What do the kids at Elm River Township School want for lunch? The lunch lady knows. She is related to all of them. 

This school in Elm River, Michigan, has just six students. All of them are siblings or cousins. On this day, they’re having panko chicken, dressing, and mashed potatoes and gravy—all made by Raquel Bramble. To three of the students, she’s mom. She’s aunt to the other three. She tells the Detroit Free Press, “I know what they like and what they don’t.” When she’s not making lunch, Ms. Bramble leads recess. Today she’ll take the kids on a hike to the woods to visit beavers in a nearby pond.

Elm River Township encompasses100 square miles. Just 170 people call it home. Its tiny elementary school has one teacher, Bruce Matson. He’s also the administrator. (An administrator is in charge of how a school is managed.) He’s the bus driver too. 

All the students are taught in one room. At nine in the morning, class is in session. Mr. Matson stands at the board. He’s writing out complex math equations for the eighth graders. The kids in the other grades sit at their desks, working quietly in their grade-level books. During the day, each spends a little one-on-one time with the teacher. (To some, all this sounds like something from Little House on the Prairie. But if you’re a homeschooler from a big family, it may just sound like everyday life!)

This unique school has survived for 113 years. And each new year is a struggle to stay open. Young people have been moving away from the rural parts of Michigan for decades. As young people leave to look for work, mostly elderly people stay behind. In 21 counties in Michigan, the average age is above 50. The people at Elm River School want neighbors to know their school still exists. 

Mr. Matson says in their school they are able to build relationships. He says, “Here, it truly becomes a family.”