Summary:
Zip code 49021 is home to just one elementary school, Bellevue Elementary School, which serves grades PK-6 within the Bellevue Community Schools district, enrolling 226 students in a rural Michigan setting.
For parents considering this area, Bellevue Elementary School is a school showing clear signs of improvement, though it still faces notable challenges. The school jumped from the 21st percentile to the 39th percentile in state rankings between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, moving from a 1-star to a 2-star rating. The most encouraging academic news comes from 6th grade English Language Arts, where 41.7% of students are proficient—above the state average of 37.5%. Math scores also improved dramatically year-over-year across all grades, with 3rd grade math proficiency rising from 25.8% to 45.2%, now slightly exceeding the state average. However, the school struggles significantly in 5th grade, where proficiency rates are roughly half the state average in every subject—just 20% in ELA, 13.33% in math, and 20% in science. This "5th grade slump" appears systemic rather than subject-specific, suggesting a need for targeted intervention for that cohort.
Context matters here: nearly 58% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and chronic absenteeism sits at 25.9%, slightly below the state average of 27.9%. The school spends a substantial $17,011 per student, which is high, yet overall proficiency remains below state averages in most grades and subjects—raising questions about resource allocation. The student-teacher ratio is a standard 20:1. The contrast between strong 3rd grade performance and weak 5th grade performance suggests the school is effective in early elementary years but loses ground as students advance. The bright spot in 6th grade ELA shows the school can develop strong literacy skills, and that success could be leveraged to improve outcomes in other areas. Overall, this is a school in transition, with recent gains suggesting that current strategies may be starting to work.
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