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Donley Elementary School

Q: Is Donley Elementary School a good school?

Donley Elementary School ranks 666 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

666^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Donley Elementary School in East Lansing, MI, is a mid-sized school serving 262 students in grades PK-5 as part of the highly-rated East Lansing School District.

Donley stands out from its district peers primarily due to the level of student need it serves. Over 57% of its students qualify for free/reduced lunch, a rate significantly higher than nearby schools like Glencairn School (24%) or Whitehills Elementary School (roughly 24%). This higher need is paired with a persistent challenge: chronic absenteeism. In the 2024-2025 school year, 35.9% of Donley students were chronically absent, nearly double the rate at Glencairn School (19.8%) and Whitehills Elementary School (19.2%). The district has responded by allocating more resources to Donley, with per-student spending ($17,720) exceeding that of most other East Lansing elementaries.

Academically, Donley has historically trailed its district counterparts, but the most recent data shows a promising turnaround. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school jumped to the 55th percentile statewide, a notable improvement from the prior year. This progress was especially visible in 5th grade, where ELA proficiency soared from 31% to 56% and science proficiency nearly doubled. However, a consistent "4th-grade slump" remains a concern—math proficiency drops from 49% in 3rd grade to just 19% in 4th grade before rebounding in 5th. While Donley still ranks below schools like Red Cedar School and Vera Ralya Elementary School in nearby Haslett, the recent upward trend suggests that targeted efforts to address attendance and support student learning may be starting to pay off.

262

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,720

Per pupil spending ?

57.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2961 E Lake Lansing Rd
East Lansing, MI 48823-2280

(517) 333-7370

District: East Lansing School District

Students who attend Donley Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	MacDonald Middle School
High:	East Lansing High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.2%

African American:

26.0%

Hispanic:

14.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Donley Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2015 → 55th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Michigan median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 28% Michigan)

!Near the bottom of East Lansing School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg49%

Michigan avg38%

666^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to top 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the East Lansing School District

120^th of 625East Lansing School District among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	666 of 1492	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.9	794 of 1488	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.3	725 of 1486	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.5	889 of 1470	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	877 of 1344	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.0	722 of 1408	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.6	784 of 1448	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.0	634 of 1466	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	39.9	955 of 1548	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.3	1002 of 1580	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.3	833 of 1533	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.6	784 of 1563	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.2	799 of 1566	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	62.6	700 of 1552	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	61.4	807 of 1552	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	65.5	647 of 1589	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	55.7	886 of 1577	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	41.9	1156 of 1565	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	42.5	1131 of 1545	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	62.1	125 of 475	73.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	37.0	800 of 1343	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.3	728 of 1338	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.5	657 of 1342	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.3	642 of 1321	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.6	445 of 1171	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.5	818 of 1443	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	624 of 1352	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.4	886 of 1346	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	826 of 1381	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.8	998 of 1350	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.8	538 of 1099	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	403 of 1134	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.9	800 of 1397	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	554 of 1372	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.5	783 of 1366	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.3	744 of 1347	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.6	1005 of 1334	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.6	727 of 1139	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.0	637 of 1196	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.8	723 of 1446	50.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.0	413 of 1199	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.8	369 of 1206	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.0	517 of 1204	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	514 of 1198	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.5	391 of 1128	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.1	602 of 1253	52.0%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2018)74th percentile+28 vs school

White (2026)66th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)60th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile~ school

Female (2026)40th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science54%+14 vs state

English Language Arts38%-3 vs state

Math35%-4 vs state

Social Studies34%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Donley Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Donley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2961 E Lake Lansing Rd	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 333-7370	262	20	12.9	57.3%	100 (38.2%)	68 (26.0%)	38 (14.5%)	19 (7.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (13.7%)	52.2	666^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.4%		44.9	794^th of 1488 public elementary schools	46.6%	128			39.0	22.9	56.1			48.8	18.8	39.0			53.7		34.1		$17,720	$1,592	$16,128
Whitehills Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	621 Pebblebrook Ln	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 333-7900	286	18	15.6	24.5%	183 (64.0%)	32 (11.2%)	35 (12.2%)	17 (5.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.9%)	79.1	276^th of 1492 public elementary schools	81.5%		87.9	159^th of 1488 public elementary schools	89.3%	117			62.8	46.2	59.3			67.4	40.4	51.9			57.4		50.0		$14,448	$605	$13,843
Marble School	Public	PK, KG-5	729 N Hagadorn Rd	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 333-7860	306	20	15.4	35.6%	175 (57.2%)	49 (16.0%)	35 (11.4%)	8 (2.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (12.4%)	79.2	273^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	81.7%		71.7	390^th of 1488 public elementary schools	73.8%	117			49.0	51.0	63.0			56.9	47.1	57.4			55.6		48.1		$14,217	$611	$13,605
Ingham Independent School District (Isd) ASD Programs	Public	PK, KG-8	1811 Pinecrest Dr	East Lansing	48854	Ingham County	Ingham Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(517) 244-1471	11	3	3.6	54.5%	10 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Robert L Green Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1811 Pinecrest Dr	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 333-7870	273	21	13.1	33.7%	143 (52.4%)	52 (19.0%)	27 (9.9%)	19 (7.0%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.3%)	70.8	392^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	73.7%		80.7	263^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	82.3%	129			54.9	57.8	56.0			56.9	47.8	40.0			46.0		30.0		$15,049	$1,089	$13,960
Glencairn School	Public	PK, KG-5	939 N Harrison Rd	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 333-7930	298	18	16.1	23.8%	186 (62.4%)	30 (10.1%)	32 (10.7%)	12 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (12.1%)	76.1	322^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	78.4%		77.3	300^th of 1488 public elementary schools	79.8%	22			55.4	42.9	64.4			47.4	49.0	53.3			55.8		51.1		$13,461	$723	$12,738
Murphy Elementary School	Public	2-5	1875 Lake Lansing Rd	Haslett	48840	Ingham County	Haslett Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 339-8253	386	26	14.6	20.5%	283 (73.3%)	5 (1.3%)	41 (10.6%)	25 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.3%)	76.5	315^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.9%		85	207^th of 1488 public elementary schools	86.1%	108			50.0	64.5	49.5			54.1	65.6	41.6			47.5		46.5		$15,394	$577	$14,817
Cole Academy East	Public, Charter	K-5	2921 E Coleman Rd	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	Cole Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(517) 580-3470	148	9	16.4	54.1%	44 (29.7%)	38 (25.7%)	43 (29.1%)	3 (2.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (12.2%)	30.7	992^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	33.5%		32.1	978^th of 1488 public elementary schools	34.3%	14			18.2	21.4	40.0			36.4	1372.9	26.7			33.3		1480.9		$11,539	$896	$10,643
Post Oak School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	2320 Post Oak Ln	Lansing	48912	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 755-1610	430	28	15.2	65.6%	162 (37.7%)	78 (18.1%)	109 (25.3%)	19 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (14.4%)	53.6	648^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.6%		60.9	551^st of 1488 public elementary schools	63.0%	97	57.4	21.3	56.5	64.3	36.7	50.0	47.3	58.7	52.4	18.3	37.5	36.4	26.7	44.7	13.3	48.9	$17,973	$2,904	$15,069
Red Cedar School	Public	PK, KG-5	1110 Narcissus Dr	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 333-5060	189	21	8.9	43.4%	77 (40.7%)	29 (15.3%)	24 (12.7%)	41 (21.7%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.5%)	60.3	554^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.9%		55.3	642^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	56.9%	88			44.4	47.4	52.4			48.1	50.0	23.8			38.1		33.3		$22,057	$1,454	$20,602

Frequently Asked Questions about Donley Elementary School

How many students attend Donley Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 262 students attended Donley Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Donley Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Donley Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : MacDonald Middle School
High : East Lansing High School

What district is Donley Elementary School in?

East Lansing School District

What is the racial makeup of Donley Elementary School?

Students at Donley Elementary School are 38% White, 26% African American, 15% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

Is Donley Elementary School a good school?

Donley Elementary School ranks 666^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Donley Elementary School!

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.