The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Math. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Kc Ling Elementary School
KC Ling Elementary School sits in Hemlock, a small unincorporated community in Richland Township, Saginaw County, along the M-46 state highway. The town functions as a rural crossroads with a mix of residential properties and small commercial establishments along the main road, and its post office serves nearly all of Richland Township and portions of surrounding townships, making it a service center for the broader rural area. Retail trade is a meaningful employment sector locally, though no specific major employers were identified in available sources. The community hosts an annual September festival called Sawdust Days, dating to the late 1970s. Publicly reported population data sends mixed signals, with some sources indicating a modest decline and others noting some growth since the last census, likely reflecting differing geographic boundaries. No information on specific new housing developments or construction projects was found.
The school serves first through fourth graders and is a regular public school within the Hemlock Public School District. Its enrollment is moderate for a single elementary grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic presence and a handful of students identifying as two or more races; nearly all remaining categories show no enrollment. A substantial but not overwhelming share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and special education populations was not available, so those compositions remain unknown here.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments, the most recent results show a mixed but generally middling academic picture. Third grade math stands out as the strongest result, with a clear majority of tested students reaching proficiency. Fourth grade math drops considerably, with fewer than half proficient. English language arts results sit in a similar range across both grades, with just under half of students proficient in third grade and a touch above that mark in fourth grade. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among districts in Saginaw County, which is a reasonably positive standing given the county's range of outcomes. Science proficiency was reported only for an older year and at a very low level, but that result is dated enough that a parent would want to ask the school what current science instruction looks like rather than rely on that figure. Participation rates were missing across all reported assessments, and no trend data was available to show whether results are improving or declining over time.
Because KC Ling serves only early elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and that metric simply does not apply here. Chronic absenteeism data was not available. Information on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance was absent from the data provided, so those dimensions of school life cannot be characterized here. Title I status was also not reported. The district passed a bond issue in 2022 to renew and improve facilities, a capital investment that shapes the school environment families experience today, though specific impacts on this building were not detailed in available sources.
The housing market around Hemlock is relatively affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks. Home values sit below the state figure and well below the national figure, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home is meaningfully lower than rental costs in the area, which may interest families weighing ownership. Home values have been appreciating at a modest pace recently. No rental data was available for the immediate area.
For a family considering this school, KC Ling offers a small-town rural setting with a moderately sized early-elementary program, assessment results that are respectable within Saginaw County though with room to grow especially in fourth grade math, and a community where housing costs are manageable. The gaps in available data on special populations, discipline, staffing, and attendance mean a parent would benefit from asking the school directly about those areas before drawing conclusions.
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