The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Science. The lowest is 41% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Edison Elementary School
Edison Elementary School sits in Fort Gratiot, a charter township just north of Port Huron in St. Clair County. It is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Port Huron Area School District. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary building, with fairly even distribution across the grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with small representation from other racial and ethnic groups. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a moderate level for the region. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those populations could not be characterized here.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessment, Edison's results are a clear strength. In English language arts, proficiency rates climb steadily from third grade through fifth grade, with the oldest tested grade reaching a level where a clear majority of students are proficient. Math follows a similar pattern, with the strongest showing in fourth grade and solid results in the other tested grades. Fifth-grade science proficiency is also strong, with well over half of students meeting the bar. Social studies is the soft spot, with fewer than half of fifth graders proficient. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, though social studies proficiency tends to run lower across Michigan elementary schools broadly. Across all tested subjects and grades, Edison's overall proficiency sits in the top quartile relative to districts in St. Clair County, which is a meaningful marker of academic strength among its neighbors.
Because Edison serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was not available for this school. Participation rate figures were missing from the state assessment data as well, though the tested counts themselves were reported and appear consistent with the school's enrollment by grade.
The township of Fort Gratiot is suburban in character, shaped by decades of residential subdivision growth and commercial retail development along corridors like M-25 and Pine Grove Avenue. It functions as a major trade center for the Blue Water Area, with Birchwood Mall and numerous big-box stores drawing regional traffic. The built environment is largely car-dependent, though lakeside areas along Lake Huron and the Black River offer walking paths, including the Blue Water River Walk and the accessible boardwalk at Fort Gratiot County Park. Fort Gratiot borders the city of Port Huron, which serves as the county seat with a traditional downtown. The township itself lacks a dense downtown core, and civic life clusters around the municipal center and commercial strips. Major employers are concentrated in retail and healthcare.
Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared to national figures, with typical home values sitting close to the Michigan state benchmark. The price-to-income ratio is favorable, and estimated mortgage costs are modest relative to regional incomes. Home values have been appreciating at a pace slightly above the state average.
At the district level, Port Huron Area School District recently passed a bond proposal by a wide margin in November 2024, publicly reported as funding safety upgrades, technology, facility renovations, career and technical education space at both high schools, and athletic improvements across all sixteen school buildings. The bond package also includes a multi-purpose and cafeteria addition at Thomas Edison Elementary, a school whose name closely matches this one. The district reports the bond will be levied with no net millage rate increase to taxpayers as existing debt rolls off. This investment signals ongoing attention to facilities across the district, and if that addition applies here, it would bring expanded common-space capacity to the campus.
For a family weighing Edison Elementary, the academic profile is solid and consistent, particularly in literacy and science. The school serves a community where suburban convenience meets lakeside recreation, with housing that remains accessible to working and middle-income families. The social studies results are the one area where questions may be worth asking, but the broader proficiency picture places Edison among the stronger elementary schools in its county cohort.
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