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Owen Elementary School

Public Grades K-6
1356th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools
Better than 9% of Michigan elementary schools
Summary

Owen Elementary School is a public elementary school in Pontiac, Michigan, serving 319 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Pontiac City School District, which is ranked 586 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Owen Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Michigan elementary schools, with low proficiency rates on state assessments that are significantly below the state and district averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate was just 15%, compared to the state average of 38.9% and the district average of 11.3%. The school's performance has been stagnant or declining over the past few years, with little to no improvement in proficiency rates. Additionally, Owen Elementary has consistently high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 29.5% to 64.5% over the past few school years.

While the school's per-student spending has increased over the years, from $14,932 in 2020-2021 to $22,850 in 2023-2024, the academic outcomes have not shown substantial improvement. Interestingly, the nearby schools within the Pontiac City School District have similar academic performance and demographic profiles to Owen Elementary, while the schools in the neighboring Waterford School District and the Lake Orion Community Schools district have significantly higher academic achievement. Addressing the root causes of Owen Elementary's challenges, such as socioeconomic factors and attendance issues, will be crucial for improving the educational experience and outcomes for the students.

383
Students ?
22.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$22,850
Per pupil spending ?
79.4%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1700 Baldwin Ave
       Pontiac, MI  48340-1116

(248) 451-7870

District: Pontiac City School District


Students who attend Owen Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Pontiac Middle School
High:    Pontiac High School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
47.3%
Hispanic:
41.0%
White:
4.4%
more
 See top rated Michigan elementary schools

 Compare Owen Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2014 → 9th in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2014
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Michigan average (15% vs 40% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (63% vs 28% Michigan)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school15%
District avg12%
Michigan avg40%
1,356th of 1,488
Michigan public elementary schools ?
Bottom 9%▲ up 3 pts since 2015
From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 9% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 5Elementary Schools in the Pontiac City School District
586th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202510.21356 of 14888.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20246.31431 of 14863.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202312.31274 of 147013.3%★☆☆☆☆
20226.41283 of 13444.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20197.11328 of 14085.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20189.41374 of 14485.1%☆☆☆☆☆
20175.81409 of 14663.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20168.91428 of 15487.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20158.51489 of 15805.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20144.51512 of 15331.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20136.01520 of 15632.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201212.01451 of 15667.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20116.81504 of 15523.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201011.51474 of 15525.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20096.31539 of 15893.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200827.31350 of 157714.4%★☆☆☆☆
200725.61363 of 156512.9%★☆☆☆☆
200614.81439 of 15456.9%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202530.6246 of 36933.3%★★☆☆☆
201827.9361 of 47524.0%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202354.876 of 18057.8%★★★☆☆
201819.5252 of 2706.7%☆☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202511.91223 of 13388.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20239.51224 of 13217.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20186.91402 of 14432.8%☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202341.7101 of 18846.3%★★☆☆☆
201819.4200 of 2229.9%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202513.91219 of 13469.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20249.01314 of 13814.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202316.01162 of 135013.9%★☆☆☆☆
20228.81047 of 10994.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20199.11089 of 11344.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201814.21270 of 13979.1%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20256.01327 of 13662.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20248.91265 of 13476.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202315.91127 of 133415.5%★☆☆☆☆
20228.91082 of 11395.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201814.21257 of 144613.1%★☆☆☆☆
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)
English Language Learner (2023)58th percentile+44 vs school
Hispanic (2023)46th percentile+33 vs school
African American (2025)33rd percentile+24 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)9th percentile~ school
Female (2025)9th percentile~ school
Male (2025)3rd percentile-6 vs school
By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts16%-26 vs state
Science15%-25 vs state
Math14%-23 vs state

1.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Sunday, August 7, 2011

Open Quote The absolute worst kindergarten/first grade experience ever. I couldn't wait to get my son out of this school. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Owen Elementary School

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

Middle : Pontiac Middle School
High : Pontiac High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 383 students attended Owen Elementary School.

Owen Elementary School ranks in the bottom 8.9% of Michigan elementary schools.

Students at Owen Elementary School are 47% African American, 41% Hispanic, 4% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.


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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.





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