The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Math. The lowest is 24% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Au Gressims Elementary School
Au Gres-Sims Elementary School sits in a small riverfront community along the Au Gres River near Saginaw Bay in Michigan's Arenac County. The town of Au Gres grew out of logging and now leans on tourism, calling itself "The Perch Capital." Summer brings an influx of visitors for fishing, boating, and camping along the water, while the off-season is quiet and residential. The school complex sits a short distance from the downtown corridor along US-23, which runs through the heart of town. This is a compact place where civic life, shops, and schools sit in close proximity, though most daily travel is car-dependent given the rural setting. Publicly reported sources note the town has seen modest population growth and rising median household income in recent years, with investment in the riverfront campground and Riverside Park amenities including a splash pad, kayak launch, and barrier-free fishing pier. The local economy runs on small businesses and seasonal recreation rather than large employers, with the school district itself serving as an institutional anchor.
The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade with a modest enrollment for its grade band. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with small representation from Hispanic students and students of two or more races. Data on special education enrollment and English learners was not available, so those portions of the picture remain blank here.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments, the most recent results show a clear pattern: younger grades perform well, and proficiency drops as students move toward fifth grade. Third graders posted strong results in both math and English language arts, with the majority testing proficient or above. Fourth graders remained solid in math and somewhat lower in ELA. Fifth grade tells a different story. Math proficiency fell sharply, with only about a third of tested students reaching proficiency. ELA was similar. Science landed in the middle, and social studies was the weakest area, with roughly a quarter of fifth graders proficient. The tested groups are small in each grade, which means a few students shifting one direction or the other can move results noticeably. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether this fifth-grade dip is a recurring pattern or a one-year snapshot. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students through the upper elementary transition and what explains the drop-off between third and fifth grade.
Against its immediate neighbors, the school's overall proficiency index lands in the top quartile relative to districts in Arenac County. That comparison set is small, drawn from the county's two districts, so it reflects a limited peer group rather than a broad statewide benchmark. Still, within that set the school stands at the higher end.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report; that measure applies to high schools and does not exist for this grade band. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. No information on course access, specialized programs, staffing levels, discipline, or attendance was provided, so those dimensions of school life are absent from this account. The district brief returned no recent results on bond or referendum activity, so there is nothing to report on facilities ballot measures or strategic planning changes.
For housing context, home values in the school's zip code sit well below both the Michigan state benchmark and the national figure, making this one of the more affordable coastal-adjacent markets in the area. Values have been appreciating at a healthy clip recently. Estimated monthly mortgage costs at current rates are modest relative to incomes. Rental data was not available.
What this school appears to offer is a small, community-rooted elementary setting in an affordable waterfront town with a seasonal tourism economy. The early-grade academic results are genuinely strong, and the upper-grade results are a place where a family would benefit from asking questions directly.
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