Summary:
Zip code 49036 in Coldwater, Michigan, is served by three public elementary schools within the Coldwater Community Schools district, which together educate roughly 1,200 students across a grade-band configuration: Larsen Elementary School (PK-1), Jefferson Elementary School (2-3), and Lakeland Elementary School (4-5).
Each school has a distinct strength. Jefferson Elementary School stands out for early-grade math proficiency, with 3rd graders consistently beating the state average (46.5% vs. 42.7% in 2024-2025), though its ELA scores lag the state. Lakeland Elementary School is the only school with recent ranking data, showing improvement from the 34th to 43rd percentile, and it has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at just 10.9%—less than half the state average. Its 5th graders also outperform the state in math (37.5% vs. 32.2%). Larsen Elementary School is the largest (463 students) and spends the most per pupil ($13,961), but it has the highest chronic absenteeism rate (23.3%) and its historical rankings from 2008-2011 placed it in the bottom quarter of Michigan schools.
All three schools serve a high proportion of low-income families, with free/reduced lunch rates between 64% and 69%. A key takeaway is the apparent link between attendance and achievement: the school with the best recent performance (Lakeland) also has the best attendance, while Larsen struggles with both. Another concern is that the early-grade math advantage seen at Jefferson fades by 4th and 5th grade, where Lakeland students score well below state averages in ELA, science, and social studies. Finally, ELA is a district-wide weakness, with every tested grade below the state average—a critical area for intervention since literacy underpins all other subjects.
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