Summary:
Zip code 48348 in Clarkston, Michigan, is home to three highly-rated elementary schools—Bailey Lake Elementary School, Springfield Plains Elementary School, and Independence Elementary School—all serving grades K-5 (with two also offering pre-K) within the top-tier Clarkston Community School District, which ranks in the 84th percentile statewide.
For parents, the standout choice is Springfield Plains Elementary School, which has rocketed to a 94th-percentile ranking (87th out of 1,492 schools) with a 5-star rating—the highest in the area. It leads all three schools in 5th-grade science (82% proficient, double the state average) and 5th-grade social studies (60.7%). Bailey Lake Elementary School is the most consistent performer, holding 5-star ratings for three straight years and posting the strongest 3rd-grade math scores (74.7% proficient). Independence Elementary School is the most volatile, swinging between 85th and 93rd percentiles year-to-year, though it still beats state averages in most subjects. All three schools dramatically outperform Michigan state proficiency averages in every subject and grade, with math scores often 20-35 points higher. Chronic absenteeism is remarkably low (8.6%-10.7% vs. 27.9% statewide), and per-student spending is nearly identical across schools ($16,929-$17,716), suggesting equitable resources.
Watch for two anomalies: Bailey Lake shows a consistent 5th-grade math cliff (dropping from ~75% proficiency in grades 3-4 to just 52%), while Independence saw 3rd-grade ELA plunge from 67.1% to 40.0% in one year—likely a challenging cohort effect given only ~150 students per grade. With free/reduced lunch rates around 11-12%, these schools serve predominantly middle-to-upper-income families, yet meaningful performance gaps persist between schools, proving that school culture and instruction matter beyond demographics.
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