Enrollment
272
Elementary
DISTRICT 237 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·IONIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 261925005602
Jefferson School
420 N JEFFERSON ST, IONIA, MI 48846 · (616) 527-2740 · Ionia County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL272 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
15 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.2:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
186 students
DISTRICT 61% · 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 | 52 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 48 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 39 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 49 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 41 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 43 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (52) is 21% larger than its 5th grade class (43).
Student demographics
39%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 31% · 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
Based on grade levels within Ionia Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
41.0%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
38.7%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 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
40.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.0%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 36% 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 Jefferson School
Jefferson School's state test result (40.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson School this school | 272 | 68.4% | 40.1% |
| South Elementary School WATERVLIET | 335 | 66.9% | N/A |
| North Elementary School WATERVLIET | 312 | 73.4% | 34.6% |
| Knudsen Elementary School WATERFORD | 278 | 64.4% | 36.5% |
| Carrie Knause Early Childhood Learning Center SAINT LOUIS | 206 | 69.4% | N/A |
| Justus Gage Elementary School DOWAGIAC | 262 | 74.8% | 42.5% |
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 Jefferson School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Ionia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.1% | #715 of 1,085 | #6 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.7% | #713 of 1,072 | #6 of 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.0% | #747 of 1,139 | #6 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 272 | #1,189 of 1,630 | #8 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.1:1 | #1,163 of 1,424 | #7 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 38.9% | #639 of 1,424 | #1 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 68.4% | #537 of 1,563 | #2 of 12 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -20.5% | #222 of 979 | #2 of 8 |
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
272
-29 (-10%) vs 2020
-16% since 1990-91, when it was 325
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
was 18.8:1
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 | 272 | 15 | 18.1:1 | 68% (186) |
| 2023-24 | 284 | 16.5 | 17.2:1 | 77% (220) |
| 2022-23 | 315 | 15 | 21.1:1 | 73% (229) |
| 2020-21 | 301 | 16 | 18.8:1 | 78% (235) |
| 2017-18 | 342 | 16.1 | 21.2:1 | 58% (199) |
| 2015-16 | 334 | 16 | 20.9:1 | 68% (226) |
| 2010-11 | 321 | 19 | 16.9:1 | 70% (224) |
| 2000-01 | 358 | 22 | 16.3:1 | 47% (169) |
| 1990-91 | 325 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Jefferson School.
Since 2017-18: students down 20% (342 to 272); teachers down 7% (16.1 to 15).
About Jefferson School
Jefferson School is a public small elementary school in IONIA, Michigan. The school enrolls 272 students, from pre-K through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Michigan is about 369, so this school runs 26% smaller than that.
Jefferson School falls under Ionia Public Schools, which has 8 schools enrolling 2,659 students.
White students make up a majority at Jefferson School, at 76%. The next largest groups are 19% Hispanic and 5% multiracial. In Ionia County overall, about 87% of residents are White. The school's diversity index is 39%, meaning two students picked at random have a 39% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Jefferson School employs 15 full-time-equivalent teachers. That gives a ratio of about 18.1:1. This ratio sits 2.3 above the 15.8:1 average for elementary schools in Michigan. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 68% in 2024-25. That rate is above the 52% average among public schools in Ionia County.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Jefferson School is 4.1 points above its prediction. Actual: 40.1%. Predicted: 36.0%.
Jefferson School is located in Ionia County, where the median household income is $75,611, roughly 19% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Jefferson School is one of 30 public schools in the county.
The next-closest public school is Ionia Middle School, about 0.5 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. Of 4 schools in the immediate area with test results, Jefferson School ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
In the federal locale system, Jefferson School is coded Town: Distant, for schools in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Enrollment dropped 10% from its 2020-21 level of 301.
Topics for discussion here include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Ionia County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
66,574
Census ACS
Median income
$75,611
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
30
10,506 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Ionia Public Schools
- Ionia High SchoolHigh · 774 students
- Ionia Middle SchoolMiddle · 629 students
- AA Rather SchoolElementary · 308 students
- RB Boyce Elementary SchoolElementary · 254 students
- Twin Rivers Elementary SchoolElementary · 183 students
- Emerson SchoolElementary · 166 students
Other schools in IONIA
- Ionia High SchoolHigh · 774 students
- Ionia Middle SchoolMiddle · 629 students
- AA Rather SchoolElementary · 308 students
- RB Boyce Elementary SchoolElementary · 254 students
- Emerson SchoolElementary · 166 students
- Freedom Acres SchoolCombined · 107 students
Other Jefferson schools
12 other US public schools in 8 states are named Jefferson. Jefferson School is the 7th largest of the 13.
- JeffersonHOLLAND, MI · 254 students
- JeffersonSacramento, CA · 735 students
- Jefferson SchoolJefferson, LA · 619 students
- JeffersonHawthorne, CA · 549 students
- JeffersonTracy, CA · 388 students
Nearby schools
- Ionia Middle School0.5 mi · 629
- Emerson School1.1 mi · 166
- Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility2.4 mi · 3
- North LeValley Elem School2.4 mi · 10
- Ionia High School2.5 mi · 774
- Douglas R Welch High School2.5 mi · 73
Frequently asked questions
About Jefferson SchoolHow many students attend Jefferson School?
Jefferson School enrolls approximately 272 students in grades PK-05.
Is Jefferson School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Jefferson School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Jefferson School is approximately 18.1:1 (15 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Jefferson School?
Student demographics at Jefferson School are roughly 76% White, 19% Hispanic, 0% Black, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Jefferson School?
Jefferson School is overseen by Ionia Public Schools in Ionia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.