Gull Lake Community Schools, MI

Original Research by School Decision on Gull Lake Community Schools

Gull Lake Community Schools is a mid-sized district in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, serving students from prekindergarten through twelfth grade across seven buildings. The district includes two elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school, a high school, and two specialized programs: Gull Lake Gateway Academy and Gull Lake Virtual Partnership. That range of options gives families both a traditional pathway and alternative or virtual settings within the same district.

The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population and students identifying as two or more races making up the next largest groups. Smaller numbers of Black, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native students round out the enrollment. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so the economic makeup of the student population cannot be characterized here. English learner and special education counts were also missing from the data provided.

On state assessments, the most recent M-STEP and PSAT results show a district that performs well in English language arts relative to its peers. Eighth-grade ELA proficiency on the PSAT stands out as a particular strength, with a substantial majority of tested students reaching proficiency. Fifth-grade ELA is also strong, and fourth grade sits in a solid range. In math, the picture is more mixed: third grade and sixth grade land near the higher end of the district's own band, while fourth, seventh, and eighth grades sit lower. Science results in both tested grades sit in the middle range, and social studies shows a wide gap between fifth grade, which is lower, and eighth grade, which is considerably stronger. Taken together, the district's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Kalamazoo County's districts, near the top of the range. That is a clear academic strength for families weighing this district against nearby options.

Chronic absenteeism sits above the midpoint among the county's districts, meaning the rate is lower than the county median, which is the favorable direction for this metric. Per-pupil spending falls in the middle range, lower half, among the county's districts. A four-year graduation rate was not available in the data, so it cannot be characterized here. A parent may want to ask the district directly about its graduation rate and any subgroup breakdowns.

The housing market across the district's area is moderately priced compared with national figures, with the weighted typical home value sitting above the state benchmark but below the national one. The district draws from several communities, with Richland carrying the largest share of the housing weight, followed by Augusta and Hickory Corners. Home values in Richland and Hickory Corners are at the higher end of the district's range, while parts of Battle Creek and Cooper sit lower. Rents are modest relative to income, and the rent-to-income ratio suggests renting remains affordable for households in the area. Home values have been rising modestly year over year across most of the contributing zip codes.

The district made a lasting capital improvement to its arts and assembly infrastructure when an auditorium addition opened at Gull Lake High School in April 2022, as publicly reported. This gave students and the community a permanent venue for performances and gatherings.

Program offerings, course access details, staffing ratios, discipline data, and attendance specifics beyond the chronic absenteeism figure were not available in the data provided. A family considering Gull Lake would do well to ask the district about advanced coursework, career and technical education pathways, and support services, since those details were not present in the materials reviewed. What the available data does show is a district with strong ELA outcomes, solid overall proficiency relative to its county peers, manageable absenteeism, and a housing market that sits in a comfortable middle band for the region.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

3,330

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 7%

Black 3%

White 82%

Asian 1%

Two+ 7%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

41%

57%

Gr 4

40%

67%

Gr 5

53%

72%

Gr 6

36%

57%

Gr 7

39%

58%

Gr 8

64%

88%

Math

Gr 3

33%

56%

Gr 4

24%

43%

Gr 5

26%

51%

Gr 6

40%

49%

Gr 7

26%

43%

Gr 8

18%

42%

Science

Gr 5

38%

63%

Gr 8

43%

59%

Social studies

Gr 5

27%

45%

Gr 8

51%

70%

Schools in this District

7 schools are officially reported under this district.

Gull Lake Middle School

Gull Lake High School

Kellogg Elementary School

Richland Elementary School

Thomas M Ryan Intermediate School

Gull Lake Gateway Academy

Gull Lake Virtual Partnership

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

47%

Grade 3

37%

Grade 4

43%

Grade 5

45%

Grade 6

37%

Grade 7

35%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

51%

Grade 3

59%

Grade 4

66%

Grade 5

49%

Grade 6

51%

Grade 7

81%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

55%

Grade 5

54%

Grade 8

Social Studies

2 grades reported

39%

Grade 5

64%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$323,423

Year-over-year change+3.6%

Range across 10 ZIP codes$130K to $380K

vs. state typical1.23x

vs. national typical0.88x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (10 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
49083	Richland	$377K	+2.8%	32.7%
49012	Augusta	$338K	+4.9%	18.2%
49060	Hickory Corners	$380K	+3.5%	17.8%
49017	Battle Creek	$185K	+3.1%	13.8%
49004	Cooper	$227K	+4.2%	5.1%
49080	Gunplain	$298K	+4.5%	5.0%
49053	Greater Galesburg	$288K	+4.4%	3.1%
49046	Delton	$270K	+5.9%	2.3%
49048	Comstock	$199K	+3.6%	1.9%
49037	Battle Creek	$130K	+5.2%	0.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,093/mo

Year-over-year change+7.1%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,026 to $1,302/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
49017	Battle Creek	$1,026	—	13.8%
49004	Cooper	$1,196	—	5.1%
49048	Comstock	$1,302	+7.1%	1.9%
49037	Battle Creek	$1,050	+7.2%	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,632/mo

Home price / national median income3.9x

Annual rent / national median income15.7%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$539/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$263,590 (+4.2% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.