Summary:
Zip code 48883 is home to just one elementary school, Shepherd Elementary School, which serves grades 3-5 within the Shepherd Public Schools district in a primarily rural area of central Michigan.
For parents considering this area, Shepherd Elementary presents a mixed but generally improving picture. The school earned a 3-star rating and ranked in the 55th percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year, a notable improvement from its 2-star, 48th-percentile ranking two years prior. Academically, the standout finding is a significant grade-level disparity. Third graders perform well above state averages in both English Language Arts (49.5% vs. 38.2% statewide) and Math (44.4% vs. 42.9%). However, this strength does not carry into the upper grades, as 4th and 5th graders fall below state averages in both subjects. Fifth-grade Science is a clear bright spot, with 44% proficiency beating the state average of 40%, while fifth-grade Social Studies is a notable weakness at just 22.9% proficiency compared to the state's 27.5%.
Beyond test scores, the school shows resilience given that 57% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 19.2% is dramatically better than the state's 27.9%, indicating strong student engagement. The school also benefits from a favorable 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio and spends a substantial $16,533 per student. However, this investment does not translate into uniformly strong results, particularly in the upper grades and social studies. Parents should note that the school's performance sometimes diverges from its district—for example, 4th-grade ELA proficiency is 10 points below the district average, while 5th-grade Social Studies is 4 points above it. Overall, Shepherd Elementary offers a solid foundation with excellent early-grade instruction, but families should be aware of the challenges that emerge as students progress through the upper elementary years.
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