Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 48413

Zip code 48413, encompassing the Bad Axe, Michigan area, is home to five elementary schools serving grades K-8 across a mix of traditional public district schools and small, independent township districts.

For parents, the most significant distinction is between the two larger schools in the Bad Axe Public Schools district and the three tiny township schools. Bad Axe Middle School (serving grades 3-6) and Bad Axe Elementary School have substantial enrollments (191 and 227 students, respectively) and provide the only available state testing data. Bad Axe Middle School holds a 3-star rating and has improved its state percentile rank from 58th to 68th. Its chronic absenteeism rate (11.6%) is less than half the state average, a strong positive. However, academic performance declines by grade: 3rd graders outperform the state in both ELA and math, but by 6th grade, they fall significantly behind. In contrast, the three township schools—Verona Mills School, Adams Elementary School, and Big Burning School—are very small (20-27 students), serve K-8, and lack standardized test scores, making direct academic comparison impossible.

Economic need varies dramatically. Adams Elementary School has the lowest poverty rate at 20% free/reduced lunch, while Big Burning School has the highest at 75%. Per-student spending also diverges widely, from $11,613 at Verona Mills School to $19,463 at Adams Elementary School, with the district schools spending between $15,415 and $16,880. Notably, the school with the lowest need spends the most per student, while the highest-need school spends less. The township schools also have higher student-teacher ratios (up to 19.7) than their small size might suggest. Ultimately, this zip code offers two distinct educational models: data-driven district schools with proven performance trends versus hyper-local, one-room-style schools that prioritize community but provide less measurable academic data.