Lakeview Community Schools (Montcalm)

The Lakeview Community Schools (Montcalm) district in Michigan operates three schools: Lakeview High School, Lakeview Middle School, and Lakeview Elementary School. The district serves a population with significant socioeconomic challenges, as evidenced by the high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch across all three schools.

Lakeview Elementary School stands out as a top performer, ranking in the top 30% of Michigan elementary schools and earning a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's students demonstrate impressive academic achievement, with 63.7% proficient or better in ELA and 62% proficient or better in Math on the 2024-2025 M-Step assessments, significantly outperforming the state and district averages. Lakeview Middle School also performs well, ranking in the top 30% of Michigan middle schools with a 4-star rating and strong student performance in ELA and Math.

However, the district faces challenges at the high school level, with Lakeview High School having a lower-than-average four-year graduation rate of 82.8% and a higher-than-average dropout rate of 7.6% in 2023-2024. Additionally, all three schools in the district struggle with high chronic absenteeism rates, which may be impacting overall student achievement and outcomes. Despite these challenges, the district appears to be providing adequate resources, as evidenced by the relatively high spending per student and student-teacher ratios.