The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in Science. The lowest is 26% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on H D Crull Elementary School
H D Crull Elementary School sits on Hancock Street in Port Huron, a city at the southern tip of Lake Huron where the St. Clair River begins. Port Huron is the county seat of St. Clair County, divided by the Black River and connected to Sarnia, Ontario, by the Blue Water Bridge. The city grew around shipbuilding and lumber in the mid-nineteenth century and today blends residential neighborhoods with a tourism-oriented waterfront. It is heavily car-oriented, with both I-69 and I-94 terminating at the bridge. The downtown runs along Huron Avenue near the riverfront, and the city owns an extensive system of waterfront parks, beaches, and the largest municipal marina network in Michigan. Housing here is modest relative to state and national benchmarks. Typical home values in the school's zip code sit well below the Michigan statewide figure and roughly half the national one, making ownership relatively attainable for the area. Rents are similarly affordable, and the gap between a monthly mortgage payment and rent favors renting by a meaningful margin at current interest rates. Home values have been climbing at a pace roughly matching the state average, so the market is warming but not overheating.
Crull is a regular public school in the Port Huron Area School District, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller Hispanic, Black, multiracial, and other populations. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the economic profile of the surrounding neighborhoods. The school does not have magnet or charter status. Information on individualized education program rates, English learner counts, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, discipline data, and specific program offerings was not available in the provided materials, so those are gaps a parent may want to ask the school about directly.
On state testing, Crull's results are on the lower side. The proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places the school in the bottom quartile relative to districts in St. Clair County. In math, the percentage of students scoring proficient or above is in the upper twenties in third and fifth grade and dips lower in fourth. English language arts results follow a similar pattern, with fifth grade showing the strongest performance at roughly the high thirties and the earlier grades in the low to mid twenties. Science and social studies proficiency among fifth graders both sit near the high twenties to low thirties. None of these results are high by state standards, and the school's standing among county peers is clear. A parent considering Crull may want to look into what academic support structures the school has in place and how growth is tracked for students performing below proficiency.
The broader district context offers some positive momentum. In November 2024, voters in the Port Huron Area School District approved a large bond proposal by a wide margin. Publicly reported plans indicate the funds will go toward safety and security improvements, instructional technology upgrades, roof and HVAC work, parking lot and window replacements, career and technical education renovations at both district high schools, athletic facility improvements, and a multi-purpose addition at Thomas Edison Elementary. The bond is structured to avoid a net millage rate increase for taxpayers as older debt rolls off. This investment touches all sixteen school buildings in the district, which suggests families can expect gradual facility and technology improvements in the coming years.
Port Huron itself offers a waterfront identity, seasonal tourism events like the Blue Water Fest and the Port Huron-to-Mackinac race, and civic anchors such as the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse and the Port Huron Public Library. The publicly available material did not identify major employers, so a parent evaluating the area for work would need to research that independently. The city sits roughly fifty miles northeast of Detroit, close enough for occasional access to a major metro while retaining its own small-city character.
For a family weighing Crull, the picture is one of an affordable, working-class waterfront community with a school whose academic results are below the county midpoint but whose district has secured meaningful infrastructure investment. The academic numbers are what they are, and a parent would be right to ask pointed questions about instruction and intervention. The district's bond-funded improvements and the city's affordability may matter to families deciding whether this is the right long-term fit.
See more original research from School Decision →