Summary:
Zip code 49455 is home to just one elementary school, Shelby Elementary School, which serves grades PK through 5 and enrolls 433 students in a community where 78% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Shelby Elementary School is part of the Shelby Public Schools district, which has a low 2-out-of-5-star rating. The school itself ranks in the bottom 15% of Michigan elementary schools, with its state ranking slipping from 1266th (2023-24) to 1331st (2025-26) out of roughly 1,490 schools. Academic proficiency on the M-Step is dramatically below state averages across all subjects. For example, only 14.8% of 4th graders and 22.4% of 3rd graders are proficient in English Language Arts, compared to state averages of 38-44%. Math proficiency is even lower, ranging from 11.8% in 5th grade to 21.1% in 3rd grade, versus state averages of 32-43%. Science (14.5%) and social studies (7.9%) proficiency in 5th grade are also far behind state benchmarks of 40% and 27.5%, respectively.
Despite these academic struggles, the school is well-resourced, spending $18,422 per student and maintaining a favorable 13.7:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Chronic absenteeism affects 24.1% of students, which is better than the district average of 32.1% but still means nearly one in four students misses significant school time. There are some positive signs in early grades: 3rd-grade ELA proficiency improved from 15% to 22.4% year-over-year. However, a concerning "5th-grade cliff" is evident, with 5th-grade scores being the lowest in both ELA (18.4%) and math (11.8%), and 5th-grade ELA dropping sharply from 27.8% the prior year. For parents, this school offers strong financial and staffing resources but faces serious academic challenges, particularly in upper elementary grades, suggesting a need for targeted interventions and attendance support.
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