Schools in Zip Code 48911

Zip code 48911 in Lansing, Michigan, is home to 8 schools within the Lansing Public School District, serving primarily elementary grades (PK-8) plus one alternative school, in an area marked by high poverty and significant educational challenges.

For parents, the standout school in this area is Wexford Montessori Magnet School, which posts the highest state ranking and strongest academics across nearly all subjects. Its 8th grade PSAT ELA proficiency (54.2%) approaches the state average, and its science scores are double the district rate. Lewton School is the most improved, jumping from the 8th to 28th percentile in two years, with 8th grade science and math scores that actually exceed state averages. In contrast, Dwight Rich School of the Arts ranks lowest (3rd percentile) despite spending the most per student ($24,193), with math proficiency stuck between 4-7%. The remaining schools—Gardner International School, North School, Attwood School, and Forrest G Averill School—cluster together with proficiency rates 15-25 points below state averages.

The most pressing issue across all schools is chronic absenteeism, which ranges from 35.6% at Gardner to a staggering 61.4% at North—more than double the state rate of 27.9%. Even the best performers, Wexford and Lewton, see nearly half their students chronically absent. While poverty is high everywhere (70-93% free/reduced lunch), the success of Wexford and Lewton proves that school-level factors like Montessori methods or targeted interventions can overcome these odds. The Ingham County Youth Center, a juvenile justice alternative school with just 12 students, actually has lower absenteeism than most traditional schools here, though its academic outcomes remain poor. Overall, parents should look closely at Wexford and Lewton as bright spots, but be aware that district-wide challenges around attendance and achievement are substantial.