Summary:
Zip code 49304 is home to just one elementary school, Baldwin Elementary School, which serves roughly 220 students in Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the Baldwin Community Schools district in a small, rural Michigan community.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Baldwin Elementary serves an exceptionally high-need population—97.73% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch—and academic proficiency is well below state averages across every grade and subject. In the 2025-2026 school year, 3rd grade ELA proficiency was just 15.8% versus 38.2% statewide, and 3rd grade math was 12.8% versus 42.9%. The school’s state ranking has slipped for three straight years, from the 24th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 14th percentile in 2025-2026, earning just one star each year. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with 36.2% of students missing substantial instructional time compared to the state average of 27.9%.
On the positive side, the school invests heavily in its students, spending $25,590 per pupil—a figure that likely exceeds many affluent districts—and maintains a favorable 11.7:1 student-teacher ratio. There is also a notable bright spot in 4th grade, where math proficiency reached 28.9% (only 10.5 points below the state) and ELA hit 24.4%, representing the school’s strongest relative performance. However, 5th grade ELA proficiency collapsed from 24.3% to 12.9% year-over-year, and 5th grade science fell from 29.7% to 15.6%, suggesting possible cohort or staffing challenges. Because Baldwin Elementary is the only school in its district, there are no internal comparison points. Ultimately, while the school is clearly working hard with limited resources against deep poverty and attendance barriers, the data shows that money and small class sizes alone have not yet translated into competitive academic outcomes.
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