The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in Science. The lowest is 20% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lewiston Elementary School
Lewiston Elementary School sits in the small, rural community of Lewiston in Montmorency County, part of the Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools district. The community centers on the north side of East Twin Lake, rooted in a lumber-mill past that gave way after the Second World War to a recreational and seasonal-resort identity built around cottages, cabins, and lake tourism. The area retains that quiet northern-Michigan lake-community texture today, with a mix of retirees, seasonal residents, and year-round families. Publicly reported sources describe Lewiston as rural, with modest household income levels and a population that has fluctuated over recent census cycles. The historical society notes a commercial strip that once thrived along the Michigan Central Railroad line during the lumber boom, though current sources do not describe the present-day streetscape or the school's relationship to any town center.
The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is small, with roughly two dozen students per grade level. The student body is predominantly white, and a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The data does not include IEP or English-learner counts, so those population figures are not available here. No Title I status was reported in the data provided.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments for the most recent school year, proficiency results were available across grades three through five in math, grades three through five in English language arts, and grade five in both science and social studies. The clearest pattern is growth from third grade to fifth grade in English language arts. Third-grade ELA proficiency sits low, fourth grade rises, and fifth grade reaches a level approaching a third of tested students scoring proficient or above. Math follows a somewhat similar upward trajectory, with third-grade proficiency quite low and fourth and fifth grades landing higher, though still modest. Science and social studies results for fifth grade both fall in a middle range for this context.
Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Montmorency County, a comparison set that includes only two districts. This is a narrow cohort, so the positioning reflects a small local universe rather than a broad statewide field. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly regarding the lower third-grade results and what supports are in place for early-grade instruction. The upward trend across grades in ELA and math could suggest that students make gains as they move through the building, though the data does not include multiple years of trend results to confirm whether this pattern holds over time.
Because the school ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate, and that metric does not apply to this grade band. Chronic absenteeism data was not reported. Discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance details were not available in the data provided, so those aspects of the school environment are not covered here. Program offerings were not listed. The parent district's recent changes were searched, but no lasting, parent-relevant developments such as bond activity, curriculum updates, or property-tax measures surfaced in the available sources.
Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. The zip-code-level home value sits well below the Michigan state benchmark and roughly half the national benchmark, and the price-to-income ratio is modest. Rental data was not available. The local housing market has seen only slight year-over-year value change. For a family considering the area, housing costs are unlikely to be a major barrier, though the rural setting means limited nearby commercial amenities and civic infrastructure. No public transit information was found.
Lewiston Elementary is a small rural school serving a high-need population in a community shaped by its lakes and seasonal-resort heritage. Its assessment results show room for growth, particularly in the early grades, with some encouraging upward movement by fifth grade in ELA. Families drawn to a quiet lake-community setting with affordable housing and a small-school environment may find it worth a closer conversation with the district about how instruction is structured across the primary grades and what supports are available for students performing below proficiency.
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