Dawson Elementary School

Dawson Elementary School, an intimate elementary-level community in ALLEGAN, Michigan, overseen by Allegan Public Schools, hosts 278 students, covering grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 25% below the state mean of about 369.

Within Allegan Public Schools, which oversees 8 schools and 2,035 students, Dawson Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Dawson Elementary School logs that the student body is overwhelmingly White (83%). Other groups include 8% multiracial, 7% Hispanic.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.4:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. Around 63% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Allegan County (around 43%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

With demographic context factored in, Dawson Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 38.4%; this one delivers 46.2%.

In the area at large, census data for Allegan County shows median household income runs about $83,283, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. In all, Allegan County runs 55 public schools (combined enrollment of about 17,174 students), of which Dawson Elementary School is one.

Hillside Learning Center is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The campus sits in a town-based setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Dawson Elementary School has increased 20%, going from 232 students in 2018 to 278 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 13.4:1 in 2018 to 15.4:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.