Summary:
Taylor Exemplar Academy is a single K-8 charter school in Taylor, Michigan, serving roughly 660 students in a high-poverty area where 77% qualify for free/reduced lunch, and it operates as its own district under the Taylor Exemplar Academy district.
This school shows real pockets of strength, especially in English Language Arts. The 5th grade made a stunning +22.2 point jump in ELA proficiency, now at 49.2% and above the state average, while 7th grade also matches that 49.2% mark, beating the state by nearly 11 points. The 8th grade PSAT ELA result is even more impressive at 68.1% proficiency, outperforming the state by 3.3 points. However, math tells a very different story. Proficiency declines as students advance, dropping from a near-state-average 40.3% in 3rd grade to just 26.9% in 6th grade, and the 8th grade PSAT math score of 23.4% sits a concerning 9.8 points below the state. The weakest area overall is 5th grade social studies at only 9.7% proficiency, which is roughly 18 points behind the state average.
The biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism, which stands at 42.4%—about 52% higher than the state's 27.9%—and likely suppresses overall achievement. The school also shows significant year-to-year volatility, suggesting small class sizes mean individual cohorts can swing results dramatically. While spending is solid at $13,150 per student, the school's 2-star rating reflects inconsistency rather than uniform struggle. For parents, this means you'll find excellent ELA instruction in the upper grades, but you should pay close attention to math support and attendance, as those are the areas most likely to hold a student back at Taylor Exemplar Academy.
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