Summary:
Zip code 49040 is home to two elementary schools serving grades K-8 in the rural communities of Colon and Leonidas, Michigan, both part of the Colon Community School District, which ranks in the bottom third of Michigan districts.
Colon Elementary School is the larger of the two, with 223 students and a more favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.4:1. It also spends significantly more per student at $16,379, compared to Leonidas School, which has just 35 students, a 17.5:1 ratio, and spends only $9,269 per student. The two schools also differ sharply in socioeconomic makeup, with 60.54% of Colon Elementary students eligible for free/reduced lunch versus just 20% at Leonidas. However, Leonidas lacks reported test scores, absenteeism data, and updated lunch statistics, likely due to its very small size, making direct academic comparisons impossible.
For parents, the most critical concern is academic performance at Colon Elementary, the only school with test data. Proficiency rates are consistently well below state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, 5th-grade math proficiency is just 8.33% versus the state average of 32.2%, and 5th-grade social studies is 8.33% versus 27.5% statewide. ELA and math scores in 3rd and 4th grades also lag significantly. Furthermore, scores appear to be declining year-over-year in several areas, such as 3rd-grade ELA dropping from 29.7% to 19.5% proficiency. Chronic absenteeism at Colon Elementary is 25.6%, slightly below the district average but near the state rate. Despite high per-student spending, outcomes remain weak, raising questions about resource effectiveness. Parents considering this area should be aware of the stark contrasts between the two schools and the substantial academic challenges facing the larger Colon Elementary.
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