Chatfield School, Lapeer MI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Chatfield School

Chatfield Schoolis a public charter academy in Lapeer, Michigan, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It operates as its own district, a single-school charter entity, which means families who enroll here are choosing a school that functions independently rather than as part of one of the larger traditional districts in Lapeer County. The enrollment is modest for a school spanning this many grades, with roughly even cohorts moving through each year, which gives the building a continuity that some larger or more grade-segregated schools lack.

The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic presence and very few students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is below the level typical of many urban charter schools but reflects the working-class character of Lapeer itself. The school did not report data on special education enrollment or English learners, so a parent whose child receives those services would want to ask directly how they are supported here.

On state assessments, Chatfield performs well. Across math and English language arts in grades three through eight, proficiency rates generally sit at or above the midpoint, with some grades reaching quite high levels. English language arts results are a particular strength in the upper grades, where the proportion of students scoring proficient rises steeply by eighth grade. Math is solid throughout, with a dip in fifth grade that recovers by middle school. Science results in the tested grades are strong, and social studies follows a similar pattern, with a weaker fifth-grade result and a much stronger eighth-grade showing. Taken together, Chatfield's overall proficiency places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Lapeer County, which is a competitive standing for a charter school operating alongside established traditional districts.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and no high school course access data such as Advanced Placement or dual enrollment. Families whose children attend here will need to plan a transition to a high school elsewhere, whether in Lapeer Community Schools or another neighboring district, and the data does not speak to how Chatfield graduates fare after they leave.

Lapeer itself is the county seat of Lapeer County, a small city with a historic downtown organized around the old county courthouse, which is among the oldest continuously operating courthouses in Michigan. The downtown core has a walkable grid of shops and civic buildings, but the broader city is auto-dependent, with Interstate 69 running to the south and M-24 cutting north-south through town. Manufacturing tied to the automotive industry anchors the local economy, including firms producing gray iron castings, molded plastics, and electrical harnesses. The city also hosts what is publicly reported as the largest solar energy farm east of the Mississippi, and county government is a steady employer. Amtrak's Blue Water line stops in Lapeer, offering a rail link to Chicago and Port Huron, and a local bus system serves the area.

The housing market in the school's zip code is modest by national standards and sits right near the Michigan state benchmark for typical home values. Rents are affordable relative to much of the country. Home values have been appreciating at a healthy pace recently, in line with state trends, so buyers are looking at a market that is gaining ground but still within reach compared to metropolitan areas in southeast Michigan.

The school's charter status means it is publicly funded and tuition-free but operates with its own board and governance structure, free from some of the constraints of the traditional district. We searched for recent district-level changes that might matter to parents, such as leadership transitions, program cuts, or facility moves, and found nothing that clears a lasting-impact threshold. No specific program offerings beyond the standard curriculum were reported in the data, so families interested in extracurriculars, arts, or athletics should ask the school directly.

What the data does show is a school with consistent academic results across a broad grade range, a peer environment that is small and relatively homogeneous, and a community setting that is affordable and rooted in Michigan's automotive manufacturing belt. For a family looking for a smaller, charter alternative to the traditional public schools in Lapeer County, with solid test performance and a pre-K through eighth grade continuum under one roof, Chatfield presents a reasonable option worth a closer visit. The gaps in the public data, particularly around special populations and program offerings, are the main things a parent would want to fill in through direct conversation with the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 25 pts above state median

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 33 pts above state median

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 45 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 39 pts above state median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 30 pts above state median

Grade 888%

School 88% · District 88%

▲ 26 pts above state median

Science

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 31 pts above state median

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 37 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 33 pts above state median

This schoolChatfield School, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income57%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income67%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income71%Higher-income63%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income64%Higher-income76%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income69%Higher-income62%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income63%Higher-income54%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income72%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income50%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income54%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income54%Higher-income64%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income83%36 pp gap