$13,500
East Jordan Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	304 4th St	East Jordan	49727	Charlevoix County	East Jordan Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 536-7564	393	33	11.7	57.8%	341 (86.8%)	2 (0.5%)	17 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.6%)	49	714^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.1%		50.7	707^th of 1488 public elementary schools	52.5%	7	43.1	41.5	33.3	38.9	49.0	39.6	37.0	22.2	38.9	22.2	90.6%	5.7%	$16,460	$1,257	$15,203

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 86% White, 10% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Public Schools of Petoskey

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 234 students attended Central Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Petoskey Middle School
High : Petoskey High School

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 338^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

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

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 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.