Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 48356

Zip code 48356 is home to a single elementary school, Spring Mills Elementary School, which serves grades K-5 within the Huron Valley Schools district, an area characterized by relatively low poverty levels and a strong district reputation.

Spring Mills Elementary School is a solid, mid-to-high performing school with 424 students and a student-teacher ratio of 16.1:1. Its district, Huron Valley Schools, ranks in the 74th percentile statewide with a 4-star rating. The school itself has held a steady 3-star state ranking over the past two years, placing it around the 70th percentile. A standout positive is its low chronic absenteeism rate of 15.7%, which is dramatically better than both the district (22.6%) and state (27.9%) averages, indicating strong student engagement. Academically, the school generally outperforms state averages, with a notable strength in 5th-grade science, where 53.1% of students are proficient, far exceeding the state's 40.0%. However, performance is uneven across subjects and grades. While 4th-grade ELA (59.4%) and 3rd-grade math (59.2%) are clear bright spots, 5th-grade math (34.8%) and 5th-grade ELA (42.4%) lag behind, with the latter showing a significant decline from the previous year.

For parents, the most important takeaway is that Spring Mills Elementary School offers a stable, well-funded learning environment—spending $15,665 per student—with excellent attendance and strong science instruction. Yet, the school shows a concerning pattern of year-over-year declines in several core subjects, particularly in 3rd and 5th-grade ELA and 5th-grade social studies, suggesting a possible cohort effect or a need to reassess instructional strategies in literacy. While the school serves a relatively affluent population (only 30.19% on free/reduced lunch), its test scores, though above state averages, are not as dominant as its demographics and high spending might predict. This suggests the school is performing well but has untapped potential to fully leverage its resources for more consistent academic excellence across all grade levels and subjects.