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Whitman Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

1450^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Whitman Elementary School in Pontiac, MI, serves 611 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade and is the largest elementary school in the Pontiac City School District, with about 74% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Whitman faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 3rd percentile of all Michigan elementary schools. However, a closer look reveals some important nuances. Compared to other schools in the Pontiac City School District, Whitman has a notably lower chronic absenteeism rate (54.7%) than Owen Elementary School (63.3%), Alcott School (65.0%), and Herrington School (69.8%). This suggests Whitman is relatively more successful at getting students to school regularly than its district peers. Additionally, while the school's overall performance is low, its African American students perform in the 20th percentile statewide—a stark contrast to the school's overall ranking—indicating pockets of relative success that may be overshadowed by lower performance in other student groups.

The most striking comparison is with nearby schools in the Waterford School District, just a few miles away. For example, Cooley Elementary School ranks in the 68th percentile with ELA proficiency rates of 43-58%, compared to Whitman's 9-15%. Whitman spends $25,349 per student—more than double what nearby charter schools like Walton Charter Academy ($13,960) or Waterford Montessori Academy ($8,668) spend—yet those schools achieve significantly better results. This raises questions about resource efficiency. While Whitman is not the lowest-performing school in its district (Herrington School ranks in the 0th percentile), the gap between spending and outcomes, combined with a slight recent upward trend in rankings, suggests both challenges and potential areas for focused improvement.

611

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,349

Per pupil spending ?

74.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

125 W Montcalm St
Pontiac, MI 48342-1141

(248) 451-7950

District: Pontiac City School District

Students who attend Whitman Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Pontiac Middle School
High:	Pontiac High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.8%

African American:

41.4%

Two or more races:

4.4%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Whitman Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (12% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (55% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school12%

District avg10%

Michigan avg38%

1,450^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Pontiac City School District

583^rd of 625Pontiac City School District 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	6.4	1450 of 1492	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.8	1404 of 1488	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.9	1416 of 1486	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	1350 of 1470	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.5	1316 of 1344	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.4	1379 of 1408	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	1361 of 1448	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.4	1353 of 1466	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.3	1462 of 1548	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.0	1477 of 1580	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.7	1506 of 1533	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.2	1504 of 1566	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	13.0	1448 of 1552	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	25.1	1365 of 1552	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	4.6	1551 of 1589	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	14.7	1459 of 1577	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.5	1543 of 1565	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	3.1	1524 of 1545	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	24.5	310 of 388	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	326 of 369	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	304 of 348	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	231 of 321	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	399 of 475	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	160 of 173	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	183 of 184	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	151 of 180	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	248 of 270	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	5.0	1324 of 1338	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.9	1321 of 1342	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	1288 of 1321	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	1110 of 1171	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	1300 of 1443	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	10.1	202 of 209	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	194 of 201	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	176 of 188	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.2	175 of 222	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	10.2	1290 of 1352	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.6	1278 of 1346	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	1297 of 1381	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	1262 of 1350	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.2	1076 of 1099	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.4	1115 of 1134	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.7	1278 of 1397	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	7.1	1313 of 1366	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.7	1296 of 1347	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	1262 of 1334	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.1	1196 of 1196	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.3	1350 of 1446	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)20th percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)8th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts13%-29 vs state

Science11%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Whitman 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/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	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
Whitman Elementary School	Public	K-5	125 W Montcalm St	Pontiac	48342	Oakland County	Pontiac City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 451-7950	611	51	11.8	74.1%	18 (2.9%)	253 (41.4%)	298 (48.8%)	12 (2.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.4%)	6.4	1450^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.8%		7.8	1404^th of 1488 public elementary schools	5.6%	46			1262.2	11.6	13.3			1254.9	1355.5	1457.8			11.3		1466.3		$25,349	$4,612	$20,737
Pontiac Academy for Excellence Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	196 Cesar E Chavez	Pontiac	48342	Oakland County	Pontiac Academy for Excellence	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(248) 745-9420	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	5.1	1480^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.8%					(n/a)			1266.9	6.4	1475.4			9.8	6.4	1466.5			11.8		1465.5
Alcott School	Public	K-5	460 W Kennett Rd	Pontiac	48340	Oakland County	Pontiac City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 451-7910	334	14	23.1	64.4%	19 (5.7%)	108 (32.3%)	185 (55.4%)	9 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	7.5	1422^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	4.7%		7.7	1408^th of 1488 public elementary schools	5.4%	14			1267.1	7.7	8.0			13.9	12.8	10.0			14.0		6.0		$29,641	$6,921	$22,720
Great Lakes Academy	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-8	46312 Woodward Ave	Pontiac	48342	Oakland County	Great Lakes Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(248) 334-6434	162	13	12.4	87.7%	3 (1.9%)	132 (81.5%)	20 (12.3%)	3 (1.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)								(n/a)	30.0	354.0	1256.4	1361.6	1461.1	1567.4	1670.3	1262.1	1355.9	1451.1	1558.7	1658.8	1469.8	1777.2	1462.8	1785.7	$16,852	$2,444	$14,408
Owen Elementary School	Public	K-6	1700 Baldwin Ave	Pontiac	48340	Oakland County	Pontiac City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 451-7870	383	17	22.0	79.4%	17 (4.4%)	181 (47.3%)	157 (41.0%)	9 (2.3%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (3.9%)	7.3	1430^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.2%		10.2	1356^th of 1488 public elementary schools	8.9%	74			1267.6	19.0	13.2			8.5	5.1	1456.5			1470.3		1469.0		$19,489	$4,601	$14,888
Walton Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	744 E Walton Blvd	Pontiac	48340	Oakland County	Walton Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 371-9300	763	44	17.5	91.7%	33 (4.3%)	194 (25.4%)	456 (59.8%)	20 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (7.7%)	25.4	1079^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.7%		21.5	1131^st of 1488 public elementary schools	24.0%	52	47.6	22.6	27.9	31.0	30.6	22.5	40.5	34.5	29.8	20.0	22.5	37.3	15.5	19.0	8.2	38.8	$13,960	$1,429	$12,531
Donelson Hills Elementary School	Public	K-5	2690 Wewoka Rd	Waterford	48328	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 682-9530	392	22	17.8	79.8%	128 (32.7%)	86 (21.9%)	135 (34.4%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.4%)	33.6	946^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.6%		28.9	1027^th of 1488 public elementary schools	31.0%	81			32.8	41.2	38.0			33.3	35.3	12.5			24.0		14.0		$16,769	$1,833	$14,936
Momentum Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	60 S Lynn Ave	Waterford	48328	Oakland County	Momentum Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 682-5000	219	15	14.6	87.7%	11 (5.0%)	56 (25.6%)	144 (65.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)								(n/a)	52.0	358.8	14.8	1372.5	1471.3	1566.4	22.2	22.2	1369.7	1455.8	1554.2	1668.2	1469.5	16.0	1469.6	24.0	$00	$00	$00
Herrington School	Public	K-6	541 Bay St	Pontiac	48342	Oakland County	Pontiac City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 451-7790	319	16	20.4	85.9%	10 (3.1%)	238 (74.6%)	55 (17.2%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.4%)	4.3	1491^st of 1492 public elementary schools	0.1%		5.3	1463^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	1.7%	28			1269.9	6.9	1459.4			6.3	6.7	1457.5			1462.9		1459.3		$22,818	$4,548	$18,271
Cooley Elementary School	Public	K-5	2000 Highfield Rd	Waterford	48329	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 673-0300	377	21	17.5	50.4%	273 (72.4%)	29 (7.7%)	49 (13.0%)	13 (3.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.2%)	65.8	477^th of 1492 public elementary schools	68.0%		56.4	622^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	58.2%	145			43.1	55.2	58.5			48.6	43.3	34.0			56.6		30.2		$17,539	$1,633	$15,905

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitman Elementary School

What district is Whitman Elementary School in?

Pontiac City School District

What is the racial makeup of Whitman Elementary School?

Students at Whitman Elementary School are 49% Hispanic, 41% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% White, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Whitman Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 611 students attended Whitman Elementary School.

Is Whitman Elementary School a good school?

Whitman Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2.8% of Michigan elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Whitman Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Pontiac Middle School
High : Pontiac High School

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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.