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What's something Besser Elementary School does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
470
Elementary
DISTRICT 268 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ALPENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 260273007409
Besser Elementary School
375 WILSON ST, ALPENA, MI 49707 · (989) 358-5100 · Alpena County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL470 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
18.4:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.0:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
59%
279 students
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 55%
Community
5
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 | 71 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 76 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 83 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 76 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 83 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 81 | 17% |
Student demographics
21%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 17% · 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
Besser Elementary School→Thunder Bay Junior High School
Based on grade levels within Alpena Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
48.9%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
39.5%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 40 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
43.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.0%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 40% 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 →
Where Besser Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Alpena County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.2% | #632 of 1,085 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 39.5% | #690 of 1,072 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 48.9% | #517 of 1,139 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 470 | #365 of 1,630 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.4:1 | #1,203 of 1,424 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 21.1% | #1,069 of 1,424 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 59.4% | #716 of 1,563 | #3 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.1% | #238 of 440 | 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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
470
+51 (+12%) vs 2020
-10% since 1990-91, when it was 522
Student : Teacher
18.4:1
was 18.2:1
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 | 470 | 25.6 | 18.4:1 | 59% (279) |
| 2023-24 | 493 | 25.9 | 19.1:1 | 58% (285) |
| 2022-23 | 456 | 25.8 | 17.6:1 | 55% (250) |
| 2020-21 | 419 | 23 | 18.2:1 | 53% (220) |
| 2017-18 | 439 | 22 | 20.0:1 | 52% (229) |
| 2015-16 | 425 | 21 | 20.2:1 | 52% (222) |
| 2010-11 | 348 | 19 | 18.3:1 | 53% (185) |
| 2000-01 | 469 | 24 | 19.5:1 | 39% (183) |
| 1990-91 | 522 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Besser Elementary School.
About Besser Elementary School
Located in ALPENA, Michigan, Besser Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school. The school covers kindergarten through 5 and reported 470 students in 2024-25. That puts enrollment 27% bigger than the 369-student average for elementary schools in Michigan.
Besser Elementary School falls under Alpena Public Schools, which has 9 schools enrolling 3,553 students.
At Besser Elementary School, 89% of students are White. Other students are 6% multiracial and 4% Hispanic. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 21%.
Besser Elementary School reports a ratio of 18.4 students per teacher, from 25.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. The gap from the 15.8:1 average for elementary schools in Michigan is 2.5 students per teacher. Student poverty is often measured by lunch eligibility; at Besser Elementary School, 59% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The figure for public schools in Alpena County is close, at 62%.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Besser Elementary School is 3.2 points above its prediction. Actual: 43.2%. Predicted: 40.0%.
In the wider Alpena County area, the median household earns about $53,950 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 18% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 13%. Besser Elementary School shares Alpena County with 9 other public schools.
Pied Piper School is about 0.2 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Within five miles of Besser Elementary School, there are 6 other public schools. On average proficiency, Besser Elementary School is 2nd of 5 nearby schools with test data.
Under the NCES locale system, Besser Elementary School is Town: Remote.
Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment increased 12%.
This page is set up for the Besser Elementary School community to discuss special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Alpena County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
28,880
Census ACS
Median income
$53,950
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
3,598 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Alpena Public Schools
- Alpena High SchoolHigh · 1,091 students
- Thunder Bay Junior High SchoolMiddle · 796 students
- Ella M White ElementaryElementary · 440 students
- Wilson ElementaryElementary · 220 students
- Sanborn ElementaryElementary · 201 students
- Lincoln ElementaryElementary · 146 students
Other schools in ALPENA
- Alpena High SchoolHigh · 1,091 students
- Thunder Bay Junior High SchoolMiddle · 796 students
- Ella M White ElementaryElementary · 440 students
- Lincoln ElementaryElementary · 146 students
- Hinks ElementaryElementary · 132 students
- ACES AcademyHigh · 57 students
Nearby schools
- Pied Piper School0.2 mi · 45
- Lincoln Elementary1.6 mi · 146
- Ella M White Elementary2.0 mi · 440
- Alpena High School2.1 mi · 1,091
- ACES Academy2.1 mi · 57
- Thunder Bay Junior High School2.4 mi · 796
Frequently asked questions
About Besser Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Besser Elementary School?
Besser Elementary School enrolls approximately 470 students in grades KG-05.
Is Besser Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Besser Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Besser Elementary School have?
Besser Elementary School employs 26 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 18.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Besser Elementary School?
Student demographics at Besser Elementary School are roughly 89% White, 4% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Besser Elementary School public or private?
Besser Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Alpena Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.