The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Forest View School
Forest View School is a regular public elementary school in the Lansing Public School District, serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. It sits on Stoneleigh Drive in Lansing, Michigan's state capital, a mid-sized city whose economy draws on state government, higher education, insurance, and healthcare. The Grand River runs through downtown, and the broader region includes Michigan State University in neighboring East Lansing as well as Lansing Community College within the city itself.
The school serves a modest-sized elementary enrollment. Its student body is racially diverse, with Black, white, and Hispanic students each representing substantial shares, along with a meaningful portion identified as two or more races. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions in the surrounding neighborhood. The school's zip code carries home values well below both the state and national benchmarks, though the area has seen recent appreciation. Rents are similarly modest relative to broader markets, and the price-to-income ratio sits in a range that suggests relatively accessible ownership for working families compared with many parts of the state.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessment, Forest View reported proficiency results for third and fourth grade in both math and English language arts. Across those four grade-subject combinations, proficiency rates clustered in the upper twenties on a percentage basis, meaning roughly a quarter to just over a quarter of tested students met or exceeded state proficiency standards in each area. Positioned against other districts in Ingham County, the school's overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile. This is a lower performance band, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking what supports and interventions are in place for literacy and numeracy growth.
Because Forest View serves only early elementary grades, several common metrics do not apply. There is no graduation rate, no high school course access data, and no college or career readiness information. The state does not test pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, or second grade, so proficiency data exists only for third and fourth grade. We looked for chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and special population figures including English learners and students with individualized education programs, but those fields were not available in the data provided. Their absence here reflects a data gap rather than a signal about the school.
The broader Lansing Public School District is navigating a period of both investment and financial strain. Publicly reported district information indicates voters approved a bond in late 2022 to fund facility improvements, security upgrades, technology, a new Willow Elementary building, a new early childhood center, and athletic upgrades, structured to avoid raising the current tax rate. A new early childhood center broke ground in 2024 and is expected to open in fall 2025. At the same time, the district faces a budget deficit driven by declining enrollment and the expiration of federal COVID relief funds, and discussions about potential school consolidation have begun, though no specific buildings have been named. These financial pressures are worth watching for any family enrolled in the district, as they could shape program offerings and school configurations in coming years.
Lansing itself offers the civic and cultural anchors of a state capital, including the Michigan State Capitol building, the Library of Michigan, the Impression 5 Science Center, and Potter Park Zoo. The Lansing River Trail provides a path for biking and walking along the Grand River. Major employers span state government, several national insurance companies headquartered in the area, Sparrow Health System, McLaren Greater Lansing, and General Motors manufacturing. The city has grown modestly in recent estimates and continues to expand its boundaries through annexation agreements with surrounding townships.
For a family considering Forest View, the school offers a diverse peer environment in an affordable urban neighborhood within a capital city rich in civic institutions. The academic results on state testing are on the lower side, and understanding how the school supports growth from early grades onward would be a reasonable step before enrolling. The district's simultaneous investment in facilities and confrontation with fiscal pressure adds a layer of uncertainty worth asking about directly.
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