Custer Elementary School, Monroe MI

Original Research by School Decision on Custer Elementary School

Custer Elementary School sits on Monroe's west side along Albain Road, serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as one of five elementary schools in the Monroe Public Schools district. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it draws from a community where a substantial share of families meet the income thresholds for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller groups of Black, multiracial, and Hispanic students. The enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary building, with roughly even distribution across the grade levels from kindergarten through sixth.

The most recent state assessment results, from the 2024-25 M-STEP, paint a clear and sobering academic picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through six hover in the mid-to-upper twenties, meaning roughly a quarter of tested students meet or exceed the state's proficiency bar. Math results are lower still, with proficiency dropping into the teens and even single digits in fifth grade. Science, tested only in fifth grade, saw about a fifth of students reach proficiency. Social studies, also a fifth-grade test, produced the weakest result, with only a small fraction of students clearing the bar. When measured against other districts in Monroe County, Custer's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile. A parent weighing this school may want to look into what targeted interventions and supports are in place, and how leadership plans to address the gap between where students are and where state standards expect them to be.

No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from the provided information whether these results represent a decline, a plateau, or a recent shift. Participation rates were also missing from the data set. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so the narrative here cannot speak to how those populations are served.

The broader district context adds a layer of concern for families. Monroe Public Schools recently adopted a 2026-27 budget that includes substantial district-wide reductions, eliminating dozens of staff positions through voluntary severance, layoffs, and resignations. Publicly reported details indicate cuts of this magnitude will affect class sizes, available programs, and student support services across the district's schools. For a building already posting low proficiency numbers, the loss of staff could compound the challenge, though the specific impact on Custer is not detailed in the available data.

Monroe itself is a working city with a diversified economy. It is the county seat of Monroe County, positioned roughly midway between Toledo and Detroit along I-75, with five interstate interchanges giving it strong auto access. Major employers include ProMedica Regional Hospital, DTE Energy, La-Z-Boy, Gerdau Macsteel, and the County of Monroe. The Monroe Power Plant, one of the largest coal-fired plants in the country, is a major industrial presence. The Port of Monroe, Michigan's only Lake Erie port, handles cargo and is described as a growing multimodal hub. Downtown Monroe centers on the River Raisin, with the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, Sterling State Park on Lake Erie, and several riverfront parks providing recreation. Lake Erie Transit provides public bus service. Monroe County Community College sits just west of the city.

Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks. Home values sit well below the Michigan median and considerably below the national median, with modest year-over-year appreciation. Rent is also affordable relative to typical household income, and the monthly cost of renting is lower than the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical home in the area. For families looking to buy into the attendance zone, the price-to-income ratio sits below the national level.

What Custer offers is a traditional public elementary pathway in an affordable, industrially rooted community with decent access to outdoor recreation and regional job centers. The academic results, though, are a central consideration. The proficiency data places this school near the bottom of its county peer group, and coming district-wide staff reductions add uncertainty about the resources that will be available to support students. Families considering Custer would do well to ask school leaders directly about their academic improvement plans, how the budget cuts will affect this building specifically, and what classroom-level support exists for students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 19% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 19% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 14% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 18% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 26% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 24% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 28% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 26% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 24% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 17% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

This schoolMonroe Public Schools, 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-income29%Higher-income27%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income20%Higher-income38%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income29%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income42%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income14%Higher-income27%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income11%Higher-income13%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income3%Higher-income16%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income30%24 pp gap