The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Math. The lowest is 37% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Thomas Jefferson Elem School
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School sits on Bryant Avenue in Manistee, a small city on the Lake Michigan shore that serves as the seat of Manistee County. The school is part of Manistee Area Public Schools and serves kindergarten through second grade. Its enrollment is modest for the grade band, with the three early grades roughly evenly populated.
The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of children identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those population figures are unavailable here.
Because the school covers only kindergarten through second grade, it has no state testing results in the current configuration. Michigan's M-STEP assessments begin at third grade. The only academic data available is a set of third-grade results from several years ago, when the school apparently served that grade. Those older results placed the school's proficiency in the above-midpoint range among districts in Manistee County, with comparable math and English language arts rates. Because the tested grade is no longer part of the school and the data is dated, a parent looking for current academic indicators would need to ask the district directly how early-grade learning is being measured and supported.
No graduation rate applies, since the school does not serve high school grades. Chronic absenteeism figures were also not reported. Discipline, staffing, course access, and attendance data were not available in the provided materials.
The setting is a community that blends working industry with recreation. Manistee's historic downtown along River Street is on the National Register of Historic Places, with Victorian-era brick buildings, locally owned retail, galleries, and restaurants. A Riverwalk follows the Manistee River Channel, and public beaches sit a few blocks from the core on Lake Michigan. The local economy runs on several large employers near Manistee Lake, including Packaging Corporation of America, Morton Salt, and Martin Marietta, along with a state prison and the Little River Casino Resort a short drive northeast. Tourism, fishing, and agriculture also shape the area. The city's population has been stable to slightly declining over recent decades, without rapid expansion. Housing values in the school's zip code are close to the Michigan statewide benchmark and below the national one, with a strong recent year-over-year increase. Rental data was not available.
A development that bears directly on this school: in 2022, voters in the district approved a bond to renovate and consolidate facilities. The district converted the former Kennedy Elementary building into a single consolidated elementary school called Manistee Elementary, which reopened in fall 2025, replacing multiple older elementary buildings. The provided data still lists Thomas Jefferson as open, but a family considering enrollment should confirm with the district whether this building remains in operation or has been absorbed into the consolidated campus. That conversation would also be the right place to ask about early-grade curriculum, class sizes, and how the school tracks readiness before students move on to tested grades in upper elementary.
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