The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Wilcox Elementary School
Wilcox Elementary School sits in Holt, an unincorporated community within Delhi Charter Township, south of Lansing along the I-96 corridor. The area functions as a residential suburb of the Lansing metro, with commercial activity concentrated along corridors like Cedar Street and no traditional walkable downtown. Most residents drive to work, and the built environment is single-family neighborhoods and strip commercial development rather than a pedestrian grid. The Capital Area Transportation Authority connects Holt to Lansing via Route 8, and the community has eight parks, including William Burchfield Park with its beachfront swimming area and year-round trails. A farmers' market serves as a gathering point. Holt's employment base leans on health care, manufacturing, and retail, with many residents likely commuting into Lansing for state government and metro-area jobs.
Holt experienced substantial population growth over recent decades, partly from CDP boundary expansion, though the most recent data suggests the community may be plateauing with a slight population decline. The housing market here is more affordable than both state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit well below the national figure, and rents are moderate relative to incomes. A family buying at current prices with prevailing mortgage rates would face monthly costs that are manageable by national standards, though rents have been climbing at a faster pace than home values recently. This is a community where housing access is relatively attainable compared with much of the country.
Wilcox serves kindergarten through fourth grade as a regular public school within Holt Public Schools. The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary building, with fairly even distribution across the grades. The student body is diverse in composition. White students form a majority, but Hispanic students, students of two or more races, and Black students each represent meaningful shares. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a community where economic need is common. Data on English learners and special education populations was not reported, so those dimensions of the student body are not visible here.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments for the most recent school year, the academic picture is mixed across grades and subjects. Third-grade results are the strongest. A clear majority of third graders reached proficiency in both math and English language arts, which stands out as a solid result for that grade band. Fourth-grade proficiency rates are lower but still show about half the students meeting the bar in each subject. The pattern sharpens in the fifth-grade results, where proficiency drops considerably across math, English language arts, science, and social studies. The school's listed grade range is kindergarten through fourth grade, so the presence of fifth-grade assessment data may reflect a recent configuration change or testing arrangement. Regardless, the decline from third to fifth grade is a pattern a parent may want to look into further with the school, particularly to understand how instruction and support shift as students move toward upper elementary grades.
Against the comparison set of districts in Ingham County, Wilcox's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint. This positions the school reasonably well relative to its county peers, though the within-school variation by grade is wide enough that a single summary measure does not capture the full picture. No graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data applies to this school, which is expected given the grade band. State testing data for kindergarten through second grade is not available because those grades are not assessed by M-STEP.
Holt Public Schools serves both Holt and Dimondale communities across Ingham and Eaton counties. In November 2021, district voters approved a bond proposal to fund facility improvements, technology upgrades, and school security enhancements. Those investments affect the learning environment and property taxes for years to come, so families considering the area should understand that recent facility and security upgrades are part of the district's current context.
For a family weighing Wilcox, the school offers a diverse peer environment and solid early-grade academic results in a suburban setting with relatively accessible housing. The drop in proficiency as students move into upper elementary grades is the area most worth pressing on with school staff. The community itself is car-dependent and suburban in character, with parks and transit links to Lansing but no walkable downtown core. It sits in a district that has recently invested in its facilities, and the housing market, while seeing rising rents, remains more affordable than much of the region.
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