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Cooley Elementary School

Q: Is Cooley Elementary School a good school?

Cooley Elementary School ranks 477 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

477^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 68% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Cooley Elementary School in Waterford, MI, is a K-5 school with 377 students, serving a community where about half of the families qualify for free or reduced lunch, and it is part of the Waterford School District.

Cooley is a solid, mid-to-upper-tier performer in Michigan, currently ranking in the 68th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating. Its biggest academic strength is 5th-grade science, where 56.6% of students are proficient—far outpacing the district (36.9%) and state (40%) averages, and beating nearby schools like Schoolcraft Elementary School (37.3%) and Beaumont Elementary School (38.3%). The school is also notably effective with its economically disadvantaged students, who ranked in the 72nd percentile statewide—a strong sign that Cooley is closing achievement gaps. Additionally, chronic absenteeism is lower here (18.9%) than the district (25.6%) and state (27.9%), suggesting good student engagement and family involvement. This is a stark contrast to Alcott School in the Pontiac City School District, just 2.8 miles away, which has similar poverty levels but a 65% chronic absenteeism rate and test scores in the single digits—highlighting that Cooley’s success comes from effective practices, not just demographics.

Within the Waterford School District, Cooley is a clear leader, outperforming most nearby elementaries like Grayson Elementary (47th percentile), Knudsen Elementary School (46th), Donelson Hills Elementary School (37th), and Riverside Elementary School (26th). While 3rd-grade math and ELA scores are above state averages, the school shows exceptional growth in reading by 5th grade (58.5% proficient vs. 43.8% statewide), though math growth is more modest. Cooley also achieves these results with larger class sizes (17.5:1) than some peers like Haviland Elementary School (14.3:1), and its per-student spending ($17,539) is comparable to district peers but much higher than Waterford Montessori Academy ($8,668)—yet Cooley still delivers stronger outcomes, pointing to efficient use of resources and effective teaching.

377

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,539

Per pupil spending ?

50.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2000 Highfield Rd
Waterford, MI 48329-3827

(248) 673-0300

District: Waterford School District

Students who attend Cooley Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Pierce Middle School
High:	Waterford Kettering High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.4%

Hispanic:

13.0%

African American:

7.7%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Cooley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (46% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Waterford School District

✓Above the Michigan median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg37%

Michigan avg38%

477^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From top 20% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 9Elementary Schools in the Waterford School District

335^th of 625Waterford 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
2026	65.8	477 of 1492	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.4	622 of 1488	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.3	494 of 1486	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.6	396 of 1470	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	66.0	393 of 1344	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	48.6	537 of 1153	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.7	315 of 1408	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.2	270 of 1448	81.4%	★★★★☆
2017	79.8	213 of 1466	85.5%	★★★★☆
2016	76.5	302 of 1548	80.5%	★★★★☆
2015	56.2	696 of 1580	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.2	847 of 1533	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	51.0	819 of 1563	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	62.5	574 of 1566	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.6	884 of 1552	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	72.0	445 of 1552	71.3%	★★★★☆
2009	57.9	854 of 1589	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.6	1003 of 1577	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	62.6	664 of 1565	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	50.5	959 of 1545	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	59.1	488 of 1343	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.8	758 of 1338	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.5	584 of 1342	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.9	307 of 1321	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	60.8	370 of 1106	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.6	556 of 902	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.6	411 of 1171	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.0	385 of 1443	73.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	93.1	7 of 222	96.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	382 of 1352	71.7%	★★★★☆
2025	53.2	577 of 1346	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.8	418 of 1381	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.6	331 of 1350	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.1	274 of 1099	75.1%	★★★★☆
2021	67.4	178 of 749	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	77.8	137 of 1134	87.9%	★★★★☆
2018	90.1	56 of 1397	96.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.9	465 of 1372	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.1	471 of 1366	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.1	437 of 1347	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.4	491 of 1334	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.8	397 of 1139	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.3	459 of 915	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.2	262 of 1196	78.1%	★★★★☆
2018	81.1	235 of 1446	83.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	125 of 246	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.1	105 of 252	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.9	80 of 195	59.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	489 of 1199	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.7	713 of 1206	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.1	551 of 1204	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.2	358 of 1198	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	65.2	345 of 1102	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.7	534 of 1005	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.8	310 of 1128	72.5%	★★★★☆
2018	75.1	270 of 1253	78.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2018)97th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)72nd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)66th percentile~ school

Female (2026)64th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)59th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)49th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science57%+17 vs state

English Language Arts52%+10 vs state

Math43%+5 vs state

Social Studies30%+3 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, July 25, 2013

My daughter has just finished 5th grade, and my son is going into 2nd, and we plan on sending our 4 year old to Cooley as well. We have been extremely pleased with the teachers and education that we have received at Cooley Elementary. Both my children have has fantastic teachers who challenged them. My daughter excelled and most teachers gave her work above her grade level to continue to challenge her. My son has focus issues and his teachers have been very helpful with providing him positive reinforcement to keep him on track and he is excelling as well. I belong to the Waterford Moms Club and know several parents who school of choice their children to Cooley. The new principal seems very focused on continuing the challenge the school, works great with the parents and for the welfare of the children. We could not be happier with the education my children are receiving and would recommend Cooley to anyone. Close Quote

Schools Near Cooley 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)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	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	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
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%)	65.8	477^th of 1492 public elementary schools	68.0%		56.4	622^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	58.2%	145			43.1	55.2	58.5			48.6	43.3	34.0			56.6		30.2		$17,539	$1,633	$15,905
Riverside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5280 Farm Rd	Waterford	48327	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 674-0805	291	19	14.9	64.9%	178 (61.2%)	42 (14.4%)	47 (16.2%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.2%)	23.8	1102^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	26.1%		21.1	1138^th of 1488 public elementary schools	23.5%	36			22.5	39.6	28.8			27.5	31.3	10.2			25.4		10.2		$21,553	$1,583	$19,970
Grayson Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	3800 W Walton Blvd	Waterford	48329	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(248) 674-0200	437	24	17.9	53.8%	263 (60.2%)	53 (12.1%)	80 (18.3%)	11 (2.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.2%)	44.4	787^th of 1492 public elementary schools	47.3%		48.6	743^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	50.1%	44			27.0	55.2	45.7			31.1	43.3	27.1			37.1		18.6		$15,554	$1,465	$14,089
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%)	32.2	968^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.1%		68.5	431^st of 1488 public elementary schools	71.0%	537	85.3	23.5	21.7			42.9	64.7	26.1			14.3	44.1		55.9		76.5	$8,668	$616	$8,052
Waterford Montessori Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	4860 Midland Ave	Waterford	48329	Oakland County	Waterford Montessori Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(248) 674-2400	213	14	15.6	38.5%	144 (67.6%)	18 (8.5%)	33 (15.5%)	3 (1.4%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.1%)	35.4	924^th of 1492 public elementary schools	38.1%		23.8	1096^th of 1488 public elementary schools	26.3%	172			42.1	41.5	37.5			31.6	31.7	10.0			35.0		17.5		$13,642	$899	$12,743
Knudsen Elementary School	Public	K-5	5449 Crescent Rd	Waterford	48327	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 682-7300	278	19	14.8	64.4%	190 (68.3%)	27 (9.7%)	41 (14.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (5.8%)	43.2	805^th of 1492 public elementary schools	46.0%		33.7	960^th of 1488 public elementary schools	35.5%	155			52.3	42.6	41.9			50.0	32.6	14.0			32.6		7.0		$18,156	$1,440	$16,715
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%)	33.6	946^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.6%		28.9	1027^th of 1488 public elementary schools	31.0%	81			32.8	41.2	38.0			33.3	35.3	12.5			24.0		14.0		$16,769	$1,833	$14,936
Schoolcraft Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6400 Maceday Dr	Waterford	48329	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 623-6211	398	23	17.3	54.5%	307 (77.1%)	21 (5.3%)	47 (11.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.5%)	63	513^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.6%		68.2	439^th of 1488 public elementary schools	70.5%	74			44.9	59.2	53.4			43.6	55.3	37.9			37.3		23.7		$17,791	$2,756	$15,035
Beaumont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6532 Elizabeth Lake Rd	Waterford	48327	Oakland County	Waterford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(248) 682-6822	298	18	16.7	61.1%	190 (63.8%)	55 (18.5%)	33 (11.1%)	12 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	45.4	767^th of 1492 public elementary schools	48.6%		56.8	611^th of 1488 public elementary schools	58.9%	156			21.9	53.5	55.3			26.6	41.9	36.2			38.3		21.3		$17,439	$1,526	$15,913
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%)	7.5	1422^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	4.7%		7.7	1408^th of 1488 public elementary schools	5.4%	14				7.7	8.0			13.9	12.8	10.0			14.0		6.0		$29,641	$6,921	$22,720

Frequently Asked Questions about Cooley Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Cooley Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Pierce Middle School
High : Waterford Kettering High School

How many students attend Cooley Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 377 students attended Cooley Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Cooley Elementary School?

Students at Cooley Elementary School are 72% White, 13% Hispanic, 8% African American, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

Is Cooley Elementary School a good school?

Cooley Elementary School ranks 477^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Cooley Elementary School in?

Waterford School District

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 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.