1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Gier Elementary School right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
434
Elementary
DISTRICT 234 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HILLSDALE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS·NCES 261839008143
Gier Elementary School
175 SPRING ST, HILLSDALE, MI 49242 · (517) 437-7347 · Hillsdale County
GRADES KG–04ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL434 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.2:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
63%
274 students
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 55%
Community
3
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. 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
Gier Elementary School→Davis Middle School
Based on grade levels within Hillsdale Community Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
20.6%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
33.5%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 21 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 34 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
27.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.3%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 27% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
434
-20 (-4%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
was 18.5:1
% White
89%
was 91%
% Hispanic
5%
was 5%
% Black
0%
was 0%
% Asian
0%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Gier Elementary School
Gier Elementary School is an elementary-level community of medium-sized scale in HILLSDALE, Michigan, overseen by Hillsdale Community Schools, instructing 434 students in grades K through 4.
Gier Elementary School is one of 5 schools operated by Hillsdale Community Schools, a district that hosts 1,259 students overall.
On demographics, Gier Elementary School lists that the student body is overwhelmingly White (89%). Beyond that, the school logs 5% multiracial, 5% Hispanic. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.
Looking at the economic backdrop, Gier Elementary School shows 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.7:1. The state averages about 15.8:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 63% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.
On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Gier Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 38.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 27.0%.
Across the wider county, Hillsdale County reports that the typical household earns roughly $64,242 per year, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Hillsdale County's 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,067 students), Gier Elementary School is one campus in the mix.
Nearest neighbor: Davis Middle School, around 0.6 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Gier Elementary School.
Gier Elementary School operates from a town-based location.
Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 4%: 454 students in 2018 compared to 434 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 18.5:1 in 2018 to 15.7:1 today.
On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.
Hillsdale County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
45,654
Census ACS
Median income
$64,242
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
5,067 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hillsdale Community Schools
- Hillsdale High SchoolHigh · 370 students
- Davis Middle SchoolMiddle · 366 students
- Horizon Alternative SchoolHigh · 55 students
- Bailey Early Childhood CenterElementary · 34 students
Other schools in HILLSDALE
- Hillsdale High SchoolHigh · 370 students
- Davis Middle SchoolMiddle · 366 students
- Will Carleton Charter School AcademyCombined · 276 students
- Hillsdale Preparatory SchoolElementary · 60 students
- Horizon Alternative SchoolHigh · 55 students
- Greenfield SchoolCombined · 45 students
Nearby schools
- Davis Middle School0.6 mi · 366
- Hillsdale Preparatory School0.6 mi · 60
- Hillsdale High School0.6 mi · 370
- Horizon Alternative School0.6 mi · 55
- Bailey Early Childhood Center0.8 mi · 34
- Will Carleton Charter School Academy1.1 mi · 276
Frequently asked questions
About Gier Elementary SchoolHow large is Gier Elementary School?
Gier Elementary School enrolls approximately 434 students in grades KG-04.
What grades does Gier Elementary School serve?
Gier Elementary School serves grades KG-04.
How many teachers does Gier Elementary School have?
Gier Elementary School employs 28 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.7:1.
How diverse is Gier Elementary School?
Gier Elementary School reports a student body of 89% White, 5% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Gier Elementary School?
Gier Elementary School is overseen by Hillsdale Community Schools in Hillsdale County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.