The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Math. The lowest is 40% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Emmons Lake Elementary School
Emmons Lake Elementary School sits in the village of Caledonia, a small residential community in Kent County roughly fifteen miles southeast of Grand Rapids. The village has a traditional Main Street core, a rail-trail along the former Michigan Central right-of-way, and a library branch that serves as a civic anchor. The surrounding township has been suburbanizing steadily as the Grand Rapids metro area reaches outward, with the M-6 expressway and M-37 corridor improving access. Emmons Lake is one of three schools located within the village itself, alongside Kraft Meadows Intermediate and Duncan Lake Middle School, which gives it a close-to-home feel for families in the community center.
The school serves kindergarten through fourth grade with an enrollment that is moderate for its grade band, spread fairly evenly across the five grades. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian populations. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those population details are not available here. Title I status was also not reported.
On state assessments, Emmons Lake's results are a clear strength. Third and fourth graders took the M-STEP in the most recent school year, and proficiency rates in both math and English language arts were strong across the board. Math proficiency was high in both grades, and English language arts proficiency was solidly above middle in both grades as well, with fourth grade reading particularly strong. When the school's overall proficiency is placed relative to districts in Kent County, it lands in the top quartile. That is a meaningful marker of how well students here are performing compared with peers across the county.
Science and social studies results also appear in the data, but only from an earlier testing cycle and only for grade five. Because the school currently serves kindergarten through fourth grade, those grade-five results do not reflect the current grade configuration. A parent may want to ask the school how those earlier results fit its history, but they should not be read as a current measure of this school's performance.
The broader district, Caledonia Community Schools, has seen real investment recently. A bond issue passed in 2020 funded major construction, including a corridor connecting the two high school buildings into a unified campus. The Cal Community Center opened in 2025 with athletic facilities and a YMCA branch, expanding recreational resources for district families. These additions speak to a district investing in both academic and community infrastructure.
Housing in the Caledonia area sits above both the state and national benchmarks for typical home values, reflecting the suburbanizing pressure on the township and the desirability of the Grand Rapids commuter belt. The county market shows active listings moving at a moderate pace, with homes spending roughly a month on the market. Rental data was not available. For families considering a move into the attendance area, the housing market is priced above the state norm but within the range typical of growing suburban communities near a midsize metro.
What a parent finds at Emmons Lake is a moderately sized early-elementary school with strong academic results, situated in a walkable village setting with nearby civic amenities and a district that has recently put resources into facilities. The absence of reported data on English learners, special education enrollment, discipline, staffing, and attendance means there are gaps in the picture. A family whose child has specific support needs would want to ask the school directly about those services. What the available data does show is a school where students are performing well academically, in a community that is growing and investing in its public infrastructure.
See more original research from School Decision →