Ottawa Elementary School

Set in BUCHANAN, Michigan, Ottawa Elementary School is a compact elementary-level community, one of the schools within Buchanan Community Schools. It educates 230 students across grades pre-K through 1. Compared to the state average of about 369 students per school, that is 38% smaller than typical.

Within Buchanan Community Schools, which oversees 6 schools and 1,567 students, Ottawa Elementary School is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Ottawa Elementary School logs that nearly all students (85%) are White. Other groups include 7% multiracial, 4% Hispanic, 2% Black. The wider county runs roughly 74% White, putting the school's mix visibly more White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, The school lists 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.8:1 average. An estimated 62% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Berrien County indicate median household earnings sit near $65,425, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across Berrien County's 75 public schools (combined enrollment of about 21,027 students), Ottawa Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Buchanan Middle School, around 0.4 miles off. 6 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Ottawa Elementary School operates from a town-center location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Ottawa Elementary School has stayed largely flat, going from 225 students in 2018 to 230 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.