The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in Math. The lowest is 15% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Colon Elementary School
Colon Elementary School sits in a small rural village in St. Joseph County, a place best known nationally as the "Magic Capital of the World." The village sits between Palmer Lake and Sturgeon Lake, far from any interstate or major highway, and its downtown holds magic shops, a handful of restaurants, and preserved turn-of-the-century architecture. Colon's population has stayed remarkably stable for decades, with only modest recent growth projected. The local economy runs on niche magic-industry commerce, small businesses, and residential life. No large industrial employers appear in publicly reported sources, and median household income in the village is relatively low compared with broader benchmarks. Housing here is affordable by most measures, with home values well below both the Michigan and national medians, though mortgage rates and limited local employment shape what that affordability means in practice.
The school is a regular public school, part of Colon Community School District, listed as serving kindergarten through eighth grade. In practice, enrollment is concentrated in the elementary grades, with no students currently counted in grades six through eight. Those middle grades appear to be served at Colon High School, which the village's own sources describe as covering grades six through twelve. The elementary enrollment is small, and the student body is predominantly white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and special-education populations was not available.
On state assessments, Colon Elementary's results are mixed and tilt toward the lower end. In third-grade math and English language arts, roughly a third of tested students reached proficiency. Fourth grade tells a similar story in ELA, with about a third proficient, while fourth-grade math was lower. Fifth grade is where results drop off most sharply, with fifth-grade math proficiency in a very low range and fifth-grade ELA also well below the third- and fourth-grade marks. Science and social studies proficiency in fifth grade were both low. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in St. Joseph County. A parent weighing this school may want to look into what supports are in place, particularly for students moving into the upper elementary grades where the results weaken.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether these results represent a slide or a longer-standing pattern. Participation rates were also missing from the state data. Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism figures were not provided. Discipline data, course access details, staffing numbers, and attendance information were absent as well, so the picture of school climate and resources remains incomplete from what was available.
What the data does convey clearly is a small, rural elementary school in a tight-knit village with a distinctive cultural identity. The annual Abbott's Magic Get-Together brings magicians from around the country each August, and the high school serves as a venue for its evening shows. The community park supports basketball, pickleball, and volleyball. The Colon Museum holds the village's magic history, and a state-recognized "Magic Graveyard" marks the burial site of famous magicians. These are the anchors of civic life in a place where the school and the community share the same compact footprint. Publicly reported sources did not surface any recent district-level changes or strategic initiatives, and the district brief found little of lasting impact in recent years. For a family drawn to a quiet, secluded small-town setting with affordable housing and a unique local culture, Colon Elementary offers that context. The academic results, though, are a reason to ask questions before enrolling.
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