Woodcrest Elementary School, Midland MI

Original Research by School Decision on Woodcrest Elementary School

Woodcrest Elementary School sits in the city of Midland, a mid-sized Michigan community shaped by its industrial heritage and its river setting. Midland grew around Dow Chemical, which still maintains its world headquarters there, and the city has repurposed its former plant site into a multi-tenant manufacturing and research park. The downtown core, where the Chippewa and Tittabawassee rivers meet, carries much of the civic and cultural life, with the Tridge pedestrian bridge, the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail, the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, and the Midland Center for the Arts all clustered nearby. Schools are distributed across neighborhoods rather than centralized downtown, and Woodcrest sits on Drake Street on the city's north side, an area publicly described as a mix of residential streets, parks, and schools.

Woodcrest is a regular public school in the Midland Public Schools district, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. Its enrollment is sizable for an elementary building, with a relatively even distribution across the six grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. Under a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a lower share than many Michigan elementaries. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here.

State assessment results from the most recent M-STEP cycle are available across third, fourth, and fifth grades. In English language arts, Woodcrest posts strong results, with fourth-grade proficiency notably high and fifth grade close behind. Third-grade ELA proficiency is more moderate, sitting just above the midpoint. Math results follow a different pattern, with fourth grade again the strongest, while third and fifth grade land at a more middling level. Fifth-grade science proficiency is solidly above the midpoint, and social studies proficiency is also respectable. Taken across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency stands in the top quartile relative to districts in Midland County, which is a clear academic strength.

No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results are improving, declining, or stable over time. Participation rates were also not reported. A parent wanting to understand whether performance is consistent year to year may want to look into this further with the school.

The housing market in Woodcrest's zip code shows home values below both the state and national benchmarks, with recent year-over-year appreciation that outpaces the state rate. Rents are also modest relative to income. Mortgage costs run higher than rent for a comparable home, which reflects the current interest-rate environment. Affordability, measured as price relative to income, sits slightly above the national midpoint. For families considering buying in the area, the market is appreciating but still comparatively accessible.

At the district level, Midland Public Schools recently faced a facilities decision that affects the broader context. In early 2025, the school board placed a facilities improvement bond on the ballot that would have funded a new Northeast Middle School, a new elementary school, and upgrades to athletic facilities and technology. Voters defeated it decisively in May. The district's brief notes that aging infrastructure, particularly Northeast Middle School, remains unaddressed as a result. This does not directly affect Woodcrest, but it is relevant context for families thinking about the long-term trajectory of facilities across the district.

What Woodcrest appears to offer is a large, established elementary program with above-average academic outcomes, a peer group that is relatively economically advantaged, and a setting in a city with strong civic infrastructure and a manageable cost of living. The main gaps in the publicly available picture are trend data, staffing details, and information about special populations, which a family might ask about directly when evaluating fit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 52% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 57% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 47% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 51% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 61% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 60% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 58% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 46% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

This schoolMidland 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-income31%Higher-income66%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income57%Higher-income85%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income82%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income31%Higher-income66%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income74%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income65%45 pp gap