The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Leota Fiedler Elementary School
Leota Fiedler Elementary School sits on Nightingale Drive in Flint, within the Kearsley Community School District. It is a regular public school serving upper elementary grades, with its enrollment concentrated in fourth and fifth grades. The school lists grade six in its served grade band, but no sixth graders are currently enrolled, which may reflect how the district organizes its buildings or a transition in grade configuration. A parent would want to confirm with the district how sixth grade is handled.
The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful Hispanic presence and smaller shares of students identifying as Black, multiracial, or American Indian. A very large proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which speaks to the economic conditions in the surrounding community. The school does not report data on English learners or students with individualized education programs, so families whose children need those services should ask the school directly what supports are in place.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessment, Leota Fiedler's results sit in a mixed range. English language arts proficiency is the school's relative bright spot, with roughly a third of fourth and fifth graders meeting grade-level standards in both grades. Math results are softer, with fourth grade performing notably better than fifth, where proficiency drops off. Science and social studies, tested only in fifth grade, show about a quarter to just under a third of students reaching proficiency. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency lands above the midpoint among districts in Genesee County, which is a reasonable standing given the county's range. That said, a substantial share of students are not yet at grade level, and a parent may want to look into how the school supports students working below proficiency, particularly in math as they move from fourth to fifth grade. Participation rate data was not available, and no multi-year trend information was provided, so it is hard to read whether these results are improving, holding steady, or slipping.
No graduation rate applies here, since the school does not serve high school grades. Chronic absenteeism data was also missing. Discipline, staffing, course access, and attendance details were not reported in the data available, leaving a gap for families who want to understand the school day experience beyond test scores. Program offerings were not provided, so the narrative cannot speak to extracurriculars, intervention programs, or enrichment.
Flint itself is a mid-sized post-industrial city whose identity is inseparable from its automotive past. Once a General Motors manufacturing powerhouse, the city has spent decades working through population decline and disinvestment following massive GM workforce reductions. The built environment reflects that history: older residential neighborhoods, vacant lots from demolition activity, a downtown core with cultural venues like the Capitol Theatre and Sloan Museum, and commercial strips along major roads. Walkability is concentrated downtown and uneven elsewhere, making the city largely auto-dependent for daily life. Publicly reported sources note that since the lead water crisis, the city has secured a new water source, replaced lead service lines, and distributed filters. Redevelopment efforts continue, centered on downtown and cultural assets, though large-scale new housing construction was not evident in available sources.
The housing market around the school is very affordable. The typical home value in the school's zip code sits well below both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are modest. Across Genesee County more broadly, the market shows rising listing prices and properties moving at a moderate pace, with demand and supply scores that suggest a market that is active but not overheated. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical area home remains quite low relative to national norms, which may appeal to families buying their first home.
Kearsley Community School District passed a bond issue in 2022 to improve school facilities, a publicly reported investment that affects both district infrastructure and local property taxes. Families considering the area may want to ask how those funds are being used at Leota Fiedler specifically.
What Leota Fiedler offers is a conventional public elementary pathway in an affordable, working-class community, with academic results that are middling to solid for the county context and a student population that reflects real economic need. Families for whom a stable neighborhood school, low housing costs, and proximity to Flint's civic and cultural amenities matter will find something here worth exploring. Those seeking detailed information on special populations, program offerings, or school climate will need to go directly to the school and district, since the available data does not fill in those pieces.
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