Elm River Township · Houghton County, Michigan
A small school
where every child
soars.
One building, one community, Kindergarten through sixth grade. Opened in September of 1906 and teaching the township’s children ever since — we are one of the last true small rural schools left in the country.
What this place is
The best, biggest,
small school
in Michigan.
Elm River Township School sits in the copper country of the upper peninsula, in a village first settled in 1864 and named for the mother of Hiawatha in Longfellow’s epic. Our schoolhouse has been the center of that community for more than a century.
We educate kindergarten through sixth grade, managed by a Board of Education elected by the people of the township. Our graduates go on to junior high, high school, college and careers — carrying with them the habits of a school where nobody was ever just a number.
What children get here
What a small school does
that a big one can’t.
One teacher per handful of students
A staff-to-student ratio no large district can match. Lessons are built around the child in front of them, not a district average.
Multi-age everything
Younger children learn from older ones daily; older children solidify their knowledge by teaching. Cooperative learning is the whole point.
A full curriculum, not a lobby
Reading, English, handwriting, math, science, social studies, music, art, and physical education — taught every year, by people who know the whole community.
A seat at the table
Our school is governed by a township school board whose members are your neighbors. Public meetings, published minutes, published budgets.
For parents & taxpayers
Public schools run in public.
Our board meets the third Monday of each month at 6:00 pm — everyone is welcome. Everything we file with the State of Michigan is linked below.
In the news
The Detroit Free Press on what makes a small-town Michigan district worth saving.