Summary:
Zip code 49614 is home to just one elementary school, Bear Lake Elementary School, which serves grades PK through 6 in the rural Bear Lake Schools district, with a small enrollment of 147 students.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that Bear Lake Elementary is a small school with a favorable 14.8 student-teacher ratio, but it faces significant challenges. The school has earned a 4-star state rating in the most recent year (ranking 436th out of 1,492 schools), though its rating has bounced between 3 and 4 stars over the past three years, showing volatility common in small schools where one class can skew results. Academically, the school shows a clear strength in English Language Arts, with all grade levels scoring well above state averages in the latest testing year—for example, 6th grade ELA proficiency was 52.4% versus 37.5% statewide. However, math performance is a major concern, especially in upper grades: 6th grade math proficiency plummeted to just 19.05%, far below the state average of 31.9%, and 5th grade social studies proficiency was only 17.39% versus 27.5% statewide. The school also spends a very high $23,006 per student, likely due to the costs of running a small rural district, yet chronic absenteeism stands at 29.1%, above both the district (27.2%) and state (27.9%) averages.
Another key finding is the persistent struggle of one specific cohort: the current 6th graders had very low math scores as 5th graders (17.65%) and continued to struggle in math the following year (19.05%), suggesting a long-term challenge in that subject for this group. With 61.22% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, the school is investing heavily to overcome economic barriers, and its consistent success in ELA provides a strong foundation to build upon. Parents should expect a school that excels in reading but will need to watch math and social studies scores closely, especially as students move into the upper elementary grades.
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