Summary:
Zip code 49649 is home to just one elementary school, Kingsley Area Elementary School, which serves grades PK-5 within the Kingsley Area Schools district, a rural area in northern Michigan.
For parents considering this area, Kingsley Area Elementary School offers a solid academic foundation with notable strengths in 5th-grade Science (52.9% proficiency vs. 40% state average) and Social Studies (41.2% vs. 27.5% state average). The school also performs above state averages in English Language Arts across all tested grades, with 5th-grade ELA at 55.9% proficiency. However, math scores are more inconsistent—3rd-grade math (40.7%) falls slightly below the state average (42.9%), while 5th-grade math (35.3%) exceeds it. The school serves 655 students, with 48.4% qualifying for free/reduced lunch, yet still manages to outperform state averages in most subjects—a positive sign of effective instruction despite economic challenges. Chronic absenteeism is impressively low at 16.0%, less than half the state average of 27.9%, which supports a stable learning environment.
One key takeaway is the volatility in test scores year-over-year. For example, 4th-grade ELA proficiency dropped sharply from 60.6% to 41.4% between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, while 5th-grade Science improved from 45.5% to 52.9%. This fluctuation may reflect cohort differences rather than systemic issues. The school’s state ranking has also shifted, moving from the 71st percentile (4 stars) to the 64th percentile (3 stars) in the most recent year, even as 5th-grade Science and Social Studies scores hit their highest levels—suggesting the ranking may weigh ELA and math more heavily. With a student-teacher ratio of 17.8:1 and per-student spending of $12,095, the school provides reasonable resources. Overall, Kingsley Area Elementary School is a strong choice for families prioritizing attendance, science, and social studies, though math may warrant extra attention at home.
Thank you for your feedback!