Schools in Zip Code 49841

Zip code 49841 in Gwinn, Michigan, is served by three schools within the Gwinn Area Community Schools district, enrolling roughly 892 students across two elementary schools and one combined middle/high school, in a community where economic challenges are reflected in high free/reduced lunch rates.

For parents, the standout school is KI Sawyer Elementary School, which serves grades PK-5 and is a hidden gem despite having the highest economic disadvantage (72% free/reduced lunch). It boasts the lowest student-teacher ratio in the district at 11.8:1, the highest per-student spending at $20,332, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 28.1% is actually below the district average. However, no test score data is reported for this school, which may indicate very small testing cohorts. In contrast, George D Gilbert Elementary School (grades 3-5) is the declining performer, with its rank falling from the 55th to the 32nd percentile and the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 36.1%, despite serving a comparatively more affluent population. At the secondary level, Gwinn MiddleHigh School (grades 6-12) is the academic anchor, with a graduation rate of 86.4% that exceeds the state average and a dropout rate of 5.0% well below the state's 7.1%. Its ranking improved dramatically from the 21st to the 45th percentile in one year.

Academically, proficiency rates generally trail state averages by 10-20 points, but there are notable exceptions. Gwinn MiddleHigh's 11th graders actually outperform the state in SAT Math (37% vs. 26.5% proficient), a remarkable achievement. The district faces a significant elementary-to-middle school achievement cliff, as Gilbert's 4th grade math proficiency (39%) nearly matches the state, but by 7th grade at Gwinn MiddleHigh, math proficiency plummets to 11.4%. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide crisis, with all three schools exceeding the state rate of 27.9%. The spending paradox is also worth noting: KI Sawyer spends $3,650 more per student than Gwinn MiddleHigh yet has no reported test scores, raising questions about resource allocation and whether higher funding is translating into academic outcomes.