Gordon Elementary School, Marshall MI

Original Research by School Decision on Gordon Elementary School

Gordon Elementary School sits in Marshall, the county seat of Calhoun County, and serves children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Marshall Public Schools. It is a regular public school with a fairly small enrollment for its grade band, which means class cohorts are intimate and likely familiar to one another and to staff. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller Hispanic and multiracial populations and a handful of students from other backgrounds. A moderate share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a mix of working and middle-class families rather than concentrated poverty. Data on individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those who need detail on special populations should ask the school directly.

On state assessments, Gordon's results are a mixed picture with some real strengths. Third graders performed well in both math and English language arts, with a solid majority reaching proficiency in each subject. Fourth-grade proficiency dips in both subjects but remains in a middling range. The clearest soft spot is fifth-grade math, where fewer than two in five tested students were proficient, a notable drop from the earlier grades. Fifth-grade English language arts recovered to a majority proficient, and science and social studies results for that grade landed at roughly half. When all tested subjects and grades are averaged together, Gordon's overall proficiency sits in the top quartile among districts in Calhoun County, above the county's highest district-level benchmark. That is a genuinely strong standing for an elementary school in this region, and it suggests the earlier grades are building a solid foundation even if fifth-grade math is an area a parent may want to look into further with the school. Participation rates were not available in the data. No multi-year trend data was provided, so it is hard to say whether the fifth-grade math dip is persistent or a one-year pattern.

Marshall itself is a small historic city with a distinct identity. Its downtown is a nationally recognized historic district with architecture spanning Greek Revival through Art Deco styles, and the community hosts the oldest operating county fair in Michigan along with seasonal festivals that bring street life and visitors. Agricultural traditions run deep, with strong FFA and 4-H involvement among local students. The town sits at the intersection of two interstate highways, with Amtrak service available in nearby Battle Creek and Albion. Schools appear to be woven into the compact street grid rather than isolated on separate campuses.

The biggest change coming to Marshall is the Ford BlueOval Battery Park on the Marshall Megasite, a large battery manufacturing facility planned for the township just outside the city. The project involved controversial land transfers from the township to the city to provide utility access, with vocal public opposition. This development will likely shift the town's economic base and could bring new families into the school system over time. For now, the community retains its small-town, historic character, but growth pressure is building.

Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks, with typical home values below the statewide level and well below the national figure. The price-to-income ratio is modest by national standards, making ownership more attainable here than in many Michigan communities. Rent data was not available for this area. The district brief turned up little of lasting recent change, so parents should not expect major restructuring or program overhauls in the near term based on what is publicly reported.

For a family weighing Gordon, the strengths are clear third-grade results, a comfortable small-school setting, and a community with deep roots and a walkable core. The fifth-grade math results are the most concrete question mark. The town is in the early stages of a transformation that may reshape its population and economy, which could make this a period of transition for local schools.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 54% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 44% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 43% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 46% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 43% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 58% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Science

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 46% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 54% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

This schoolMarshall Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income65%Higher-income62%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income57%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income77%Higher-income52%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income69%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income61%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income39%8 pp gap