The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Countryside Academy Elementary
Countryside Academy Elementary is a public charter school in Benton Harbor, Michigan, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It operates under the Countryside Academy district, one of the smaller charter organizations in Berrien County. As a charter rather than a traditional neighborhood school, it is a school of choice for families who opt in, and it draws from a community where economic need is pervasive. The large majority of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school among the highest-need elementary settings in the area.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and a small share of white and multiracial students. The school's kindergarten class is notably larger than the upper grades, which suggests healthy incoming demand from families with young children, though parents may want to ask the school about retention patterns into the later elementary years. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those supports cannot be characterized here. A family whose child receives either type of service would want to confirm directly with the school what is available.
State assessment results from the most recent M-STEP cycle show proficiency rates that sit in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Berrien County. Math proficiency is moderate in third and fourth grade but drops sharply by fifth grade. English language arts follows a different arc, with fourth grade the strongest showing and third grade the weakest. Science and social studies, tested only in fifth grade, both show single-digit to low-teen proficiency rates. Across the tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index falls well below the county median. These results are a clear soft spot. A parent may want to look into how the school supports students who are below grade level and what intervention or tutoring structures exist, particularly as children approach the upper elementary transition.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving or declining over time. Participation rates for the state assessments were also missing from the reported data.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and that metric does not apply to this grade band. Chronic absenteeism data was not available for this school. No information on staffing ratios, teacher credentials, or course and program offerings was provided, so those dimensions of the school environment cannot be described here. The same applies to discipline data and Title I status.
Benton Harbor itself is a small city across the St. Joseph River from its twin city of St. Joseph, rooted in a shipping and manufacturing past that has since eroded. The city faces well-documented economic challenges, with a low median household income and a high poverty rate compared with state and national figures. Publicly reported sources note that most downtown businesses closed before a revitalization effort began in the late 1990s and continues today. Whirlpool Corporation, headquartered in nearby Benton Charter Township, is the dominant employer in the area, with campuses in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. Lake Michigan College, a two-year community college, sits just east of the city, and a branch of Siena Heights University also operates locally. Jean Klock Park offers Lake Michigan beachfront, and Sarett Nature Center provides trails and environmental programming nearby. The city recently completed replacement of all lead service water lines after a public health crisis, and an Ox Creek corridor improvement project is underway. The population has been declining over recent census cycles.
For families thinking about housing, the area is affordable relative to the rest of Michigan and the nation. The typical home value in the school's zip code sits well below the state benchmark and roughly half the national figure, and rents would likely track similarly, though rental data was not available. This affordability may appeal to families looking to buy their first home, but the broader economic context of Benton Harbor means job access and services are more limited than in the neighboring St. Joseph area.
The district brief returned no recent parent-relevant changes, such as curriculum shifts, facility investments, or governance actions, so there is nothing to report on that front. Families considering Countryside Academy Elementary should weigh its role as a charter option in a high-need community against state assessment results that indicate real academic challenges. Asking the school directly about its approach to literacy and math intervention, its retention and enrollment stability from kindergarten through fifth grade, and what specialized supports exist for English learners or students with disabilities would be a productive next step.
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