Paw Paw Later Elementary

As a mid-sized K-5 school in PAW PAW, Michigan, Paw Paw Later Elementary instructs 453 students from grades 3 through 5, overseen by Paw Paw Public School District. Enrollment runs roughly 23% bigger than the state mean of about 369.

Paw Paw Public School District runs 5 schools in total, collectively educating 2,146 students. Paw Paw Later Elementary is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Paw Paw Later Elementary logs that 79% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school records 13% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Van Buren County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Paw Paw Later Elementary has 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.6:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 38% of students at Paw Paw Later Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Van Buren County runs at roughly 52%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Paw Paw Later Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 49.7%; this one delivers 41.2%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Van Buren County put median household income runs about $68,114, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Paw Paw Later Elementary is one of 45 public schools in Van Buren County (combined enrollment of about 14,850 students).

Nearest neighbor: Paw Paw Early Elementary School, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around Paw Paw Later Elementary. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Paw Paw Later Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, below the local average of 47.8%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 5%: 476 students in 2018 compared to 453 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 86% to 79%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 20.3:1 in 2018 to 15.6:1 today.

On allk12, members of the Paw Paw Later Elementary community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.