Churchill Elementary School, Muskegon MI

Original Research by School Decision on Churchill Elementary School

Churchill Elementary sits on Porter Road in Muskegon, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Mona Shores Public School District. It is a regular public school with an enrollment that is mid-sized for its grade band, and its student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students identifying as Black, Hispanic, or two or more races. The proportion of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively modest. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those population sizes are not visible here.

On state assessments, Churchill's results place it in the top quartile relative to districts in Muskegon County for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. That standing is anchored by some genuinely strong spots. Fourth-grade English language arts stands out, with most tested students reaching proficiency. Third-grade math and ELA are solid as well, with well over half of students proficient in both. Fifth-grade science lands right at the midpoint, with half of students proficient. Where the numbers soften is in fifth-grade math and social studies, where proficiency drops off. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly whether the dip in math from third to fifth grade reflects a curricular transition or something else.

Because Churchill serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not sit within chronic absenteeism or civil-rights data collections that were available here.

Muskegon itself is the county seat and the most populous city along Lake Michigan's eastern shore. It grew as a lumber town and then pivoted to manufacturing, producing paper, automotive and turbine parts, tools, machinery, and chemicals. The downtown stretches along Muskegon Lake and functions as the county's civic hub, with a convention center, an arena, the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, the Muskegon Museum of Art, and the Lakeshore Museum Center. Publicly reported sources note that a major convention center was completed downtown in 2021, and that the EPA's removal of Muskegon Lake from its list of Areas of Concern was expected to spur additional economic activity near the lakefront. Pere Marquette Beach, Muskegon State Park with its winter sports complex, and the Muskegon Lakeshore Bike Trail give residents access to the lake and trail networks. The Lake Express ferry connects Muskegon to Milwaukee with multiple daily round trips in summer.

Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. The typical home value sits below the Michigan state benchmark and well below the national one, with a price-to-income ratio that is favorable by national standards. Rents have risen noticeably over the past year, though renting remains cheaper than carrying a mortgage at current interest rates. The national unemployment rate has held steady in recent months, and median household income has grown modestly over the past several years.

The district brief for Mona Shores Public School District did not surface specific parent-relevant changes such as bonds, curriculum shifts, or budget actions meeting a lasting-impact threshold, so there is nothing to report there.

Churchill Elementary presents as a solidly performing elementary school in an affordable lakeside city with strong civic and cultural infrastructure. Its upper-elementary math and social studies results are the area most worth a family's attention, while its early-grade and fourth-grade proficiency, particularly in English language arts, are clear strengths.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 39% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 34% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 31% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 45% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 45% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 52% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Science

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 32% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolMona Shores 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income48%Higher-income61%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income78%Higher-income72%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income65%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income68%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income52%Higher-income55%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income50%27 pp gap