East Leroy Elementary School

East Leroy Elementary School is a small, rural school in East Leroy, MI, serving 199 students in grades K-5 as part of the Athens Area Schools district.

This school has a remarkable strength: it does an exceptional job supporting students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In the most recent school year, its low-income students performed in the 62nd percentile statewide—a stark contrast to the school's overall 32nd percentile ranking. Just two years prior, these same students ranked in the 86th percentile, earning a 4-star rating. This suggests the school has effective strategies for closing achievement gaps. However, the school faces a serious challenge in upper-elementary math. Only 8.57% of 4th graders and 12.5% of 5th graders were proficient in math, compared to state averages of 39.4% and 32.2%. This isn't a one-year fluke—4th-grade math proficiency has hovered between 6% and 11% for several years. The school also shows a "3rd-grade peak" pattern: 3rd-grade reading scores nearly match the state average, but by 4th grade, proficiency drops well below it. This suggests strong early-elementary instruction that doesn't sustain growth in later grades.

Compared to nearby schools, East Leroy outperforms struggling schools like Post Franklin School and Union City Elementary School, but lags significantly behind higher-performing peers like Westlake Elementary School, where 4th-grade math proficiency was 55.1%. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically, dropping from 32.6% post-pandemic to 15.6%—far better than the state average of 27.9%. The school also spends generously at $16,961 per student, comparable to higher-performing schools, which means resources aren't the issue. For parents, this is a school with a clear strength in supporting vulnerable learners, but one that needs targeted attention in upper-grade math to ensure all students succeed.