Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 49274

Zip code 49274 is home to just one elementary school, Reynolds Elementary School, which serves 404 students in grades Pre-K through 6th grade within the Reading Community Schools district.

For parents considering this area, Reynolds Elementary is the sole educational option for elementary grades, so the focus is entirely on this school’s performance. The school serves a student body where 57% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a majority of families face economic challenges. The student-teacher ratio is 17.6, which is slightly above the national average, meaning class sizes may be a bit larger than typical. Academically, the school generally trails state averages, particularly in math. For example, in the most recent school year, 5th-grade math proficiency was just 14.6% compared to the state average of 32.2%, a gap of over 17 percentage points. Sixth-grade math also lags, with 20.3% proficiency versus the state’s 31.9%. English language arts (ELA) results are mixed: 3rd-grade ELA proficiency (25.5%) is well below the state average (38.2%), while 6th-grade ELA (31.3%) is closer to the state mark (37.5%). Notably, the 6th-grade ELA cohort previously scored above the state average (42.5% vs. 38.6%) in the prior year, showing that some grade levels can achieve strong results, though this was not sustained.

Chronic absenteeism stands at 19.2%, which is better than the state average of 27.9% but still means nearly one in five students misses significant school time. The district itself is ranked 354th out of 625 in Michigan, placing it in the 43rd percentile with a 2-star rating, and the school’s state ranking has slipped slightly over the past three years. Per-student spending is $14,038, yet this investment has not translated into above-average test scores. Overall, parents should expect a school facing real academic hurdles, especially in math for upper elementary grades, but with some bright spots in specific subjects and grades. The data suggests a need for targeted support in math and consistent strategies to lift ELA performance across all grade levels.