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Central Elementary School

Q: Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 893 rd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

893^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School in Muskegon, MI, is a Pre-K through 4th grade school in the Reeths-Puffer Schools district, serving 428 students in a community where about 41% of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

One of Central Elementary's standout strengths is student attendance. Only 15.2% of students are chronically absent—far better than the district average of 28.5% and the state average of 27.9%. This suggests a welcoming, engaging school culture where families are actively involved. Academically, Central performs competitively given its demographics. While scores are below state averages, they are two to three times higher than nearby Muskegon Public Schools of the City of buildings like Glenside Elementary or Bunker Elementary, which serve much higher-poverty populations. Central is especially effective with its low-income students, who rank in the 54th percentile statewide—higher than the school's overall ranking. The school also achieves these results efficiently, spending about $13,590 per student, notably less than many neighboring schools.

Compared to its same-district counterpart, ReethsPuffer Elementary School, Central has a slightly lower overall state ranking (40th vs. 48th percentile) but a much stronger attendance record. The school has shown improvement over the past three years, climbing from the 27th to the 40th percentile. However, there are areas to watch: 4th-grade math has been inconsistent, and there is a persistent gap between male and female students' performance. While North Muskegon Elementary School nearby posts higher test scores, it also serves a more affluent population. For parents seeking a stable, mid-tier school with strong attendance and a proven track record of supporting economically disadvantaged students, Central Elementary offers a solid, dependable option in the Muskegon area.

428

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,590

Per pupil spending ?

41.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1807 W Giles Rd
Muskegon, MI 49445-1135

(231) 744-1693

District: Reeths-Puffer Schools

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	ReethsPuffer Intermediate School
	ReethsPuffer Middle School
High:	ReethsPuffer High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.5%

Hispanic:

7.7%

Two or more races:

7.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 27th percentile in 2023 → 40th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 40th (2026) from a 27th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (34% vs 40% meeting standards)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg35%

Michigan avg40%

893^rd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 25 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Reeths-Puffer Schools

353^rd of 625Reeths-Puffer 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	37.5	893 of 1492	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.7	838 of 1488	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.7	1039 of 1486	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.9	1079 of 1470	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.3	742 of 1344	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.2	634 of 1153	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.5	920 of 1408	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.8	854 of 1448	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.6	672 of 1466	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.4	538 of 1548	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.0	827 of 1580	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	53.9	764 of 1533	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.1	705 of 1563	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.1	522 of 1566	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.7	862 of 1552	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	66.6	641 of 1552	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.3	655 of 1589	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.6	725 of 1577	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.3	761 of 1565	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.9	700 of 1545	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	1009 of 1343	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.8	917 of 1338	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.7	1018 of 1342	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	1050 of 1321	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.8	648 of 1106	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.0	549 of 902	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.2	848 of 1171	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.0	894 of 1443	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	793 of 1352	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.1	623 of 1346	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.0	905 of 1381	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.0	1101 of 1350	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.5	710 of 1099	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.5	620 of 749	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.7	851 of 1134	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.6	758 of 1397	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.6	788 of 1372	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.9	764 of 1366	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.1	1037 of 1347	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	1047 of 1334	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	794 of 1139	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.8	639 of 915	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.9	868 of 1196	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.5	780 of 1446	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	23.3	950 of 1199	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.9	941 of 1206	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	1067 of 1204	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	1096 of 1198	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	810 of 1102	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.2	681 of 1005	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.2	860 of 1128	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.1	867 of 1253	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile~ school

Female (2026)25th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)21st percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts34%-6 vs state

Math34%-7 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	PK, KG-4	1807 W Giles Rd	Muskegon	49445	Muskegon County	Reeths-Puffer Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 744-1693	428	25	17.2	41.4%	349 (81.5%)	12 (2.8%)	33 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.5%)	37.5	893^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	40.1%		41.7	838^th of 1488 public elementary schools	43.7%	55	32.9	34.9			34.2	33.7					$13,590	$422	$13,168
North Muskegon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Mills Ave	Muskegon	49445	Muskegon County	North Muskegon Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 719-4201	406	25	16.1	27.8%	314 (77.3%)	24 (5.9%)	25 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (10.6%)	58	585^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.8%		67	465^th of 1488 public elementary schools	68.8%	120	29.5	50.0	40.6		54.1	57.4	40.6		42.2	26.6	$14,923	$1,052	$13,870
Pennsylvania Elementary School	Public	K	2500 Pennsylvania Ave	Muskegon	49445	Muskegon County	Reeths-Puffer Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 638-0253	39	2	19.5	10.3%	34 (87.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.7%)								(n/a)											$12,306	$188	$12,119
ReethsPuffer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	874 E Giles Rd	Muskegon	49445	Muskegon County	Reeths-Puffer Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 744-4777	600	34	17.6	59.5%	491 (81.8%)	38 (6.3%)	28 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.5%)	45.4	771^st of 1492 public elementary schools	48.3%		40.6	855^th of 1488 public elementary schools	42.5%	84	37.1	36.5			37.1	40.9					$13,656	$1,021	$12,635
Muskegon Maritime Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	571 E Apple Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Maritime Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(231) 724-7577	141	8	18.0	86.5%	16 (11.3%)	115 (81.6%)	5 (3.5%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.1%)								(n/a)	1249.2	1361.9	1456.5	1559.9	1240.2	1362.2	1448.5	1547.6	1470.8	23.1	$16,311	$2,358	$13,953
Marquette Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	480 Bennett St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Public Schools of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 720-2600	367	30	12.1	95.1%	49 (13.4%)	228 (62.1%)	41 (11.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (12.8%)	5.6	1469^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.5%		5.5	1458^th of 1488 public elementary schools	2.0%	11	11.3	11.1	7.1		13.1	8.3	1457.1		5.5	1463.7	$22,735	$6,475	$16,260
Glenside Elementary	Public	K-5	1213 W Hackley Ave	Muskegon	49441	Muskegon County	Muskegon Public Schools of the City of	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(231) 720-2201	185	11	16.3	85.9%	11 (5.9%)	54 (29.2%)	104 (56.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.6%)	7.5	1425^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.5%					(n/a)	10.0	1365.6	19.1		10.0	1367.5	1460.1		14.3	1463.8	$21,220	$5,469	$15,751
Bunker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2312 Denmark St	Muskegon	49441	Muskegon County	Muskegon Public Schools of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 720-2300	451	28	16.0	93.1%	115 (25.5%)	205 (45.5%)	66 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (14.4%)	12.3	1326^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.1%		11.4	1329^th of 1488 public elementary schools	10.7%	3	10.2	20.3	23.4		11.9	10.1	20.3		19.0	6.3	$19,290	$2,851	$16,438
Three Oaks Public School Academy	Public, Magnet, Charter	PK, KG-6	1212 Kingsley St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Three Oaks Public School Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 767-3365	363	24	15.2	100.0%	57 (15.7%)	246 (67.8%)	28 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.2%)	7.2	1433^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	4.0%		15.1	1258^th of 1488 public elementary schools	15.5%	175	5.2	6.8	1467.7	20.8	6.9	6.7	1459.3	16.7	10.4	1464.2	$15,070	$2,525	$12,545
Oakview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1420 Madison St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Public Schools of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 720-2450	438	25	17.6	95.7%	82 (18.7%)	269 (61.4%)	37 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (11.4%)	7.7	1416^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.1%		5.7	1452^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	2.4%	36	17.3	14.5	5.7		14.8	6.6	1453.0		11.5	1462.1	$17,499	$4,207	$13,292

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 428 students attended Central Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : ReethsPuffer Intermediate School
Middle : ReethsPuffer Middle School
High : ReethsPuffer High School

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks 893^rd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Reeths-Puffer Schools

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 82% White, 8% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% African American.

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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.