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Donley Elementary School

Q: Is Donley Elementary School a good school?

Donley Elementary School ranks 794 th of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

794^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Donley Elementary School is a public elementary school in East Lansing School District, serving 276 students in grades PK-5. While the district is ranked 118 out of 613 in Michigan and has a 4-star rating, Donley Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Michigan elementary schools, typically between 600-900 out of around 1,500 schools, with a 2-3 star rating from SchoolDigger.

Donley Elementary's student proficiency rates in state assessments are generally lower than the district and state averages. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade proficiency rates were 35% in English Language Arts and 50% in Math, compared to the district's 44.8% and 51.1%, and the state's 38.9% and 42.7%, respectively. The school's performance has been relatively stagnant, with no significant improvements in recent years. Additionally, Donley Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23% to 38.6% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

While Donley Elementary's per-student spending and student-teacher ratio are relatively favorable compared to nearby schools, these factors have not translated into improved academic outcomes for the students. The school's performance is generally lower than other elementary schools in the East Lansing School District, such as Robert L. Green Elementary, Glencairn School, and Whitehills Elementary, which have higher rankings, proficiency rates, and lower chronic absenteeism.

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%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 46th percentile in 2014 → 47th in 2025

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 13 pts below the Michigan average

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg51%

Michigan avg39%

794^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

118^th of 613East 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
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
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
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
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
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 (2025)69th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2025)46th percentile~ school

Male (2025)43rd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)34th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%~ state avg

Math36%~ state avg

Social Studies33%+4 vs state

Science27%-13 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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%)	44.9	794^th of 1488 public elementary schools	46.6%		48.3	725^th of 1486 public elementary schools	51.2%	69			35.0	54.8	31.3			50.0	38.1	22.9			27.1		33.3		$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%)	87.9	159^th of 1488 public elementary schools	89.3%		92.5	71^st of 1486 public elementary schools	95.2%	88			52.0	69.2	77.8			54.9	61.5	61.1			64.8		55.6		$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%)	71.7	390^th of 1488 public elementary schools	73.8%		68.2	436^th of 1486 public elementary schools	70.7%	46			37.7	57.7	60.8			45.3	53.8	53.8			48.1		44.2		$14,217	$611	$13,605
Ingham Independent School District (Isd) ASD Programs	Public	PK, KG-8	1811 Pinecrest Dr	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	Ingham Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(517) 244-1247	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%)	80.7	263^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	82.3%		71.9	377^th of 1486 public elementary schools	74.6%	114			60.0	52.9	69.0			62.0	49.0	54.8			54.8		45.2		$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%)	77.3	300^th of 1488 public elementary schools	79.8%		77.2	298^th of 1486 public elementary schools	79.9%	2			49.0	68.2	66.0			52.9	51.2	41.5			64.2		39.6		$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%)	85	207^th of 1488 public elementary schools	86.1%		90.1	109^th of 1486 public elementary schools	92.7%	98			58.1	48.0	67.6			68.6	57.8	52.0			67.6		57.0		$15,394	$577	$14,817
Cole Academy East	Public, Charter	K-5	2921 E Coleman Rd	East Lansing	48823	Clinton 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%)	32.1	978^th of 1488 public elementary schools	34.3%		43.9	785^th of 1486 public elementary schools	47.2%	193				30.8	38.5			15.0	38.5	26.9			26.9		23.1		$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%)	60.9	551^st of 1488 public elementary schools	63.0%		45.2	760^th of 1486 public elementary schools	48.9%	209	77.3	31.8	54.5	37.8	67.6	41.5	44.7	65.9	24.3	43.2	28.3	27.7	54.1	45.5	21.6	54.5	$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%)	55.3	642^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	56.9%		59.4	561^st of 1486 public elementary schools	62.2%	81			28.6	40.9	79.2			37.1	22.7	58.3			70.8		25.0		$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 794^th of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Donley Elementary School!

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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.