The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on North Aurelius Elementary School
North Aurelius Elementary School sits in Mason, the Ingham County seat, a small city that blends residential streets with a historic downtown anchored by a town square and courthouse. Mason publicly describes itself as growing "from the inside out" to preserve a family-farm character, and cattle can still be seen grazing within the city limits. The headquarters of Dart Container Corporation, one of Michigan's largest privately held companies, is located here, along with other manufacturers such as Gestamp Hardtech and Michigan Packaging Company. Bus service through the Capital Area Transportation Authority connects Mason to Lansing on weekdays. The city has seen modest population growth in recent years, and estimated median household income has risen gradually.
The school serves grades pre-kindergarten through five and is part of Mason Public Schools (Ingham). It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary building in this area. The student body is predominantly white, with small Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and Black populations. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively low compared with many Michigan elementaries, suggesting a mostly working- and middle-class community. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those population sizes are unknown here.
On state assessments, North Aurelius posts mixed but generally solid results. In English language arts, proficiency rises from third grade through fifth grade, with fifth graders showing the strongest performance. Math follows the opposite pattern: third graders perform best, and proficiency declines by fifth grade. Science and social studies, both tested only in fifth grade, show lower proficiency, with social studies being the weakest area. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among districts in Ingham County, which is a reasonably encouraging signal. That said, the downward math trend across grade levels is something a parent may want to look into further with the school, especially if a child will move through all three tested grades here.
Participation rates for the state assessments were not available, and no multi-year trend data was provided, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving or slipping over time. The social studies assessment underwent a cut-score change, which the state flags, meaning cross-year comparisons for that subject may not be clean.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate, no high school course access data, and no college- or career-readiness information to report. Those gaps reflect the grade band, not a missing obligation. We also looked for the school's Title I status, discipline data, staffing figures, and chronic absenteeism rates, but none were available in the provided data. The district brief for Mason Public Schools similarly turned up little about recent policy, curriculum, or referendum changes, so there is nothing specific to relay on that front.
Housing in the school's zip code is modestly priced relative to the national market, sitting below the national benchmark and roughly in line with the state figure. The price-to-income ratio suggests that for a family earning near the national median, buying a home in this attendance area is more attainable than in many parts of the country. Rent data was not available, so a family leaning toward renting would need to look elsewhere for current market conditions. Mortgage rates used for the affordability calculation reflect the prevailing thirty-year fixed rate, which has been hovering in the mid-six percent range.
What North Aurelius offers a family is a community-rooted elementary experience in a small city that retains rural character while hosting substantial industrial employment. The academic results are above the middle of the Ingham County pack, with reading strength in the upper elementary grades and a math pattern that starts stronger in third grade and softens by fifth. The peer environment is relatively homogeneous, and the economic need profile is lower than in many nearby schools. For a parent weighing this school, the open questions are what happens to math instruction between third and fifth grade, how the school supports students who are not yet proficient in reading in the earlier grades, and what services exist for English learners and students with disabilities, since those data points were not available to assess.
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