Summary:
Zip code 48094, covering the Washington, MI area, is home to two elementary schools—Hevel Elementary and Washington Elementary School—both serving grades K-5 within the highly-rated Romeo Community Schools district, which ranks in the 80th percentile statewide.
For parents comparing the two, Hevel Elementary is the stronger performer overall. It holds a state ranking of #457 (69th percentile) versus #637 (57th percentile) for Washington Elementary School, and it posts higher proficiency rates in nearly every subject and grade. The gap is most striking in 5th-grade ELA, where Hevel achieves 57.1% proficiency compared to Washington’s 36.9%. Hevel also has a better student-teacher ratio (13.6:1 vs. 15.9:1) and a lower chronic absenteeism rate (18.3% vs. 20.7%), though both schools are below the state average of 27.9%. Enrollment is similar (441 vs. 428 students), and per-student spending is nearly identical ($15,238 vs. $14,738).
A key concern for Washington Elementary School is its “upper-grade slump.” While it actually outperforms Hevel in 3rd-grade ELA (54.4% vs. 48.6%), its scores decline sharply by 5th grade, falling below both district and state averages in math, science, and social studies. For example, Washington’s 5th-grade math proficiency is just 33.8% versus the district average of 52.4%. Hevel, by contrast, consistently exceeds state averages and often beats district averages, particularly in 3rd and 5th grade. Both schools show relative weakness in science and social studies compared to ELA and math, with Hevel’s 5th-grade social studies proficiency at 28.8% and Washington’s 5th-grade science at 35.4%. While Washington serves a higher percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch (39.72% vs. 27.66%), the data suggests that factors like instructional quality and school culture—not just funding—drive the performance gap, since Washington’s slightly higher spending does not translate into better outcomes.
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