Enrollment
262
Elementary
DISTRICT 217 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DOWAGIAC UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 261215004919
Justus Gage Elementary School
301 OAK ST, DOWAGIAC, MI 49047 · (269) 782-4460 · Cass County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL262 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.7:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
75%
196 students
DISTRICT 71% · 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 | 34 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 36 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 45 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 49 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 51 | 19% |
| Grade 5 | 47 | 18% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · 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 Dowagiac Union School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Justus Gage Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
45.9%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
43.3%
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 43 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
42.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.1%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 42% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 33% 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 Justus Gage Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Cass County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.5% | #651 of 1,085 | #4 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 43.3% | #598 of 1,072 | #6 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.9% | #614 of 1,139 | #5 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 262 | #1,223 of 1,630 | #7 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #507 of 1,424 | #2 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.2% | #428 of 1,424 | #4 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.8% | #439 of 1,563 | #2 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.1% | #742 of 979 | #8 of 9 |
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
262
-16 (-6%) vs 2020
+11% since 1990-91, when it was 235
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
was 16.4:1
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 | 262 | 17.3 | 15.1:1 | 75% (196) |
| 2023-24 | 283 | 17 | 16.6:1 | 82% (232) |
| 2022-23 | 274 | 17.4 | 15.8:1 | 82% (226) |
| 2020-21 | 278 | 17 | 16.4:1 | 93% (258) |
| 2017-18 | 279 | 17 | 16.4:1 | 83% (231) |
| 2015-16 | 292 | 16 | 18.3:1 | 79% (232) |
| 2010-11 | 280 | 16 | 17.5:1 | 81% (228) |
| 2000-01 | 201 | 14 | 14.4:1 | 52% (104) |
| 1990-91 | 235 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Justus Gage Elementary School.
About Justus Gage Elementary School
Justus Gage Elementary School runs as a small elementary school in DOWAGIAC, Michigan. Its 262 students are spread across pre-K through 5. The school's enrollment is 29% smaller than the 369 average for elementary schools in Michigan.
Dowagiac Union School District oversees Justus Gage Elementary School and 6 other schools, with 1,815 students in total.
A majority of students at Justus Gage Elementary School, 66%, are White. The rest of enrollment is 16% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 6% Black, and 3% Native American. Among all residents of Cass County, the White share is about 85%. By the diversity index, Justus Gage Elementary School comes in at 52%.
Staffing totals 17.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 15.1:1. That ratio is under the 15.8:1 average for elementary schools in Michigan. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Justus Gage Elementary School is 75%. The 54% average for public schools in Cass County is 21 points lower.
On the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure, Justus Gage Elementary School is 9.3 points above the average proficiency rate on state tests predicted for its free or reduced-price lunch share: 42.5% actual, 33.1% predicted. That is outside both the top and bottom 10% in Michigan.
Justus Gage Elementary School is located in Cass County, where median household income is about $70,443, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 22%, and about 9% of people live in poverty. Justus Gage Elementary School is one of 23 public schools in Cass County, which together enroll about 6,258 students.
The closest public school to Justus Gage Elementary School is North Pointe Center, about 0.3 miles away. Other public schools within five miles number 6. The nearest schools with test data average 32.6%, lower than Justus Gage Elementary School's 42.5%.
Under the NCES locale system, Justus Gage Elementary School is Town: Fringe.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count dropped from 278 to 262. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 15.1:1, from 16.4:1.
Threads on this page can be about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Cass County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
51,520
Census ACS
Median income
$70,443
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
6,258 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Dowagiac Union School District
- Union High SchoolHigh · 507 students
- Dowagiac Middle SchoolMiddle · 393 students
- Patrick Hamilton ElementaryElementary · 224 students
- Kincheloe Elementary SchoolElementary · 214 students
- Sister Lakes Elementary SchoolElementary · 166 students
- Pathfinders Alternative EdHigh · 49 students
Other schools in DOWAGIAC
- Union High SchoolHigh · 507 students
- Dowagiac Middle SchoolMiddle · 393 students
- Patrick Hamilton ElementaryElementary · 224 students
- Kincheloe Elementary SchoolElementary · 214 students
- Pathfinders Alternative EdHigh · 49 students
- North Pointe CenterCombined · 44 students
Nearby schools
- North Pointe Center0.3 mi · 44
- Patrick Hamilton Elementary0.8 mi · 224
- Union High School0.8 mi · 507
- Pathfinders Alternative Ed0.9 mi · 49
- Dowagiac Middle School1.4 mi · 393
- Kincheloe Elementary School3.4 mi · 214
Frequently asked questions
About Justus Gage Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Justus Gage Elementary School?
Justus Gage Elementary School enrolls approximately 262 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Justus Gage Elementary School serve?
Justus Gage Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Justus Gage Elementary School have?
Justus Gage Elementary School employs 17 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.1:1.
What is the student diversity at Justus Gage Elementary School?
Student demographics at Justus Gage Elementary School are roughly 66% White, 16% Hispanic, 6% Black, 8% Two or more.
Is Justus Gage Elementary School public or private?
Justus Gage Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Dowagiac Union School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.