Thurston Elementary School

Located at 2300 PRAIRIE ST, in ANN ARBOR, Michigan, Thurston Elementary School is a moderately sized primary school that hosts 506 students (grades K through 5), part of Ann Arbor Public Schools. That puts it 37% bigger than the typical public school in Michigan, which averages around 369 students.

Ann Arbor Public Schools comprises 32 schools with combined enrollment of 16,551 students; Thurston Elementary School is among them.

On demographics, Thurston Elementary School reports that 45% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 28% Asian, 10% multiracial, 9% Black, 8% Hispanic. That is meaningfully less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 69%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Thurston Elementary School has 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.7:1. The state averages about 15.8:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 20% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Washtenaw County runs at roughly 34%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Thurston Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 57.4%, the actual is 59.9%, a residual of +2.6 points.

In the area at large, census data for Washtenaw County shows median household earnings sit near $89,180, 59% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Across Washtenaw County's 104 public schools (combined enrollment of about 42,861 students), Thurston Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Clague Middle School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Thurston Elementary School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Thurston Elementary School at 7th of 7; the average score across the group is 71.1%.

Geographically, the school is in an urban area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Thurston Elementary School has ticked up 3%, going from 493 students in 2018 to 506 in 2025. Class-load math has rose: from 14.3:1 in 2018 to 15.7:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for Thurston Elementary School typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.