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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 584 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

584^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School in Portage, MI, is a mid-sized K-5 school with 439 students, serving a diverse community within the highly-rated Portage Public Schools district.

Central Elementary has earned a 3-star rating for most of the past decade, with overall performance hovering near the middle of the pack statewide. However, the most recent data reveals a significant and growing gap between how well the school serves its female and male students. While girls rank in the 72nd percentile statewide, boys rank in just the 41st percentile—a 31-point gap that has emerged only recently. Even more concerning is the school's performance with students from low socio-economic backgrounds, which has dropped dramatically from the 45th percentile to the bottom 17th percentile in just two years. This suggests the school is currently struggling to provide equitable outcomes for its economically disadvantaged students, a challenge that appears more pronounced at Central than at many of its district peers. Interestingly, Central spends a relatively high amount per student ($16,603) compared to higher-performing schools like Moorsbridge Elementary ($12,273), which ranks in the 88th percentile—indicating that additional funding is not automatically translating into stronger results.

Academic performance at Central is notably inconsistent from year to year and grade to grade. For example, 4th-grade math proficiency swung from 28% to 61% over three years, while 5th-grade ELA scores have fluctuated between 44% and 58%. This volatility suggests outcomes are heavily influenced by specific student cohorts rather than a stable school-wide approach. The current 4th grade is performing well above district averages in math, while the 5th grade is struggling in both math and science. On a positive note, Central has a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 14.2%—far better than the district average of 19% and less than half the state average of 27.9%—meaning students are consistently showing up to school. When compared to nearby schools, Central ranks below demographically similar schools like Amberly Elementary and Haverhill Elementary, despite serving similar proportions of low-income families. This suggests opportunities for Central to learn from successful strategies used by its district peers.

439

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,603

Per pupil spending ?

31.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8422 S Westnedge Ave
Portage, MI 49002-5402

(269) 323-6100

District: Portage Public Schools

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Portage Central Middle School
High:	Portage Central High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.2%

Two or more races:

10.9%

African American:

8.0%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 49th percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Michigan median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Portage Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg50%

Michigan avg38%

584^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to top 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Portage Public Schools

130^th of 625Portage Public 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	58.0	584 of 1492	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.6	415 of 1488	72.1%	★★★★☆
2024	61.6	527 of 1486	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.9	522 of 1470	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.2	646 of 1344	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.4	419 of 1153	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.3	519 of 1408	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.9	584 of 1448	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.4	583 of 1466	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.9	793 of 1548	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	54.5	729 of 1580	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.2	674 of 1533	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.7	620 of 1563	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.3	665 of 1566	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.6	386 of 1552	75.1%	★★★★☆
2010	68.1	594 of 1552	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	63.4	706 of 1589	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	67.5	567 of 1577	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.7	547 of 1565	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.6	565 of 1545	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	67.5	370 of 1343	72.4%	★★★★☆
2025	64.3	412 of 1338	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.3	644 of 1342	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	637 of 1321	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.4	669 of 1106	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	496 of 902	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.2	449 of 1171	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.5	625 of 1443	56.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	1122 of 1352	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.1	877 of 1346	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.8	755 of 1381	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.2	489 of 1350	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.4	603 of 1099	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.7	339 of 749	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.6	560 of 1134	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.0	799 of 1397	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	38.9	815 of 1372	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	65.9	433 of 1366	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.9	453 of 1347	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.4	432 of 1334	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.7	574 of 1139	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.4	309 of 915	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.2	490 of 1196	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.7	520 of 1446	64.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	408 of 1199	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.9	280 of 1206	76.8%	★★★★☆
2024	63.2	405 of 1204	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.2	418 of 1198	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.4	577 of 1102	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.3	379 of 1005	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.4	508 of 1128	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.6	520 of 1253	58.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Female (2026)72nd percentile+12 vs school

White (2026)66th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)41st percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math45%+7 vs state

English Language Arts44%+3 vs state

Science41%~ state avg

Social Studies30%+3 vs state

★

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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 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/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	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	8422 S Westnedge Ave	Portage	49002	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 323-6100	439	27	16.2	31.4%	304 (69.2%)	35 (8.0%)	31 (7.1%)	18 (4.1%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (10.9%)	58	584^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.9%		69.6	415^th of 1488 public elementary schools	72.1%	169	35.8	51.4	44.4		37.3	61.1	34.9		41.3	30.2	$16,603	$1,074	$15,529
Woodland Elementary School	Public	K-5	6633 Haverhill Ave	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 323-6600	348	26	13.3	35.6%	236 (67.8%)	26 (7.5%)	34 (9.8%)	19 (5.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.2%)	55	627^th of 1492 public elementary schools	58.0%		61	550^th of 1488 public elementary schools	63.0%	77	51.9	42.3	38.3		60.0	31.5	28.3		40.0	33.3	$20,067	$1,178	$18,889
Lake Center Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10011 Portage Rd	Portage	49002	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-6355	494	29	17.3	17.2%	376 (76.1%)	11 (2.2%)	40 (8.1%)	18 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (9.7%)	81.6	243^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	83.7%		81	258^th of 1488 public elementary schools	82.7%	15	56.2	52.4	62.3		53.9	56.0	55.1		62.3	43.6	$14,785	$852	$13,933
Haverhill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1720 Haverhill Ave	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 323-6200	378	28	13.5	37.8%	232 (61.4%)	40 (10.6%)	33 (8.7%)	17 (4.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (14.6%)	64.6	496^th of 1492 public elementary schools	66.8%		63.1	522^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	64.9%	26	46.6	65.7	54.3		58.6	37.3	31.4		41.4	32.9	$18,427	$1,230	$17,196
Moorsbridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7361 Moorsbridge Rd	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-6400	591	29	20.3	11.3%	379 (64.1%)	20 (3.4%)	45 (7.6%)	86 (14.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	59 (10.0%)	85.7	186^th of 1492 public elementary schools	87.5%		87.7	162^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	89.1%	24	45.5	70.7	66.3		53.5	62.4	55.0		67.0	55.0	$12,273	$612	$11,661
Oakland Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	6325 Oakland Dr	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Oakland Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(269) 324-8951	149	11	13.8	36.9%	85 (57.0%)	21 (14.1%)	18 (12.1%)	5 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (13.4%)	49.4	704^th of 1492 public elementary schools	52.8%		48.7	741^st of 1488 public elementary schools	50.2%	37	36.8	50.0	31.3		47.4	30.0	25.0		56.3	25.0	$12,231	$809	$11,422
Amberly Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6637 Amberly St	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 323-5900	513	32	16.2	31.4%	327 (63.7%)	73 (14.2%)	48 (9.4%)	15 (2.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (9.4%)	75.3	335^th of 1492 public elementary schools	77.5%		71	402^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	73.0%	67	49.4	53.8	57.5		56.5	56.0	47.1		49.4	36.8	$14,518	$620	$13,898
12th Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6501 S 12th St	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-6900	589	31	18.9	20.7%	345 (58.6%)	81 (13.8%)	47 (8.0%)	56 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (10.2%)	76.9	309^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.3%		75.1	336^th of 1488 public elementary schools	77.4%	27	56.8	66.3	50.0		55.7	72.4	38.6		51.0	38.2	$13,205	$615	$12,590
Angling Road Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5340 Angling Rd	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-6000	360	25	14.6	28.9%	243 (67.5%)	26 (7.2%)	35 (9.7%)	27 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.1%)	57.5	590^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.5%		61.8	540^th of 1488 public elementary schools	63.7%	50	41.0	55.4	44.6		42.6	52.3	24.6		46.2	27.7	$15,805	$1,016	$14,790
Tobey Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8551 Long Lake Dr E	Scotts	49088	Kalamazoo County	Vicksburg Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 321-1600	379	28	13.4	28.0%	340 (89.7%)	3 (0.8%)	21 (5.5%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	70.7	395^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.5%		65.7	483^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	67.5%	88	54.7	49.3	59.2		50.9	35.2	31.0		66.2	47.9	$15,733	$367	$15,366

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Central Elementary School.

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Portage Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 69% White, 11% Two or more races, 8% African American, 7% Hispanic, 4% Asian.

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 584^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Portage Central Middle School
High : Portage Central 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.