Dwight Rich School of the Arts, Lansing MI

Original Research by School Decision on Dwight Rich School of the Arts

Dwight Rich School of the Arts sits on Lansing's south side, serving kindergarten through eighth grade as part of the Lansing Public School District. The name signals a creative-arts focus, and the school serves a predominantly Black student body, with white, Hispanic, and multiracial students making up most of the remaining enrollment. The vast majority of students come from families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions of the surrounding neighborhoods. The school does not have charter or magnet status; it is a regular public school.

On Michigan's state assessments, proficiency is low across nearly every tested grade and subject. In math, the proportion of students scoring proficient or above sits in the single digits for grades three through five, and for grades six through eight the reported range is near the very bottom of the scale. English language arts results follow a similar pattern for grades three through seven, with proficiency rates remaining low. One notable departure appears in eighth grade, where the PSAT-based ELA proficiency rate rises substantially compared to earlier grades. Science and social studies results, tested only in fifth and eighth grade, also show low proficiency. When placed against the comparison set of districts in Ingham County, Dwight Rich's overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile. Participation rates were not reported for any tested grade, so the completeness of the testing picture has a gap. A parent considering this school may want to look into how the school supports students working below grade level and what interventions are in place.

The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade, so there is no graduation rate to report, and that absence is expected given the grade band rather than reflecting a missing outcome. Chronic absenteeism data was not available, and we found no staffing, discipline, course-access, or attendance figures, so those dimensions of school environment cannot be described here. Individualized education program counts and English learner counts were also missing.

Lansing itself is Michigan's state capital, a mid-sized city whose economy draws on state government, insurance, healthcare, and higher education. Auto-Owners Insurance and Jackson National Life are headquartered in the city, and Michigan State University sits in neighboring East Lansing. The Grand River runs through downtown, and the Lansing River Trail provides a recreational corridor for biking and walking. The housing market around the school is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code are well below the state median and further below the national figure, and rents are similarly modest. The price-to-income ratio sits at a level that suggests purchasing a home in this area is within reach for many working families compared to much of the country.

The broader district context carries weight for any family looking at Dwight Rich. Lansing Public School District is contending with a structural budget deficit, driven by declining enrollment over recent years and the expiration of federal COVID-relief funding. Publicly reported accounts indicate the district has begun discussing potential school consolidation, though no specific buildings have been named for closure. At the same time, voters approved a bond in November 2022 that is funding facility improvements, security upgrades, technology, a rebuilt Willow Elementary, and a new early childhood center. The bond was structured to avoid raising the current tax rate. These contrasting forces, investment in facilities alongside fiscal pressure, define the district's current moment.

For a parent weighing Dwight Rich, the arts designation may appeal if a creative pathway matters to the family. The school's academic results, as measured by state testing, are low, and that reality is consistent across subjects and grade levels. The eighth-grade ELA result on the PSAT stands apart from the rest and is worth asking about. The surrounding neighborhood offers affordable housing in a city with genuine civic and cultural infrastructure, and the district is investing in some areas while facing hard financial decisions in others. Families may want to visit the school, ask about academic support and arts programming, and understand how the district's fiscal situation might affect this building in the coming years.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 36%

School 6% · District 21% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 15% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 11% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 39%

School 9% · District 21% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 19% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 20% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 14% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 40% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 17% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 16% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 10% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 17% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

This schoolLansing Public School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.