Summary:
Zip code 48809 in Belding, Michigan is served by two elementary schools within the Belding Area School District, which together educate roughly 763 students across grades K-5 in a community where a majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
For parents comparing the two schools, the most important distinction is that Ellis Elementary School serves grades K-2 and does not administer state tests, while Woodview Elementary School serves grades 3-5 and is the only tested elementary school in the district. Woodview shows a clear bright spot in 5th grade math, where 39% of students scored proficient in 2025-2026—beating the state average of 32.2%—and this represents improvement from the prior year. However, Woodview's other tested subjects lag state averages, with 3rd grade ELA proficiency at just 20.8% and 4th grade ELA at 25.4%. A notable pattern emerges within Woodview: proficiency improves substantially as students advance, with 5th graders outperforming 3rd graders by roughly 15 percentage points in both ELA and math, suggesting cumulative learning gains. Parents should also note that Woodview saw year-over-year declines in 3rd and 4th grade scores between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, which may warrant attention.
On operational measures, Ellis Elementary School is slightly more cost-efficient, spending $16,019 per student versus Woodview's $16,721, while maintaining a marginally better student-teacher ratio (13.4:1 vs. 13.7:1). Both schools post chronic absenteeism rates well below the state average of 27.9%—Ellis at 22.7% and Woodview at 22.0%—which is particularly strong given that 63-67% of students at each school qualify for free or reduced lunch. Ellis also serves a slightly less economically disadvantaged population (63.17% vs. 67.2%). For families, this means both schools share similar demographics and operational strengths, but Woodview offers the only available academic performance data, with its 5th grade math program standing out as a genuine area of excellence despite overall scores that trail state averages in most subjects.
Thank you for your feedback!