The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Cole Academy East
ColeAcademy East is a charter elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade on East Coleman Road in East Lansing. It is part of the Cole Academy charter district, a small operator rather than the local traditional public system. The school sits in a city defined by Michigan State University, a place where the campus and downtown blur together along Grand River Avenue and the daily rhythm is set by the university's academic calendar, its workforce, and the students and faculty who live nearby. The surrounding housing market runs somewhat above the Michigan benchmark, with modest year-over-year appreciation and rents that reflect a college-town rental environment shaped by student demand.
The school's enrollment is small for its grade band, with roughly even distribution across the six grades. Its student body is diverse in composition. White students make up the largest single group, followed closely by Hispanic students, then Black students, and a meaningful share of children identified as two or more races. Just over half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so we cannot characterize those populations here. A parent looking into special education services or language support would want to ask the school directly.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessment, the most recent results show a mixed but generally below-average picture. Math proficiency rises across the grade levels, with third grade starting low, fourth grade reaching a moderate level, and fifth grade landing in between. English language arts follows a similar upward trajectory, with third grade reported in a low range and fifth grade reaching a higher level. Science and social studies, both tested only in fifth grade, sit at moderate-to-low levels. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Clinton County. The tested cohorts are small, which means a few students moving in or out of proficiency can shift results noticeably from year to year. Still, the pattern is clear: the school's early-grade results are a soft spot, with improvement visible as students move up, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly around early literacy and numeracy support.
Because Cole Academy East serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not have the AP or career-pathway offerings that a secondary school might. No program data was available, so we cannot describe extracurriculars, arts, or specialized curricula. Information on staffing ratios, class sizes, discipline, and attendance was also not provided, leaving gaps that limit a full picture of the school environment. Title I status was not reported either, despite the substantial share of students from lower-income households.
The East Lansing setting itself carries real advantages for a family. The city has an active downtown, a public library on Abbot Road, a network of pedestrian and bicycle trails including the Northern Tier Trail and the Lansing River Trail, and regular CATA bus service connecting to Lansing and surrounding communities. Michigan State University is the dominant employer, and the city has seen a sustained downtown construction boom with new residential density. The area has also expanded its borders through agreements with neighboring townships, adding land for future growth. For families connected to the university or drawn to a walkable, transit-served college town, the location offers a built-in community with cultural anchors like the Broad Art Museum and Beal Botanical Garden nearby.
What the data does not tell you is how Cole Academy East specifically fits into that environment: its instructional approach, its school culture, parent involvement, or what happens to its students after fifth grade. The district brief turned up little in the way of recent changes or strategic priorities for Cole Academy. What we can say is that this is a small, diverse, economically mixed charter elementary school in an education-rich community, with state test results that trail its county peers and show room for growth, particularly in the early grades. Families considering it would benefit from a direct conversation with school leadership about how the school supports its youngest learners and where its graduates go next.
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