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Clara B Bolen Elementary School

Q: Is Clara B Bolen Elementary School a good school?

Clara B Bolen Elementary School ranks 697 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

697^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Clara B Bolen Elementary School in Tawas City, MI, serves 433 students in Pre-K through 4th grade as part of the Tawas Area Schools district, and it stands out as a strong academic performer in its region despite a recent dip in its statewide ranking.

One of the school's biggest strengths is 4th-grade English Language Arts. In the most recent school year, 53.9% of 4th graders were proficient, well above the state average of 41.3%—and this isn't a one-time fluke. Clara B Bolen has beaten the state in this subject for four straight years. That success is even more impressive when compared to nearby schools: Richardson Elementary School had just 29.4% proficiency, and Whittemore-Prescott Area Elementary only 9.3%. However, 3rd-grade math is a clear weak spot, with just 31.6% proficiency versus the state's 42.9%—a gap that has persisted for four years. Interestingly, the school also shows a consistent "3rd-grade slump" in both subjects, followed by a strong recovery by 4th grade, suggesting something is working well in that later grade.

Another positive finding is how well the school supports students from low-income backgrounds. These students rank in the 63rd percentile statewide, earning a 3-star rating—much stronger than the school's overall performance. This suggests the school is especially effective at helping economically disadvantaged children succeed. Attendance is also a bright spot: chronic absenteeism sits at 18.3%, far better than the state average of 27.9% and better than nearby districts like Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools (32.1%). Clara B Bolen achieves these results while spending less per student ($13,349) than its neighbors, making it an efficient and effective choice for families in the Tawas City area.

433

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,349

Per pupil spending ?

55.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

211 S Plank Rd
Tawas City, MI 48763-9678

(989) 984-2200

District: Tawas Area Schools

Students who attend Clara B Bolen Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Tawas Area Middle School
High:	Tawas Area High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.2%

Two or more races:

4.6%

Hispanic:

2.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Clara B Bolen Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2016 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg40%

Michigan avg40%

697^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

175^th of 625Tawas Area 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	49.9	697 of 1492	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.9	767 of 1488	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	684 of 1486	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.9	628 of 1470	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.5	507 of 1344	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.7	342 of 1153	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	81.2	207 of 1408	85.3%	★★★★☆
2018	77.9	306 of 1448	78.9%	★★★★☆
2017	78.9	230 of 1466	84.3%	★★★★☆
2016	72.5	373 of 1548	75.9%	★★★★☆
2015	65.2	530 of 1580	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	67.0	487 of 1533	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.6	509 of 1563	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.0	523 of 1566	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.1	496 of 1552	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	75.2	307 of 1552	80.2%	★★★★☆
2009	74.9	346 of 1589	78.2%	★★★★☆
2008	69.7	503 of 1577	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.0	688 of 1565	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.4	825 of 1545	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	718 of 1343	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.5	630 of 1338	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.6	685 of 1342	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.4	534 of 1321	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.3	545 of 1106	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.8	520 of 902	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	79.0	171 of 1171	85.4%	★★★★☆
2018	75.0	323 of 1443	77.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	56.9	500 of 1352	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.7	512 of 1346	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.3	404 of 1381	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	60.2	440 of 1350	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.1	199 of 1099	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	83.5	47 of 749	93.7%	★★★★★
2019	90.5	39 of 1134	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	82.8	136 of 1397	90.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	49.1	673 of 1372	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.8	870 of 1366	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.1	659 of 1347	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.1	702 of 1334	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.4	447 of 1139	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.1	175 of 915	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	79.5	189 of 1196	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.1	302 of 1446	79.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	805 of 1199	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.0	824 of 1206	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	749 of 1204	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	789 of 1198	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.7	610 of 1102	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.6	392 of 1005	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.3	278 of 1128	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	65.9	396 of 1253	68.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)63rd percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)51st percentile~ school

Female (2026)47th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)33rd percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts47%+7 vs state

Math33%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Clara B Bolen 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
Clara B Bolen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	211 S Plank Rd	Tawas City	48763	Iosco County	Tawas Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 984-2200	433	24	17.7	55.2%	395 (91.2%)	4 (0.9%)	11 (2.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.6%)	49.9	697^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.3%		46.9	767^th of 1488 public elementary schools	48.5%	70	38.2	53.9			31.6	34.8					$13,349	$1,316	$12,032
Richardson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3630 E River Rd	Oscoda	48750	Iosco County	Oscoda Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 739-9173	711	43	16.6	70.9%	602 (84.7%)	11 (1.5%)	54 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	40 (5.6%)	35.7	919^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.4%		40.8	852^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	42.7%	67	22.2	29.4	33.3	39.8	34.3	28.2	19.4	23.2	35.5	31.2	$14,026	$1,427	$12,599
WhittemorePrescott Area Elementary	Public	K-6	8878 Prescott Rd	Whittemore	48770	Iosco County	Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 756-2502	347	22	15.6	83.0%	304 (87.6%)	9 (2.6%)	22 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.9%)	18.6	1203^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	19.4%		20.6	1146^th of 1488 public elementary schools	23.0%	57	11.9	9.3	29.4	27.0	23.7	9.3	15.7	21.6	27.5	15.7	$16,157	$2,251	$13,906
Au GresSims Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	310 S Court St	Au Gres	48703	Arenac County	Au Gres-Sims School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 876-7157	167	11	15.1	62.9%	150 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.8%)	70	412^th of 1492 public elementary schools	72.4%		63.6	515^th of 1488 public elementary schools	65.4%	103	1316.1	48.3	65.2		1321.2	51.7	43.5		52.2	26.1	$14,377	$1,728	$12,649

Frequently Asked Questions about Clara B Bolen Elementary School

What district is Clara B Bolen Elementary School in?

Tawas Area Schools

How many students attend Clara B Bolen Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 433 students attended Clara B Bolen Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Clara B Bolen Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Clara B Bolen Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Tawas Area Middle School
High : Tawas Area High School

What is the racial makeup of Clara B Bolen Elementary School?

Students at Clara B Bolen Elementary School are 91% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

Is Clara B Bolen Elementary School a good school?

Clara B Bolen Elementary School ranks 697^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Clara B Bolen Elementary School!

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MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Tawas City, MI

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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.