The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Science. The lowest is 34% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Star Elementary School
Star Elementary School sits on Star School Road in Hastings, the county seat of Barry County and the county's only city. It is one of six schools in the Hastings Area School District, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary building, with roughly even class sizes across the grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small Hispanic and multiracial populations and a tiny number of American Indian or Alaska Native students. Just over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and special education enrollment was not available, so those population details remain unknown.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments for the most recent school year, Star Elementary's results paint a mixed but broadly encouraging picture. Fourth grade stands out as a clear strength, with a solid majority of students reaching proficiency in both math and English language arts. Third grade proficiency sits below that of fourth grade in both subjects but still represents a fair share of students meeting the bar. Fifth grade tells a more complicated story. English language arts proficiency rebounds to a level near half the class, and science proficiency crosses the halfway mark. But fifth grade math drops sharply, and social studies proficiency is the lowest reported figure for the school. The fourth grade cohort's strong performance across both core subjects suggests the school is doing something right in the middle elementary years. The fifth grade math slide is the kind of number a parent may want to look into further with the school, especially if their child is approaching that grade. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether the fifth grade dip is a one-year pattern or a persistent one.
When measured against other districts in Barry County, Star Elementary's overall proficiency index lands in the top quartile. That comparison reflects the mean of reported proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades, and it positions the school favorably among its neighbors. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data do not apply here, since Star Elementary does not serve high school grades and those metrics were not reported for this school.
Hastings itself is a small town whose civic life centers on the Barry County Courthouse downtown, surrounded by local shops and restaurants. The Thornapple River runs through the city from east to west, and the city promotes its parks for family recreation. Street life tends to be event-driven, with a spring jazz festival, summer concert programming, a well-known cycling race, and a performing arts center that hosts year-round shows. A regional Kellogg Community College campus has operated in Hastings for years, giving the town a modest higher education presence. Growth has been slow and nearly flat over decades, and the city's own Master Plan frames its philosophy as treasuring the old while progressing with the new. No specific major employers were identified in the available research, and no public transit system was found. Major highways M-37, M-43, and M-79 connect Hastings to the surrounding region, with Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and Lansing all within reasonable driving distance.
The housing market around Star Elementary is relatively accessible compared with state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit below both the Michigan and national medians, and the price-to-income ratio remains modest. At current mortgage rates, however, the estimated monthly cost of buying exceeds what renting would run a household, which may shape decisions for families moving into the attendance area. Year-over-year home value growth has been positive but measured.
The district brief turned up little in the way of recently reported changes or initiatives, so there is nothing to relay on that front. Star Elementary reads as a solid small-town elementary school with particular strength in the fourth grade year, a community-oriented setting along the Thornapple River, and housing costs that remain within reach for many families. The fifth grade math result is the main academic question mark worth raising with the school.
See more original research from School Decision →