Enrollment
257
Elementary
DISTRICT 275 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HANCOCK PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 261755007544
Barkell Elementary School
1201 N ELEVATION ST, HANCOCK, MI 49930 · (906) 487-9030 · Houghton County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL257 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 60% of Michigan public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Michigan public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
18 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.7:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
42%
108 students
DISTRICT 41% · STATE 55%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 61 | 24% |
| Grade 1 | 43 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 48 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 31 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 37 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 37 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (61) is 65% larger than its 5th grade class (37).
Student demographics
15%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 11% · STATE 56% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Barkell Elementary School→Hancock MiddleHigh School
Based on grade levels within Hancock Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
46.4%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
54.7%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Michigan schools, those numbers are about 48 and 45.
Source: M-STEP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
49.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.7%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 50% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for Michigan schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Michigan's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Barkell Elementary School
Barkell Elementary School's state test result (49.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barkell Elementary School this school | 257 | 42.0% | 49.5% |
| UnionvilleSebewaing Elem School UNIONVILLE | 250 | 41.6% | 48.9% |
| Emma Smith Elementary School STOCKBRIDGE | 256 | 41.0% | N/A |
| Ottawa Elementary School PETOSKEY | 250 | 40.8% | 43.8% |
| Beal City Elementary School MOUNT PLEASANT | 265 | 39.6% | 41.6% |
| Norway Elementary School NORWAY | 242 | 40.1% | 62.6% |
Matched among Michigan elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Barkell Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Houghton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 49.5% | #431 of 1,085 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 54.7% | #333 of 1,072 | #3 of 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.4% | #600 of 1,139 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 257 | #1,249 of 1,630 | #4 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.6:1 | #406 of 1,424 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 15.4% | #1,204 of 1,424 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 42.0% | #1,022 of 1,563 | #4 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -23.1% | #168 of 979 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
257
-20 (-7%) vs 2020
-66% since 1990-91, when it was 752
Student : Teacher
14.6:1
was 14.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 257 | 17.6 | 14.6:1 | 42% (108) |
| 2023-24 | 255 | 18.8 | 13.6:1 | 60% (154) |
| 2022-23 | 272 | 18.5 | 14.7:1 | 60% (162) |
| 2020-21 | 277 | 19 | 14.6:1 | 56% (154) |
| 2017-18 | 334 | 20.6 | 16.3:1 | 45% (151) |
| 2015-16 | 385 | 22 | 17.5:1 | 43% (166) |
| 2010-11 | 380 | 21 | 18.1:1 | 48% (182) |
| 2000-01 | 413 | 28 | 14.8:1 | 48% (197) |
| 1990-91 | 752 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Barkell Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (334 to 257); teachers down 15% (20.6 to 17.6).
About Barkell Elementary School
Barkell Elementary School is a small elementary school for students in HANCOCK, Michigan. It offers kindergarten through 5 and has 257 students enrolled. Elementary schools in Michigan have about 369 students on average; enrollment here is 30% lower.
Hancock Public Schools has 2 schools and 549 students, and Barkell Elementary School is one of those schools.
The share of White students at Barkell Elementary School is 92%. The remaining shares are 4% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. In Houghton County overall, the White share is about 92%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Barkell Elementary School scores 15%.
The school has 17.6 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of 14.6 students per teacher. Elementary schools in Michigan average 15.8:1, 1.2 more students per teacher than here. Of all students at Barkell Elementary School, 42% are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The figure for public schools in Houghton County is close, at 40%.
Barkell Elementary School holds a B allk12 Grade, placing it above 60% of Michigan public elementary schools.
A school with Barkell Elementary School's lunch-eligibility share in Michigan is predicted to score 47.7%. Barkell Elementary School scores 49.5%, 1.9 points above that line.
American Community Survey estimates for Houghton County show that median household income comes to about $58,899, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 37% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. The county's public schools total 18, with about 5,267 students.
Among nearby public schools, Hancock MiddleHigh School is closest at about 0.6 miles. Other public schools within five miles number 7. The school's 49.5% average proficiency ranks 5th among 5 nearby schools.
The federal government classifies Barkell Elementary School's location as Town: Remote.
The school's student count decreased 7% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years.
The Barkell Elementary School discussion page is a place for open houses, carpools, and field trips. You can also rate the school on this page.
Houghton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
37,693
Census ACS
Median income
$58,899
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
18
5,267 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hancock Public Schools
- Hancock MiddleHigh SchoolHigh · 292 students
Other schools in HANCOCK
- Hancock MiddleHigh SchoolHigh · 292 students
- Copper Country Learning CenterCombined · 77 students
- Career and Technical EducationHigh
Nearby schools
- Hancock MiddleHigh School0.6 mi · 292
- Copper Country Learning Center1.0 mi · 77
- Houghton Elementary School1.7 mi · 618
- Houghton Central High School2.3 mi · 481
- Houghton Middle School2.3 mi · 359
- Dollar BayTamarack City Area K12 School4.2 mi · 317
Frequently asked questions
About Barkell Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Barkell Elementary School?
Barkell Elementary School enrolls approximately 257 students in grades KG-05.
Is Barkell Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Barkell Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Barkell Elementary School have?
Barkell Elementary School employs 18 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.6:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Barkell Elementary School?
At Barkell Elementary School, the student body is approximately 92% White, 4% Hispanic, 1% Black, 4% Two or more.
Is Barkell Elementary School public or private?
Barkell Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Hancock Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.