Summary:
Zip code 49245 is home to a single elementary school, Lillian Fletcher Elementary School, which serves grades K-4 within the Homer Community School District and enrolls 319 students.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Lillian Fletcher Elementary faces significant academic challenges, particularly in math, but also shows some promising signs. The school ranks in the lower third of Michigan elementary schools (1030 out of 1492 in the most recent year). Proficiency rates in both English Language Arts (ELA) and math trail the state averages across all tested grades. The math gap is especially wide—for example, only 24.6% of 3rd graders were proficient in math versus 42.9% statewide. However, there is a bright spot: 4th-grade math proficiency jumped from 22.4% to 29.9% in one year, cutting the gap with the state in half. Conversely, 3rd-grade ELA scores dropped sharply from 32.3% to 24.6%, which is a trend worth watching. With 66.46% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a largely economically disadvantaged population, and per-student spending is relatively high at $15,279.
One clear strength for Lillian Fletcher Elementary is attendance. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 19.0% is notably better than both the district average (23.1%) and the state average (27.9%), meaning students are consistently in class—a solid foundation for future improvement. While the school's overall academic performance lags the state, the improvement in 4th-grade math suggests that targeted efforts can yield results. Parents should view the school's low test scores in the context of its high poverty rate, but also recognize that consistent attendance and a recent positive trend in one subject area offer reasons for cautious optimism. The school is the only option in this zip code, so families should weigh these factors carefully when making educational decisions.
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