The top reported proficiency rate is 94% in Social studies. The lowest is 43% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Caledonia-mumford Elementary School
Caledonia-Mumford Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in a school of roughly four hundred students located in the village of Caledonia, a compact, farm-bordered community in Livingston County. The school sits on its own campus north of the village center, alongside the middle and high school buildings on shared grounds.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students from Black, Hispanic, and multiracial backgrounds. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, positioning the school in a mixed-income enrollment with a meaningful economic diversity component.
In math, third and fourth graders reach proficiency at rates around two-thirds, which is solid ground. Fifth grade math proficiency drops noticeably lower, to about two in five students. In English language arts, third grade holds at about two-thirds proficiency, but fourth and fifth grades taper to around half and slightly under, respectively. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits near four in ten students. These patterns suggest that the school does reasonably well with younger elementary students but faces real challenges as students move into upper grades.
The proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places this school in the top quartile among districts in Livingston County, a meaningful distinction. However, this comparison reflects a county baseline that itself sits in the middle range statewide, so strength relative to neighbors does not mean performance is uniformly high in absolute terms. Parents should view the data this way: the school outperforms its county peers, which is worth noting, yet the fifth-grade results in particular warrant attention.
The district is engaged in visible modernization. Voters approved a capital improvement project in late 2023 that covers roof work, security upgrades to the main office, STEAM library renovation, and gymnasium upgrades, running through winter 2026. The district also launched in fall 2025 a new literacy initiative grounded in the science of reading, a curriculum shift that will affect early-grade instruction. These are forward-moving signals.
A recent state comptroller audit, however, flagged the district for levying more property taxes than operationally necessary while building a surplus fund balance roughly double the statutory limit. The district continued to raise taxes even as reserves grew. This is a financial transparency concern that a parent considering long-term residency in the district should understand, since it directly shapes the trajectory of local school property taxes.
Caledonia itself is a walkable village with a downtown core centered on Main Street, farms surrounding it, and modest median home values. Most residents own their homes. The school serves families in a suburban-rural setting with accessible civic amenities, including five village parks, a historic library, and a strong agricultural heritage. No fixed-route public transit operates here, so most families drive.
For families seeking a small elementary school where third and fourth graders show solid proficiency in fundamentals, where the school is visibly investing in facilities and reading instruction, and where the community is tight and owner-occupied, this is a realistic fit. Parents whose children are already weak in math or English may want to look into this further with the school, particularly as students approach fifth grade, where the proficiency data soften. The property tax management issue is a separate conversation worth having with the district about the medium term.
See more original research from School Decision →