Countryside Academy

Countryside Academy is a small, two-school charter district in Benton Harbor, Michigan, serving roughly 770 students in grades K-12, with both schools facing significant challenges tied to high poverty levels (76-83% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch).

Countryside Academy Elementary (grades K-5) is the district’s bright spot, showing real momentum in the most recent testing year. Its 5th graders nearly closed the gap with the state in English Language Arts (39.6% proficient vs. 43.8% statewide) and more than doubled their Social Studies scores year-over-year. However, this progress is uneven—3rd and 4th grade ELA proficiency sits in the low teens, and math proficiency across all elementary grades hovers between 13% and 20%, far below state averages. The school also saw dramatic year-to-year swings (4th grade ELA dropped from 35.7% to 12.5%), which is common with small cohorts of roughly 60-80 students per grade.

In contrast, Countryside Academy MiddleHigh School (grades 2-12, classified as alternative) struggles profoundly at the secondary level. Its graduation rate is just 66.6% versus the state’s 84.0%, and the dropout rate of 23.8% is more than triple the state average. Math proficiency is alarmingly low—ranging from 5.6% in 7th grade to 14% in 9th grade PSAT—and the 11th grade SAT reading gap (14.6% vs. 52.1% statewide) is the largest in any subject. Chronic absenteeism (31.1%) exceeds both the district and state averages, correlating with disengagement. The few bright spots include 8th grade Social Studies (42.9% proficient, just 7.4 points below state) and 8th grade PSAT ELA (43.5%). While the elementary school is improving and spends slightly more per student ($14,523 vs. $13,102), the secondary school’s persistent struggles suggest the transition to middle/high school is a critical breaking point. For parents, the elementary school offers cautious hope, but the middle/high school demands urgent attention to math instruction, student retention, and engagement strategies.