Mackensen Elementary School

Mackensen Elementary School, a modestly sized elementary-level community in BAY CITY, Michigan, one of the schools within Bay City School District, instructs 265 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 28% smaller than the state mean of about 369.

Mackensen Elementary School is one of 13 schools operated by Bay City School District, a district that instructs 6,030 students overall.

Demographically, Mackensen Elementary School shows that nearly all students (84%) are White. Beyond that, the school logs 9% Hispanic, 8% multiracial.

On the resource side, The school lists 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.6:1. The state averages around 15.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 36% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is below Bay County's rate of about 55%.

After controlling for student poverty, Mackensen Elementary School is in the bottom 10% of Michigan public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 50.2%; Mackensen Elementary School posts 37.1%, -13.2 points below that line.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Bay County put median household earnings sit near $61,763, roughly 22% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Bay County's 34 public schools (combined enrollment of about 12,525 students), Mackensen Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Kolb Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.6 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Mackensen Elementary School at 1st of 5; the average score across the group is 32.1%.

The school occupies a residential site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 19%: 326 students in 2018 compared to 265 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 21.6:1 in 2018 to 14.6:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.