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What clubs or activities at Shepherd Elementary School are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
544
Elementary
DISTRICT 384 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SHEPHERD PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 263138006740
Shepherd Elementary School
301 S 4TH ST, SHEPHERD, MI 48883 · (989) 828-5998 · Isabella County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL544 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
57%
312 students
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 55%
Community
5
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 | 102 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 92 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 92 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 76 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 91 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 91 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (102) is 12% larger than its 5th grade class (91).
Student demographics
27%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 25% · 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 Shepherd Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
42.4%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
38.1%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 38 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
39.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.9%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 39% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% 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 Shepherd Elementary School
Shepherd Elementary School's state test result (39.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd Elementary School this school | 544 | 57.4% | 39.4% |
| Franklin Elementary School CADILLAC | 563 | 55.8% | 49.0% |
| GT Norman Elementary School REED CITY | 540 | 59.1% | 35.4% |
| Menominee Elementary School MENOMINEE | 531 | 54.8% | 31.2% |
| Clare Primary School CLARE | 557 | 54.8% | 39.6% |
| ReethsPuffer Elementary School MUSKEGON | 600 | 59.5% | 36.0% |
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 Shepherd Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Isabella County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.4% | #735 of 1,085 | #5 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.1% | #727 of 1,072 | #4 of 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 42.4% | #715 of 1,139 | #3 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 544 | #178 of 1,630 | #1 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.6:1 | #630 of 1,424 | #8 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 26.9% | #893 of 1,424 | #7 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 57.4% | #752 of 1,563 | #5 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.6% | #318 of 979 | #4 of 6 |
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
544
-80 (-13%) vs 2020
+1% since 1990-91, when it was 538
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
was 17.3:1
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 | 544 | 34.8 | 15.6:1 | 57% (312) |
| 2023-24 | 560 | 34 | 16.5:1 | 61% (340) |
| 2022-23 | 658 | 38 | 17.3:1 | 60% (394) |
| 2020-21 | 624 | 36 | 17.3:1 | 54% (340) |
| 2017-18 | 660 | 38 | 17.4:1 | 53% (353) |
| 2015-16 | 700 | 40 | 17.5:1 | 51% (354) |
| 2010-11 | 666 | 37 | 18.0:1 | 37% (247) |
| 2000-01 | 600 | 36 | 16.7:1 | 17% (104) |
| 1990-91 | 538 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Shepherd Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (660 to 544); teachers down 8% (38 to 34.8).
About Shepherd Elementary School
Shepherd Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school serving families in SHEPHERD, Michigan. Enrolled students number 544 students, in kindergarten through 5. Statewide, elementary schools in Michigan average about 369 students each.
Federal data list 5 schools in Shepherd Public Schools, with 1,746 students enrolled.
Shepherd Elementary School enrolls a student body that is 85% White. It is also 6% Hispanic and 6% Native American. For comparison, Isabella County is about 85% White. The chance that two students picked at random at Shepherd Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 27%.
The count of teachers at Shepherd Elementary School is 34.8 full-time equivalents, for a ratio of 15.6:1. Across elementary schools in Michigan, the average ratio is about 15.8:1. Around 57% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. On average, public schools in Isabella County report 47%.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Shepherd Elementary School, the prediction is 40.9% and the result is 39.4%.
County data help place the school in context: in Isabella County, median household income is about $55,237, about 31% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 14%. Shepherd Elementary School is among the 20 public schools in Isabella County.
Shepherd High School is located less than a tenth of a mile from Shepherd Elementary School. Within five miles are 2 other public schools.
The school is in rural territory some distance from an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Distant).
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment down 13%, from 624 to 544. The number of students per teacher fell from 17.3 to 15.6 over 4 years.
Discussion on this page can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Isabella County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
64,565
Census ACS
Median income
$55,237
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
14%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
6,493 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Shepherd Public Schools
- Shepherd High SchoolHigh · 519 students
- Shepherd Middle SchoolMiddle · 390 students
- Winn Elementary SchoolElementary · 224 students
- Odyssey MiddleHigh SchoolHigh · 69 students
Other schools in SHEPHERD
- Shepherd High SchoolHigh · 519 students
- Shepherd Middle SchoolMiddle · 390 students
- Winn Elementary SchoolElementary · 224 students
- Flextech High School ShepherdHigh · 79 students
Other Shepherd Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Shepherd Elementary. Shepherd Elementary School is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- Shepherd ElementaryMooresville, NC · 738 students
- Shepherd Elementary SchoolWashington, DC · 394 students
- Shepherd ElementaryShepherd, MT · 342 students
Nearby schools
- Shepherd High School0.1 mi · 519
- Shepherd Middle School0.1 mi · 390
- Odyssey MiddleHigh School5.2 mi · 69
- Oasis5.6 mi · 138
- Isabella Day Treatment5.6 mi · 6
- Mt Pleasant Senior High School6.1 mi · 1,066
Frequently asked questions
About Shepherd Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Shepherd Elementary School?
Shepherd Elementary School enrolls approximately 544 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Shepherd Elementary School serve?
Shepherd Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Shepherd Elementary School?
Approximately 15.6:1 students per teacher at Shepherd Elementary School.
What is the student diversity at Shepherd Elementary School?
Student demographics at Shepherd Elementary School are roughly 85% White, 6% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Shepherd Elementary School in?
Shepherd Elementary School is part of Shepherd Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.