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Dawson Elementary School

Summary:

Dawson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Allegan, Michigan, serving 297 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Allegan Public Schools district, which is ranked 332 out of 610 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating.

Dawson Elementary School stands out for its significantly higher percentage of white students (82.15%) compared to the state average and nearby schools like West Ward Elementary School. However, the school has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 9.2% in 2018-2019 to 28.1% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state average and nearby schools. Academically, Dawson Elementary's test scores in English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies are generally lower than the Allegan Public Schools district and the state averages, with only 26.7% of 5th-graders proficient in ELA and Math in 2023-2024.

Further analysis reveals that Dawson Elementary School has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (62.29%), significantly higher than the nearby schools. This suggests that the school serves a higher proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, which may be contributing to the school's lower academic performance and higher chronic absenteeism rates. The school's statewide ranking has also declined over the years, from a high of 592 out of 1,448 Michigan elementary schools in 2017-2018 to 841 out of 1,486 in 2023-2024, indicating that its performance has not kept pace with other schools in the state.


Detail:

Public K-5

 125 Elm St
       Allegan, MI  49010-9401

(269) 673-6925

District: Allegan Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
841st of 1,486 Michigan Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $15,556 Help


Students who attend Dawson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    LE White Middle School
High:    Allegan High School

Student/teacher ratio:  15.9 Help
Number of students:  297

Racial breakdown:

White:
82.2%
Hispanic:
7.4%
Two or more races:
7.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  62.3% Help


 See top rated Michigan elementary schools

 Compare Dawson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Dawson Elementary School ranks worse than 56.6% of elementary schools in Michigan. It also ranks 2nd among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Allegan Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 40.22. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (82.2%), Hispanic (7.4%), two or more races (7.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 62.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Dawson Elementary School is 15.9. 2 elementary schools in the Allegan Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Dawson Elementary School employs 18.6 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Dawson Elementary School is $15,556, which is the 2nd highest among 3 elementary schools in the Allegan Public Schools District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Dawson Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Dawson Elementary School 841st of 1486 Michigan public elementary schools. (See Dawson Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Allegan Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Allegan Public Schools 332nd of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Dawson Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Dawson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 73.79 320th 1545 79.3%
2007 69.21 472nd 1565 69.8%
2008 71.42 451st 1577 71.4%
2009 76.12 319th 1589 79.9%
2010 60.89 826th 1552 46.8%
2011 74.14 368th 1552 76.3%
2012 65.78 512th 1566 67.3%
2013 50.13 843rd 1563 46.1%
2014 55.17 733rd 1533 52.2%
2015 45.51 909th 1580 42.5%
2016 57.71 646th 1548 58.3%
2017 52.64 642nd 1466 56.2%
2018 61.33 592nd 1448 59.1%
2019 47.16 719th 1408 48.9%
2021 41.24 648th 1153 43.8%
2022 47.16 663rd 1344 50.7%
2023 65.61 464th 1470 68.4%
2024 40.22 841st 1486 43.4%
See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Dawson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 71.24 300th 1397 78.5%
2019 74.85 174th 1134 84.7%
2021 63.24 212th 749 71.7%
2022 63.99 317th 1099 71.2%
2023 61.63 421st 1350 68.8%
2024 42.76 754th 1381 45.4%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Dawson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 61.12 573rd 1443 60.3%
2021 52.07 395th 902 56.2%
2022 47.51 556th 1106 49.7%
2023 65.91 366th 1321 72.3%
2024 46.43 677th 1342 49.6%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Dawson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 58.16 594th 1446 58.9%
2021 37.61 570th 915 37.7%
2022 38.48 697th 1139 38.8%
2023 53.40 580th 1334 56.5%
2024 40.51 778th 1347 42.2%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Dawson Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 52.49 595th 1253 52.5%
2019 28.59 843rd 1128 25.3%
2021 31.78 709th 1005 29.5%
2022 34.73 723rd 1102 34.4%
2023 61.14 427th 1198 64.4%
2024 34.32 806th 1204 33.1%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Dawson Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Michigan Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Dawson Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 313 2 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 318
1989 303 17 0 4 0 n/a n/a 0 324
1990 314 20 2 3 0 n/a n/a 0 339
1991 313 16 0 6 0 n/a n/a 25 360
1992 350 19 2 7 5 n/a n/a 0 383
1993 359 23 2 7 5 n/a n/a 0 396
1995 300 24 2 16 3 n/a n/a 0 345
1996 300 24 2 16 3 n/a n/a 0 345
1997 299 29 1 15 2 n/a n/a 0 346
1998 336 19 0 7 2 n/a n/a -6 358
1999 339 14 0 5 0 n/a n/a 0 358
2000 335 22 1 15 0 n/a n/a 11 384
2001 292 18 0 13 0 n/a n/a 0 323
2002 284 19 1 11 0 n/a n/a 0 315
2003 284 19 1 11 0 n/a n/a 0 315
2004 305 16 2 12 0 n/a n/a 0 335
2005 318 15 2 11 2 n/a n/a 0 348
2006 312 19 2 11 3 n/a n/a 0 347
2007 307 6 3 6 1 n/a n/a 12 335
2008 290 11 2 8 3 n/a n/a 0 314
2009 295 8 4 8 0 n/a n/a 0 315
2010 324 10 1 15 0 n/a n/a 0 350
2011 290 2 3 16 0 0 11 0 322
2012 281 6 2 12 0 0 3 0 304
2013 279 6 2 12 0 0 8 0 307
2014 251 4 2 17 0 0 8 0 282
2015 206 2 2 18 0 1 8 0 237
2016 212 1 1 15 0 0 9 0 238
2017 228 3 0 18 2 0 10 0 261
2018 195 2 0 20 4 1 10 0 232
2019 178 3 0 17 1 1 8 0 208
2020 183 2 2 15 2 1 7 0 212
2021 235 6 1 20 3 0 19 0 284
2022 243 6 1 18 3 0 21 0 292
2023 244 5 1 22 3 0 22 0 297

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Dawson Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 318 n/a n/a n/a
1989 324 n/a n/a 13.9
1990 339 19.0 17.8 17.1
1991 360 n/a n/a n/a
1992 383 n/a n/a n/a
1993 396 n/a 0.0 28.5
1995 345 19.0 18.2 23.2
1996 345 19.0 18.2 23.2
1997 346 18.0 19.2 30.9
1998 358 19.0 18.8 26.1
1999 358 21.0 17.0 31
2000 384 23.2 16.1 37.5
2001 323 22.4 14.4 43
2002 315 21.0 15.0 40.6
2003 315 21.0 15.0 40.6
2004 335 19.0 17.6 34.9
2005 348 18.0 19.3 43.4
2006 347 17.5 19.8 47
2007 335 17.5 19.1 48.3
2008 314 17.0 18.5 43.9
2009 315 17.0 18.5 45.7
2010 350 17.1 20.4 52.3
2011 322 18.3 17.5 54.7
2012 304 17.8 17.0 40.8
2013 307 18.8 16.2 61.2
2014 282 18.3 15.3 61.7
2015 237 18.0 13.1 56.1
2016 238 17.0 14.0 62.6
2017 261 17.1 15.2 60.5
2018 232 17.2 13.4 65.1
2019 208 16.7 12.4 63
2020 212 17.7 11.9 57.5
2021 284 19.9 14.2 43
2022 292 18.5 15.7 50
2023 297 18.6 15.9 62.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Dawson Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 318 n/a n/a n/a
1989 324 n/a n/a 13.9
1990 339 19.0 17.8 17.1
1991 360 n/a n/a n/a
1992 383 n/a n/a n/a
1993 396 n/a 0.0 28.5
1995 345 19.0 18.2 23.2
1996 345 19.0 18.2 23.2
1997 346 18.0 19.2 30.9
1998 358 19.0 18.8 26.1
1999 358 21.0 17.0 31
2000 384 23.2 16.1 37.5
2001 323 22.4 14.4 43
2002 315 21.0 15.0 40.6
2003 315 21.0 15.0 40.6
2004 335 19.0 17.6 34.9
2005 348 18.0 19.3 43.4
2006 347 17.5 19.8 47
2007 335 17.5 19.1 48.3
2008 314 17.0 18.5 43.9
2009 315 17.0 18.5 45.7
2010 350 17.1 20.4 52.3
2011 322 18.3 17.5 54.7
2012 304 17.8 17.0 40.8
2013 307 18.8 16.2 61.2
2014 282 18.3 15.3 61.7
2015 237 18.0 13.1 56.1
2016 238 17.0 14.0 62.6
2017 261 17.1 15.2 60.5
2018 232 17.2 13.4 65.1
2019 208 16.7 12.4 63
2020 212 17.7 11.9 57.5
2021 284 19.9 14.2 43
2022 292 18.5 15.7 50
2023 297 18.6 15.9 62.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Dawson Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,021 (7.9%) $11,947 (92.1%) $12,968
2020 $741 (5.7%) $12,153 (94.3%) $12,894
2021 $1,448 (11.6%) $11,035 (88.4%) $12,483
2022 $1,763 (12.5%) $12,296 (87.5%) $14,059
2023 $1,515 (9.7%) $14,040 (90.3%) $15,556

Data source: Michigan Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Dawson Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Ranks 719th of 1408 Elementary schoolsRanks 464th of 1470 Elementary schools
 19.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Dawson Elementary School)47.447.9
 0.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Allegan Public Schools)46.538.2
 8.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.140.9
 4.2%
3rd Grade Math (Dawson Elementary School)51.347.9
 3.4%
   3rd Grade Math (Allegan Public Schools)48.133.1
 15%
   3rd Grade Math (Michigan)46.742.9
 3.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Dawson Elementary School)5036.4
 13.6%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Allegan Public Schools)44.440
 4.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.844.3
 1.5%
4th Grade Math (Dawson Elementary School)26.936.4
 9.5%
   4th Grade Math (Allegan Public Schools)40.836.7
 4.1%
   4th Grade Math (Michigan)41.838.6
 3.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Dawson Elementary School)35.762.5
 26.8%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Allegan Public Schools)39.945.9
 6%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)46.243.9
 2.3%
5th Grade Math (Dawson Elementary School)41.454.2
 12.8%
   5th Grade Math (Allegan Public Schools)36.635.8
 0.8%
   5th Grade Math (Michigan)34.831.5
 3.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students208297
 42.8%
African American35
 66.7%
American Indian13
 200%
Asian01
Hispanic1722
 29.4%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White178244
 37.1%
Two or More Races822
 175%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients63%62.3%
 0.7%

Schools Near Dawson Elementary School








Frequently Asked Questions about Dawson Elementary School

Dawson Elementary School ranks 841st of 1486 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Dawson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : LE White Middle School
High : Allegan High School

Students at Dawson Elementary School are 82% White, 7% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% American Indian.

In the 2022-23 school year, 297 students attended Dawson Elementary School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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