Summary:
Zip code 49252 is home to just one elementary school, Litchfield Elementary School, which serves grades K-5 within the Litchfield Community Schools district, making this a very small, tight-knit educational community.
Because there is only one school in this area, all attention falls on Litchfield Elementary School. With just 110 students, the school offers a notably low student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7:1 and spends a substantial $15,294 per student annually. However, academic performance is a significant concern. The school consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Michigan elementary schools, holding a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. State assessment scores are well below averages across all subjects. For instance, 3rd-grade math proficiency was just 15% compared to the state average of 42.9%, and 5th-grade science proficiency was 23.5% versus the state’s 40%. English language arts scores also lag, with 3rd-grade proficiency at 20% and 4th-grade at 33.3%, both trailing state averages. A high percentage of students (66.36%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and chronic absenteeism affects 25.8% of the student body, which is slightly better than the state average but still represents a major hurdle.
The most striking finding is the paradox of high spending and low results. Despite ample funding and small class sizes, outcomes remain persistently low, suggesting the challenges are tied more to poverty and absenteeism than to resources. There is a small bright spot: 4th-grade students in the most recent year outperformed 3rd-graders in both ELA and math, hinting at a possibly stronger cohort or effective teaching at that grade level. However, the 3rd-grade math score is the single lowest metric in the data set, signaling a critical area for early intervention. Since this is the only school in its district, the entire community’s educational success hinges on improvements at this one campus, making targeted support essential for the whole area.
Thank you for your feedback!