Schools in Zip Code 49064

Zip code 49064, serving the Lawrence, Michigan area, is home to four schools—two traditional public schools within Lawrence Public Schools and two specialized programs under the Van Buren Independent School District (Isd)—collectively serving roughly 516 students from early childhood through 12th grade.

For parents, the standout story is Lawrence JrSr High School, which showed remarkable academic gains between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. Its state ranking jumped from the 20th to the 44th percentile, with particularly strong improvements in 11th grade social studies (+23.8 points) and science (+11.7 points). While math proficiency remains a challenge (12-17% on most assessments), the school's 86.2% graduation rate exceeds the state average, and its 10th grade PSAT ELA scores (51.6%) approach the state norm. In contrast, Lawrence Elementary School shows inconsistent performance across grades—4th grade math jumped from 10.7% to 32.4% proficiency in one year, while 5th grade ELA plummeted from 29% to 11.5%. Despite high poverty levels (77.6% free/reduced lunch), the elementary school maintains an impressive 13.4% chronic absenteeism rate, less than half the state average, suggesting strong community engagement that could be leveraged for improvement.

The two alternative schools serve very different populations. Bert Goens Learning Center offers intensive support with a 2.5:1 student-teacher ratio but faces significant challenges, including a 60.6% chronic absenteeism rate and 0% graduation rate, despite per-student spending nearly ten times that of traditional schools. Communitybased Transition Center serves grades 10-12 with a 5.3:1 ratio and a lower poverty rate (37.7% free/reduced lunch), though current performance data is unavailable. Overall, families should note that while academic proficiency trails state averages across most subjects, the high school's upward trajectory and the elementary school's strong attendance provide hopeful signs amid economic challenges.