The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Chestnut Hill Elementary School
Chestnut Hill Elementary School sits on the northeast side of Midland, a mid-sized Michigan city shaped by its industrial heritage and its river confluence. The school is part of Midland Public Schools and serves kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is moderate for an elementary building in this district.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller Hispanic and multiracial populations and a handful of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, though the rate sits below what many would associate with a high-poverty school. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here. A parent with specific questions about special education services or language support would want to ask the school directly.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments, Chestnut Hill shows a clear pattern. English language arts results are the school's relative bright spot, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency across third, fourth, and fifth grades. Science proficiency in fifth grade lands in a similar range. Math tells a different story. Third-grade math proficiency is moderate, but it declines noticeably by fourth grade and drops further in fifth grade to a level where only a quarter of tested students demonstrate proficiency. Social studies proficiency for fifth graders is also on the lower side. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among Midland County districts that reported results, though below the county's top performers. The strongest work appears to be in literacy; math is the area where a parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly what supports exist for upper-elementary students.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability. Participation rates were also not reported.
Because Chestnut Hill is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report and no high school course access to describe. The data set does not include discipline, attendance, or staffing details, so those dimensions of school climate are not covered here.
Midland itself is a city with a distinct identity. Dow Chemical, founded here, remains the dominant employer, and the repurposed Dow Michigan Operations Industrial Park continues as a manufacturing and research hub. The downtown sits where the Chippewa and Tittabawassee rivers meet, anchored by the Tridge pedestrian bridge, the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail, and a cluster of Alden B. Dow-designed cultural institutions including the public library, the Midland Center for the Arts, and Dow Gardens. Northwood University adds a collegiate presence. Outside the downtown core, the city is largely auto-oriented, though traffic is light. Dial-A-Ride provides local transit.
Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks. Home values sit below the Michigan statewide average and well below the national figure, and rents are similarly modest. The price-to-income ratio is favorable, and estimated monthly mortgage costs run below typical rents, which may appeal to families considering homeownership. Home values have been appreciating at a healthy clip year over year.
At the district level, Midland Public Schools recently sought a facilities improvement bond that would have funded a new Northeast Middle School, a new elementary school, and upgrades to athletics and technology. Voters defeated it decisively in May 2025. The defeat leaves aging infrastructure unaddressed, particularly Northeast Middle School, which has been described as nearing the end of its useful life. For families thinking ahead to middle school, this is worth watching, as the district's facility plans remain unsettled.
Chestnut Hill presents as a solidly average performer with genuine strength in literacy and a real concern in upper-elementary math. Its setting in an affordable, culturally rich mid-sized city adds appeal. Families whose children tend to thrive in reading and writing may find a good fit here, while those concerned about math progression should come with questions.
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