Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 49331

Zip code 49331 in Lowell, Michigan, is served by three elementary schools within the Lowell Area Schools district, a top-rated system that ranks in the 93rd percentile statewide, and together these schools educate roughly 1,171 students across a feeder pattern that includes early childhood through 5th grade.

For parents, the standout option is Murray Lake Elementary, which has earned a 5-star rating for three consecutive years and ranks in the top 7% of Michigan elementary schools. Murray Lake outperforms both Cherry Creek Elementary School and the state average in every subject and grade tested, with particularly impressive results in 4th-grade math (77% proficient vs. 39.4% statewide) and 5th-grade social studies (62.5% vs. 27.5% statewide). Cherry Creek Elementary School is a solid 4-star school that still exceeds state averages across the board, but it shows more variability—especially a concerning 12.4 percentage-point decline in math proficiency from 3rd to 5th grade (53.2% down to 40.8%) and a nearly 11-point drop in 3rd-grade math year-over-year. Bushnell Elementary School serves only PK-1 students and has no test data, but it offers a much lower student-teacher ratio (13.4 vs. 18.2-18.8) to support early learning.

A key takeaway is the stark socioeconomic divide within the same district: Murray Lake's free/reduced lunch rate (13.86%) is less than half that of Cherry Creek (29.28%) and Bushnell (28.06%), which likely explains much of the academic gap. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern, with all three schools exceeding the district average of 17.8%, though they remain below the state's 27.9%. Interestingly, Cherry Creek spends $3,902 more per student than Murray Lake ($18,011 vs. $14,109) despite lower test scores, raising questions about resource allocation. Despite these internal disparities, every tested subject at both Cherry Creek and Murray Lake significantly exceeds state averages, meaning families in this zip code have access to well-above-average educational options regardless of which school their child attends.