East Lansing School District

The East Lansing School District serves approximately 3,700 students across eight schools—six elementary schools (PK-5), one middle school (6-8), and one high school (9-12)—in the East Lansing, Michigan area, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 81st percentile statewide.

For parents, the standout elementary school is Whitehills Elementary School, which consistently leads the district in academic performance. In 2025-2026, Whitehills posted the highest 3rd grade math proficiency (67.4%) and strong 5th grade science scores (57.4%), all while maintaining the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (19.2%) and a relatively low poverty rate (24.5%). The most improved school is Marble School, which jumped 163 positions in state ranking over two years and now outperforms district averages in 5th grade social studies (48.1% vs. 42.3%). On the other end, Donley Elementary School is the district's biggest concern—it has the highest poverty rate (57.3%), the highest chronic absenteeism (35.9%), and saw dramatic declines in 4th grade ELA (from 54.8% to 22.9%) and math (38.1% to 18.8%). Red Cedar School presents a paradox: it spends the most per student ($22,057) and has the smallest class sizes (8.9:1), yet ranks in the bottom half of district elementary schools with volatile test scores, including a 5th grade math drop from 58.3% to 23.8% in one year.

At the secondary level, MacDonald Middle School shows a striking gap between ELA and math—by 8th grade, PSAT ELA proficiency is 74.4% versus just 37.4% in math—and its chronic absenteeism rate (30.8%) is the second-highest in the district. East Lansing High School exceeds state averages across all subjects, with SAT reading/writing at 66.3% (state: 52.1%) and a graduation rate of 88.8%, though scores have slipped slightly year-over-year. Across the district, math proficiency lags behind ELA at every grade level, and the gap widens significantly by high school. Socioeconomic factors correlate strongly with outcomes—the three highest-poverty schools (Donley, Red Cedar, and Robert L Green Elementary) all exceed the district average for chronic absenteeism, while lower-poverty schools like Glencairn School and Whitehills perform best. However, Marble School proves that school-level factors can mitigate disadvantage, outperforming its socioeconomic profile.