The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Washington School
Washington School is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Bessemer, Michigan, the county seat of Gogebic County. It is part of the Bessemer Area School District. The enrollment is small for a school covering seven grade levels, and the student body is predominantly white, with a modest number of students identifying as two or more races and very small counts of American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students. A very substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the broader economic context of the area. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not available, so those dimensions of student support could not be assessed here.
State testing results from the most recent M-STEP administration paint a mixed and largely concerning academic picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across third through sixth grade land in a moderate range, with the sixth grade showing the strongest performance and the fourth grade the weakest. ELA results are the school's relative bright spot, with most grades showing at least a quarter of tested students reaching proficiency. Math tells a harder story. Third grade math starts at a moderate level, but proficiency drops sharply in fourth grade and falls to very low levels in fifth and sixth grade, where only a small handful of students in each grade tested proficient. Fifth grade science and social studies results were also low. When measured against the comparison set of districts in Gogebic County, Washington School's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly regarding math instruction in the upper elementary grades, where the decline is most pronounced.
Because Washington School does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and that gap reflects the grade range rather than any omission. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. Multi-year trend data was not provided, so it is unclear whether these proficiency levels represent a stable pattern or a recent shift. No program offerings, course access, staffing, discipline, or attendance information was included in the available data.
Bessemer itself is a small, rural city in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula, situated on hilly terrain along US Highway 2 between Ironwood and Wakefield. It was once an iron ore mining town, and the closure of the last mine decades ago triggered economic decline and outmigration. The local economy has since stabilized around logging and lumbering, tourism, the service industry, health care, and small manufacturing. The area is known as "Big Snow Country" for its heavy lake-effect snow off Lake Superior, and four-season outdoor recreation anchors the tourism sector. Bessemer serves as the Gogebic County seat, so government functions including the courthouse and sheriff's department provide institutional presence. The city has experienced long-term population decline, and no major new housing developments were identified. Public transit exists through a small county bus system, and the Gogebic-Iron County Airport north of Ironwood offers daily flights to Chicago and Minneapolis.
The housing market in the school's zip code is quite affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks, with typical home values well below the Michigan median and far below the national figure. The price-to-income ratio sits below the national level, suggesting that homeownership is relatively attainable here for families with steady income, though the broader regional economy has limited employment diversity. No rental data was available.
For a family considering Washington School, the setting offers a rural, tight-knit community with affordable housing and strong outdoor recreation access. The academic data, particularly in math at the upper elementary level, is a soft spot worth asking about directly. The school's small size means individual attention is plausible, but the proficiency numbers suggest challenges in consistent academic preparation across grade levels. The district brief search did not surface any recent parent-relevant changes, so families would need to contact the district directly for current strategic priorities or program developments.
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