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Whitman Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

1404^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Whitman Elementary School is a public elementary school in Pontiac City School District, serving 559 students in grades K-5. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Whitman Elementary School in Michigan over the past decade, with significant challenges in academic performance, student engagement, and socioeconomic factors.

Whitman Elementary School performs well below state and district averages in M-Step (Michigan's standardized test) proficiency, with only 9.1% of 3rd graders proficient in English Language Arts compared to 38.9% statewide and 11.3% in the Pontiac district. The school also has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 54.3% to 64.5% in recent years, and over 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage. Despite spending significantly more per student ($28,399 in 2023-2024) and having a relatively low student-teacher ratio, the school has not shown significant improvement in its performance over the past decade.

The challenges facing Whitman Elementary School appear to be systemic within the Pontiac City School District, as nearby schools such as Owen Elementary and Herrington School also perform poorly on academic measures and have high rates of poverty and chronic absenteeism. Addressing the complex challenges facing the school and its community will likely require a multi-faceted, long-term approach involving increased resources, targeted interventions, and collaboration with community partners.

611

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,399

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 — 2nd percentile in 2014 → 6th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (12% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg11%

Michigan avg39%

1,404^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the Pontiac City School District

586^th of 613Pontiac 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
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
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
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 (2025)12th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)8th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Math13%-25 vs state

English Language Arts13%-29 vs state

Science10%-30 vs state

Social Studies3%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Whitman Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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%)	7.8	1404^th of 1488 public elementary schools	5.6%		6.9	1416^th of 1486 public elementary schools	4.7%	12			9.1	13.9	15.6			14.4	13.5	11.8			10.1		3.1		$28,399	$6,542	$21,857
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%)	7.7	1408^th of 1488 public elementary schools	5.4%		11	1325^th of 1486 public elementary schools	10.8%	83				9.8	13.5			14.3	14.0	10.5			7.9				$19,761	$6,847	$12,914
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)					26.3												$12,973	$1,429	$11,544
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%)	10.2	1356^th of 1488 public elementary schools	8.9%		6.3	1431^st of 1486 public elementary schools	3.7%	75			15.0		16.3			15.6		12.8			14.9				$22,850	$7,045	$15,805
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%)	21.5	1131^st of 1488 public elementary schools	24.0%		27.8	1057^th of 1486 public elementary schools	28.9%	74	58.8	31.8	23.2	26.2	24.3	31.8	42.9	26.8	25.0	9.3	25.9	28.6	14.7	25.0	5.3	25.9	$14,492	$3,015	$11,477
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%)	28.9	1027^th of 1488 public elementary schools	31.0%		29.8	1021^st of 1486 public elementary schools	31.3%	6			18.3	42.0	39.3			26.8	34.0	21.3			27.9		16.7		$18,981	$2,879	$16,102
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)	31.3					23.8		10.7				13.6					$15,169	$3,318	$11,850
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%)	5.3	1463^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	1.7%		5.3	1458^th of 1486 public elementary schools	1.9%	5			9.6	10.5	6.5			11.3									$20,173	$6,020	$14,152
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%)	56.4	622^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	58.2%		64.3	494^th of 1486 public elementary schools	66.8%	128			52.3	41.2	40.0			44.6	50.0	33.3			53.3		22.0		$17,417	$2,000	$15,417
Waterford Montessori Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	4350 Elizabeth Lake Rd	Waterford	48328	Oakland County	Waterford Montessori Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 674-2400	188	14	13.4	38.8%	123 (65.4%)	23 (12.2%)	31 (16.5%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.8%)	68.5	431^st of 1488 public elementary schools	71.0%		48.7	718^th of 1486 public elementary schools	51.7%	287	82.4	29.4	64.7			59.5	51.4	44.4			27.0	27.0		70.6		82.4	$7,571	$590	$6,980

Frequently Asked Questions about Whitman Elementary School

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.

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

How many students attend Whitman Elementary School?

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

What district is Whitman Elementary School in?

Pontiac City School District

Is Whitman Elementary School a good school?

Whitman Elementary School ranks in the bottom 5.6% of Michigan elementary schools.

Rate Whitman Elementary School!

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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.