Summary:
Zip code 48436 in Gaines, Michigan, is served by a single school, Gaines Elementary School, a small K-5 institution within the Swartz Creek Community Schools district, which ranks in the bottom third of Michigan districts.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that this is an exceptionally small school—just 93 students—which creates both opportunities and challenges. The favorable 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio and high per-student spending of $17,784 suggest a well-resourced environment where individualized attention is possible. Academically, the school shows a mixed picture. In the most recent year, 3rd graders outperformed both the district and state in math (43.8% proficient vs. 31.1% district and 42.9% state) and beat the district in 3rd grade ELA (37.5% vs. 28.9%), though they remained slightly below the state average. However, 5th grade performance lags notably, particularly in science where only 20% of students are proficient—exactly half the state rate and well below the district's 35.1%. The school also trails the district in 5th grade ELA (33.3% vs. 41.5%).
One encouraging trend is the dramatic 22.4-point jump in 3rd grade math proficiency from the prior year, though with such small cohorts (roughly 15-20 students per grade), a single student's performance can swing results by 5-7 percentage points, so year-to-year changes should be interpreted cautiously. Chronic absenteeism at 23.4% is below the district and state rate of 27.9%, and the moderate poverty level (35.5% free/reduced lunch) suggests economic factors aren't the primary driver of results. The school's state ranking has been volatile—44th percentile, then 33rd, then 40th—which is typical for small schools. Overall, Gaines Elementary offers strong early-elementary instruction and small class sizes, but parents should be aware of the weaker upper-elementary performance, especially in science, and the inherent variability that comes with a very small student body.
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