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Starr Elementary School

Q: Is Starr Elementary School a good school?

Starr Elementary School ranks 1000 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1000^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Starr Elementary School in Plainwell, MI, serves 410 students from Pre-K through 5th grade and is part of the Plainwell Community Schools district.

Starr Elementary is currently ranked in the 33rd percentile statewide, which places it in the lower third of Michigan elementary schools. This represents a significant decline from a decade ago when the school ranked in the 80th percentile. When compared to other schools in the same district, the differences are striking. For example, Gilkey Elementary ranks in the 62nd percentile and Cooper Elementary ranks in the 46th percentile. In 3rd-grade math, only 18.3% of Starr students were proficient, compared to 45.7% at Gilkey and 45% at Cooper. Even Alamo Elementary in the neighboring Otsego Public Schools district, which ranks in the 77th percentile, shows proficiency rates that are often double or triple those at Starr. The school's performance with its White students, male students, and low-income students is ranked in the bottom quartile statewide, indicating that the challenges are systemic rather than isolated to one group.

One notable concern is that Starr spends $16,349 per student, which is significantly higher than Gilkey ($13,126), Cooper ($13,666), and Alamo ($10,846), yet this higher funding is not translating into better academic results. Chronic absenteeism has also spiked from 17.9% in 2023-2024 to 24.3% in 2024-2025, a trend that often correlates with lower performance. However, there is a bright spot: 5th-grade students scored 25.4% proficient in Social Studies, which is above the district average of 21.2% and a massive improvement from just 9.5% two years ago. This suggests an area of instructional strength that could be examined and replicated. For parents considering this school, it's important to understand that while Starr faces significant academic challenges, the school's high per-pupil spending and one clear area of success provide potential foundations for future improvement.

410

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,349

Per pupil spending ?

53.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

601 School Dr
Plainwell, MI 49080-1582

(269) 685-5835

District: Plainwell Community Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.9%

Hispanic:

8.5%

Two or more races:

5.1%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Starr Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (27% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg35%

Michigan avg38%

1,000^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From top 40% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Plainwell Community Schools

265^th of 625Plainwell 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	30.2	1000 of 1492	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.4	964 of 1488	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.4	1000 of 1486	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	839 of 1470	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.7	937 of 1344	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	19.2	977 of 1153	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.6	712 of 1408	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	68.4	469 of 1448	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	73.8	298 of 1466	79.7%	★★★★☆
2016	59.0	622 of 1548	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.9	830 of 1580	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	56.1	717 of 1533	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.9	616 of 1563	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.1	650 of 1566	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.7	632 of 1552	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.9	855 of 1552	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	62.9	731 of 1589	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.1	869 of 1577	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.5	836 of 1565	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.7	978 of 1545	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	27.2	952 of 1343	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.4	801 of 1338	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.5	875 of 1342	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	797 of 1321	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.6	898 of 1106	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.0	754 of 902	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.2	632 of 1171	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.5	548 of 1443	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	1075 of 1352	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.2	894 of 1346	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.1	950 of 1381	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	765 of 1350	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.9	798 of 1099	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.8	629 of 749	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.7	422 of 1134	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.5	208 of 1397	85.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	24.9	1014 of 1372	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	1054 of 1366	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	1035 of 1347	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.8	832 of 1334	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	789 of 1139	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.0	815 of 915	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.4	706 of 1196	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.7	394 of 1446	72.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	1038 of 1199	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.7	1018 of 1206	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	1019 of 1204	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.0	849 of 1198	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	938 of 1102	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.7	931 of 1005	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.6	710 of 1128	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.9	518 of 1253	58.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Female (2026)29th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)26th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)13th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science35%-5 vs state

English Language Arts31%-10 vs state

Social Studies25%~ state avg

Math20%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Starr 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)				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	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th 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
Starr Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	601 School Dr	Plainwell	49080	Allegan County	Plainwell Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 685-5835	410	27	15.0	53.9%	344 (83.9%)	7 (1.7%)	35 (8.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.1%)	30.2	1000^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.0%		33.4	964^th of 1488 public elementary schools	35.2%	36	24.6	25.7	43.8	18.3	14.9	28.1	34.9	25.4	$16,349	$1,360	$14,989
Gilkey Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	707 S Woodhams St	Plainwell	49080	Allegan County	Plainwell Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 685-2424	439	24	18.2	32.3%	385 (87.7%)	4 (0.9%)	23 (5.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.5%)	59.4	566^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.1%		55.8	635^th of 1488 public elementary schools	57.3%	69	52.9	52.0	47.8	45.7	42.7	33.3	43.5	23.2	$13,126	$619	$12,507
Dix Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	503 Dix St	Otsego	49078	Allegan County	Otsego Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 694-7703	357	24	14.6	50.1%	293 (82.1%)	6 (1.7%)	17 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.5%)	31.3	983^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	34.1%		53.7	665^th of 1488 public elementary schools	55.3%	318	25.5	38.5	35.4	25.5	42.3	12.5	31.3	14.6	$11,526	$396	$11,130
Washington Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	538 Washington St	Otsego	49078	Allegan County	Otsego Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 694-7800	448	26	17.4	48.0%	396 (88.4%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (5.4%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.9%)	58.7	577^th of 1492 public elementary schools	61.3%		63.7	511^th of 1488 public elementary schools	65.7%	66	48.7	46.3	50.0	60.5	34.2	23.1	47.4	29.5	$11,657	$368	$11,289
Cooper Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7559 N 14th St	Kalamazoo	49009	Kalamazoo County	Plainwell Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 349-2674	288	17	16.9	22.9%	263 (91.3%)	6 (2.1%)	9 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.4%)	42.9	812^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.6%		54.7	651^st of 1488 public elementary schools	56.3%	161	40.0	34.1	42.3	45.0	40.9	30.8	32.7	13.5	$13,666	$575	$13,091
Alamo Elementary School	Public	K-5	8184 N 6th St	Kalamazoo	49009	Kalamazoo County	Otsego Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 694-7603	287	17	16.6	29.6%	262 (91.3%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.9%)	75	337^th of 1492 public elementary schools	77.4%		82.3	239^th of 1488 public elementary schools	83.9%	98	66.0	62.0	63.5	68.0	54.0	40.4	46.2	23.1	$10,846	$17	$10,829
Robert D Brandon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1583 University St	Martin	49070	Allegan County	Martin Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 442-0450	299	18	16.7	50.2%	255 (85.3%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)	33.4	948^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.5%		51	702^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	52.8%	246	20.8	40.0	30.6	31.3	22.5	14.3	51.0	22.4	$15,244	$1,214	$14,030
Parchment Northwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	600 Edison St	Kalamazoo	49004	Kalamazoo County	Parchment School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 488-1300	178	14	12.7	65.7%	113 (63.5%)	26 (14.6%)	14 (7.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (13.5%)								(n/a)	8.9			15.6					$16,924	$2,362	$14,562
Parchment North Elementary School	Public	4-5	5535 Keyes Dr	Kalamazoo	49004	Kalamazoo County	Parchment School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 488-1400	208	14	14.8	53.8%	137 (65.9%)	28 (13.5%)	16 (7.7%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (12.0%)	18.1	1213^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.7%		34.7	941^st of 1488 public elementary schools	36.8%	272		28.1	25.5		9.9	19.4	23.5	11.2	$17,439	$2,010	$15,430
Indian Prairie Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	3546 Grand Prairie Rd	Kalamazoo	49006	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 337-0590	169	13	12.8	46.7%	90 (53.3%)	50 (29.6%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (15.4%)								(n/a)	55.9			55.9					$18,848	$2,320	$16,529

Frequently Asked Questions about Starr Elementary School

How many students attend Starr Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 410 students attended Starr Elementary School.

What district is Starr Elementary School in?

Plainwell Community Schools

Is Starr Elementary School a good school?

Starr Elementary School ranks 1000^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Starr Elementary School?

Students at Starr Elementary School are 84% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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Schools in Plainwell, MI

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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.