The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 34%.
Original Research by School Decision on New Bedford Academy
New Bedford Academy is a public charter school in Lambertville, Michigan, serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade on Secor Road. It operates as its own single-school charter district, authorized by Ferris State University, which reauthorized the school for a five-year term running through the summer of 2029. That reauthorization gives families some assurance of continuity, though the school has experienced a substantial enrollment decline over the past several years, a trend a prospective parent would want to understand before committing.
The school is small by any standard, with just a handful of students per grade level. That intimate scale is a defining characteristic. It means classes are tight-knit and teachers likely know every child by name, but it also limits the breadth of electives, extracurriculars, and specialized services a larger school could offer. The student body is predominantly White, with a sizable Hispanic presence and a meaningful share of students identifying as two or more races. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals that the school serves a working-class community. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so a parent whose child needs those supports should ask the school directly what it provides.
On state assessments, the picture is thin because so many grade-level results were suppressed for small counts. Only a couple of grades produced reportable proficiency rates. In fourth-grade English language arts, fewer than a third of tested students reached proficiency. In seventh-grade ELA, roughly four in ten did. Seventh-grade math showed essentially no students reaching proficiency, though the tested group was small enough that a single student's result shifts the picture considerably. Every other grade and subject was suppressed or had no test-takers, so there is no broad evidence of academic strength or weakness to draw from. Against its Monroe County peer districts, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint. This is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school, asking how leadership plans to strengthen instruction and what supports are in place for students working below grade level.
Because New Bedford Academy tops out at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available. The school does not have a high school program, so families will need to plan a transition to another school for grades nine through twelve, and asking current families about where graduates go next would be a useful step.
Lambertville itself is an unincorporated community within Bedford Township, Monroe County, with a residential, spread-out character. It is car-dependent, with most residents commuting by car to work elsewhere. The area has seen steady population growth over the long term, but recent estimates point to a decline. Housing supply is tight, with low vacancy rates. Home values in the school's zip code sit above the Michigan state benchmark but below the national one, and values have been appreciating. A family moving into the area would find a suburban-to-rural setting without a walkable town center, and the school is one of the civic anchors families orient around rather than a downtown district.
What this school fits is a family looking for a small, charter alternative to the local traditional public schools, one where class sizes are tiny and the community is close. What it does not yet show, in the available data, is a track record of strong academic outcomes across the board. The reauthorization through 2029 provides stability, and the school's economic diversity is a real characteristic of its environment. But a parent weighing enrollment should go in with eyes open about the thin assessment results, the declining enrollment, and the need to arrange a high school transition down the road.
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