Best Public Schools in Zip Code 49028

Schools in zip code 49028 (Bronson, MI) serve approximately 963 students across three public schools within the Bronson Community School District, a small, rural district ranked in the 36th percentile statewide.

For parents, the most important takeaway is that this district shows a clear split between its elementary schools and its secondary school. Ryan Elementary School (grades 3-5) is the academic standout, with 3rd-grade ELA proficiency (38.6%) slightly above the state average and 5th-grade science scores nearly matching the state. It also has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at just 13.4%, compared to the state average of 27.9%. Anderson Elementary School (grades K-2) has no standardized test scores, but serves the highest-poverty population (73.6% free/reduced lunch) and spends the most per student at $17,256. The challenge emerges at Bronson JrSr High School (grades 6-12), where middle school math proficiency drops dramatically—6th and 7th-grade math scores (17.1% and 9.6%) are less than half the state average. However, there are bright spots: 8th-grade PSAT ELA proficiency (65%) actually exceeds the state, and the school's graduation rate (83.1%) is close to the state average.

Financially, the district shows an inverse relationship between spending and grade level—elementary schools spend significantly more per student ($16,000-$17,000) than the high school ($12,884), which also has the highest student-teacher ratio at 19.1:1. The district's overall chronic absenteeism (21.8%) is better than the state, but the high school struggles at 26.0% with a dropout rate of 10.3% (state: 7.1%). Parents should note the dramatic year-over-year swings in 11th-grade test scores, suggesting cohort variability, and the strong literacy foundation built by 8th grade despite math struggles. The elementary years appear to be the district's strength, but maintaining that momentum through the transition to Jr/Sr High remains the key challenge.