Summary:
Zip code 48359 is home to a single elementary school, Carpenter Elementary School, which serves grades K-5 within the highly-rated Lake Orion Community Schools district, an area characterized by moderate economic diversity where about 31% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
As the only elementary school in this zip code, Carpenter Elementary stands out on its own merits, ranking in the 86th percentile statewide (214th out of 1,492 Michigan elementary schools) with a 4-star rating. The school consistently outperforms state averages across nearly all subjects, with particularly strong results in 5th grade, where students achieve 76.9% proficiency in both English Language Arts and Science—far exceeding state averages of roughly 45% and 40%, respectively. Even in its relative weak spots, such as 4th-grade math (44.4% proficiency) and 5th-grade social studies (43.6%), the school still beats state averages. The school also boasts a chronic absenteeism rate of just 12.8%, less than half the state average of 27.9%, indicating strong student engagement and attendance.
The most notable finding is the exceptional performance of the 5th-grade cohort, which outpaces the already-strong district averages by 11.5 points in ELA, 10.1 points in math, and 18.4 points in science. However, parents should note a significant internal inconsistency: while 3rd and 5th graders excel in math (65.8% and 69.2% proficiency), 4th-grade math proficiency drops sharply to 44.4%, suggesting a potential curriculum or instructional issue at that grade level. The school has shown impressive year-over-year growth, improving its state ranking from the 83rd to 86th percentile, with 5th-grade science proficiency jumping from 54.3% to 76.9% in just one year. With a student-teacher ratio of 18.7 and per-student spending of $14,123, Carpenter Elementary represents a top-tier educational option for families in this area, though the 4th-grade math dip warrants attention from school administrators.
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