Muskegon Montessori Academy for Environmental Change

Muskegon Montessori Academy for Environmental Change is a single public charter elementary school (PK-8) in Norton Shores, Michigan, serving 154 students within the Muskegon Montessori Academy for Environmental Change district.

This school presents a mixed but revealing academic profile. Its standout strength is English Language Arts (ELA) in the upper grades: 6th grade ELA proficiency hit 54.55% in 2025-2026, a remarkable 17-point advantage over the state average of 37.5%. However, this strength is not consistent across all grades—3rd grade ELA lags at 26.9% (11 points below the state), and 4th and 5th grade scores dropped sharply from the prior year (e.g., 4th grade fell from 60% to 42.1%). Math is a persistent challenge, with every grade level scoring below state averages; the widest gap is in 3rd grade (26.9% vs. 42.9% statewide). Science is an unexpected bright spot: 5th grade science proficiency reached 55.6%, well above the state’s 40%, likely reflecting the school’s environmental focus. Social studies essentially matches the state average (27.8% vs. 27.5%).

For parents, the key takeaway is that this school excels in specific areas—particularly upper-grade literacy and science—but struggles with math across all grades. The school’s overall state ranking has fluctuated: it jumped from the 29th percentile (1 star) in 2023-2024 to the 57th percentile (3 stars) in 2024-2025, then slipped to the 46th percentile (2 stars) in 2025-2026. With a favorable 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $12,615, resources are solid, but 80.52% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, which adds challenges. Encouragingly, chronic absenteeism (25.0%) is below the state average (27.9%), suggesting good engagement. The dramatic year-over-year swings in ELA scores (e.g., 5th grade dropped 18 points) likely reflect small cohort sizes rather than systemic issues. Overall, this is a school with clear pockets of excellence—especially in 6th grade ELA and 5th grade science—but math intervention and consistency across grade levels remain priorities.