Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Willow School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1300^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Willow School is an elementary school in Lansing, MI, serving 273 students in grades PK-5 within the Lansing Public School District, where nearly 90% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Willow School faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism crisis. In the 2024-2025 school year, 64.6% of students were chronically absent—far higher than nearby schools like Cumberland School (38.6%), Lyons School (48.6%), and even the district average of 52.8%. While this rate has improved dramatically from a staggering 91.4% in 2022-2023, it remains more than double the state average. This attendance crisis is the single biggest factor holding the school back, as nearly two-thirds of students missing significant school days makes consistent learning extremely difficult. The school does invest heavily in its students, spending $20,784 per pupil with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.9, yet these resources haven't translated into higher overall achievement.

Despite the challenges, there are bright spots worth noting. Willow's 5th-grade science proficiency reached 28.3% in 2025-2026—well above the district average of 17.2% and competitive with schools that outperform it in other subjects. Similarly, 5th-grade ELA scores (26.1%) beat the district average (20.3%). The comparison with Cumberland School is particularly telling: both serve similarly high-poverty populations, but Cumberland's chronic absenteeism rate is just 38.6%, and its academic scores are markedly better—3rd-grade math proficiency of 48.9% versus Willow's 17.6%. This suggests that aggressively tackling attendance is the clearest path forward for Willow to improve. The school has shown it can achieve above-district results in certain grades and subjects, demonstrating real potential to build upon.

273

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,784

Per pupil spending ?

89.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

90.6%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 3.8% (any vaccine)

221 Huron St
Lansing, MI 48915-2609

(517) 755-1680

District: Lansing Public School District

Students who attend Willow School usually attend:

Middle:	Mt Hope School
	Sheridan Road

Racial breakdown:

African American:

46.2%

Two or more races:

19.4%

Hispanic:

18.3%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Willow School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 9th percentile in 2006 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (17% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (65% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school17%

District avg18%

Michigan avg38%

1,300^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 11 pts since 2023

From bottom 24% (2023) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 15Elementary Schools in the Lansing Public School District

539^th of 625Lansing Public 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	13.8	1300 of 1492	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.0	1374 of 1488	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	1114 of 1470	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	15.8	1413 of 1566	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	35.4	1241 of 1552	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	44.6	1160 of 1552	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	46.7	1113 of 1589	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	21.9	1394 of 1577	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.0	1443 of 1565	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	19.1	1405 of 1545	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	29.2	276 of 388	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	11.6	1236 of 1343	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.8	1137 of 1352	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.1	1269 of 1346	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.8	889 of 1350	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.5	1222 of 1372	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	1185 of 1366	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	1063 of 1334	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)29th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)11th percentile~ school

Female (2026)8th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science28%-12 vs state

English Language Arts20%-21 vs state

Math13%-25 vs state

Social Studies9%-19 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Willow School and help other families decide.

Rate Willow School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Willow School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination 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)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Willow School	Public	PK, KG-5	221 Huron St	Lansing	48915	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 755-1680	273	18	14.9	89.7%	38 (13.9%)	126 (46.2%)	50 (18.3%)	4 (1.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (19.4%)	13.8	1300^th of 1492 public elementary schools	12.9%		9	1374^th of 1488 public elementary schools	7.7%	74			19.1	14.3	26.1			17.6	10.2	10.9			28.3		8.7		90.6%	3.8%	$20,784	$3,140	$17,644
MidMichigan Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	730 W Maple St	Lansing	48906	Ingham County	Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(517) 485-5379	316	27	11.7	—	11 (3.5%)	215 (68.0%)	28 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (18.0%)								(n/a)	24.2	347.6	1267.0	1365.7	10.0	1559.5	1670.0	1259.2	1357.1	1457.2	1551.2	1661.2	1471.4	8.8	1464.8	17.6	80%	16.7%	$17,474	$2,595	$14,880
Windemere Park Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	3100 W Saginaw St	Lansing	48917	Ingham County	Windemere Park Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(517) 327-0700	580	37	15.6	86.4%	73 (12.6%)	201 (34.7%)	164 (28.3%)	14 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	125 (21.6%)	48.1	728^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.2%		50.9	704^th of 1488 public elementary schools	52.7%	24	58.5	29.3	26.5	44.3	51.6	46.2	53.3	34.9	35.7	37.5	40.4	35.6	29.7	22.0	21.9	34.1	90.8%	3.1%	$14,611	$1,427	$13,184
Cole Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	1915 W Mount Hope Ave	Lansing	48910	Ingham County	Cole Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(517) 372-0038	155	6	25.8	66.5%	29 (18.7%)	59 (38.1%)	38 (24.5%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (18.1%)	29.4	1011^th of 1492 public elementary schools	32.2%					(n/a)			32.0	15.0	1470.8			44.0	15.0	1461.8			1465.5		1466.5		96.6%	3.4%	$10,638	$1,786	$8,853
Lewton School	Public	PK, KG-8	4000 Woodcreek Ln	Lansing	48911	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 755-1460	272	19	14.6	70.2%	40 (14.7%)	29 (10.7%)	172 (63.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (10.7%)	25.5	1077^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.8%		12.3	1312^th of 1488 public elementary schools	11.8%	235	36.4	321.4	33.3	16.7	22.2	12.0	1667.6	36.7	19.4	22.2	1566.7	1663.5	38.9	1774.4	22.2	18.2	90.9%	6.8%	$22,959	$2,966	$19,994
Dwight Rich School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	2600 Hampden Dr	Lansing	48911	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 755-1160	562	31	17.9	92.5%	93 (16.5%)	262 (46.6%)	85 (15.1%)	37 (6.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	82 (14.6%)	6.5	1447^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.0%		5.6	1454^th of 1488 public elementary schools	2.3%	7	41.1	328.8	1257.5	11.6	7.4	13.9	14.3	1260.6	7.2	4.4	4.2	11.1	8.7	10.8	1464.8	17.3	83.9%	7.1%	$24,193	$3,467	$20,726
Cumberland School	Public	PK, KG-5	2801 Cumberland Rd	Lansing	48906	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 755-1280	308	21	14.4	89.3%	66 (21.4%)	110 (35.7%)	55 (17.9%)	39 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (12.3%)	33.2	951^st of 1492 public elementary schools	36.3%		23.2	1106^th of 1488 public elementary schools	25.7%	155			37.8	23.4	38.3			48.9	21.3	23.4			27.7		14.9		93.9%	4.1%	$22,109	$3,521	$18,588
Meryl S Colt Early Childhood Education Center	Public	PK-K	4344 W Michigan Ave	Lansing	48917	Eaton County	Waverly Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 323-3777	184	22	8.2	73.9%	35 (19.0%)	51 (27.7%)	46 (25.0%)	13 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (21.2%)								(n/a)																	90.6%	5.9%	$20,399	$1,805	$18,594
Gier Park School	Public	PK, KG-4	401 E Gier St	Lansing	48906	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 755-1360	316	21	14.8	89.9%	104 (32.9%)	76 (24.1%)	83 (26.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (16.5%)	12.4	1325^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.2%		15.1	1257^th of 1488 public elementary schools	15.5%	68			17.1	18.1				13.3	20.8								92.7%	3.6%	$19,792	$3,313	$16,479
Holly Park Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	3300 Express Ct	Lansing	48910	Ingham County	Holly Park Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(517) 882-9585	478	28	17.0	91.2%	35 (7.3%)	233 (48.7%)	119 (24.9%)	17 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (15.3%)	23.7	1107^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.8%		30.9	998^th of 1488 public elementary schools	32.9%	109	50.0	13.9	28.6	33.9	19.2	25.9	28.9	28.6	33.3	9.6	13.8	20.0	15.4	25.0	1471.8	27.8	78.9%	15.8%	$15,781	$2,096	$13,685

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow School

Is Willow School a good school?

Willow School ranks in the bottom 12.9% of Michigan elementary schools.

How many students attend Willow School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 273 students attended Willow School.

What is the racial makeup of Willow School?

Students at Willow School are 46% African American, 19% Two or more races, 18% Hispanic, 14% White, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Willow School attend?

Students who attend Willow School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mt Hope School
Middle : Sheridan Road

What district is Willow School in?

Lansing Public School District

Rate Willow School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Lansing, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Willow School!

Latest Michigan data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 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.