The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in Science. The lowest is 13% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Bloomingdale Elementary School
Bloomingdale Elementary School is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the small rural village of Bloomingdale, in northeastern Van Buren County. It is part of the Bloomingdale Public School District. The school's enrollment is modest for its grade band, with roughly even distribution across the six grade levels. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic character of the surrounding community. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and a small share of multiracial students. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available in the provided records, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
Bloomingdale sits in an old-fashioned village centered on Augustus Haven Park, with a compact business district at its main four corners. The Kal-Haven Trail, a paved Rails-to-Trails pathway running from Kalamazoo to South Haven, passes directly through the village center and brings seasonal bicyclists, walkers, and snowmobilers through town. The surrounding township is largely agricultural with some small resorts and a youth camp. The village has experienced minimal growth and a slight population decline in recent years, with civic investment focused on trail-related amenities and historical preservation rather than new development. No major employers were identified in publicly available sources, and there is no fixed-route public transit serving the village. The community was settled in the mid-1850s and grew briefly with the railroad and a short-lived oil discovery in the 1930s, both of which have since faded.
The housing market here is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit below the Michigan state median and well below the national median, and the price-to-income ratio is favorable for buyers with stable income. Rental data was not available. Current mortgage rates remain elevated relative to recent historical norms, which affects affordability for new buyers despite the lower price points.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments for the 2024-25 school year, proficiency rates at Bloomingdale Elementary were low across all tested subjects and grades. In math, roughly a quarter of third and fourth graders demonstrated proficiency, with the rate declining in fifth grade. In English language arts, proficiency was lower still, with the fourth grade showing the weakest result and only about a fifth of third and fifth graders reaching proficiency. Fifth-grade science produced the highest single proficiency rate among all tested areas, while fifth-grade social studies showed the lowest. Participation rate data was not reported. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from the provided data whether these results represent a change from prior years.
Placed against its comparison set of districts in Van Buren County, Bloomingdale Elementary's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint, with the county's median proficiency index notably higher. This is a soft spot worth a parent's attention. A parent considering this school may want to look into what instructional supports and interventions the school offers in reading and math, and how the district plans to address these results. We looked for information on the district's recent strategic priorities or changes but found little that is publicly reported, so we left that out rather than guess.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate, no AP or career-pathway data, and no college-readiness measure to report. Those gaps simply reflect the grade band served. We also did not find data on staffing ratios, discipline, chronic absenteeism, course access, or specific program offerings such as gifted services, arts, or extracurriculars. A family evaluating this school should ask the building directly about those details.
What Bloomingdale Elementary offers is a small, community-rooted elementary setting in a quiet rural village with affordable housing and a distinctive trail-town character. The academic results as measured by state testing are a concern, and the available data does not include enough about supports or trends to say whether improvement is underway. For a family drawn to the area's rural pace and lower cost of living, the next step would be a direct conversation with the school about how it serves children performing below grade level and what resources exist for those who need extra help.
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