Is Okemos Public MontessoriCentral a good school?

Yes! Okemos Public MontessoriCentral is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 56 th of 1486 Michigan elementary schools.

How many students attend Okemos Public MontessoriCentral?

In the 2023-24 school year, 323 students attended Okemos Public MontessoriCentral.

What is the racial makeup of Okemos Public MontessoriCentral?

Students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral are 46% White, 36% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 3% African American, 3% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Okemos Public MontessoriCentral attend?

Students who attend Okemos Public MontessoriCentral usually go on to attend: Middle : Chippewa Middle School Middle : Kinawa School High : Okemos High School

Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Summary:

Okemos Public MontessoriCentral is an exceptional elementary school serving grades PK-4 in the Okemos Public Schools district, consistently ranking among the top schools in Michigan.

This Montessori school stands out for its consistently high academic performance, with 73.3% of 3rd-grade students and 83.1% of 4th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, far exceeding the district and state averages. The school's diverse student population, with nearly 50% non-White students, is a key differentiating factor compared to the nearby East Lansing and Haslett schools. Okemos Public MontessoriCentral's specialized Montessori program, focused on hands-on, self-directed learning, also sets it apart from other local elementary schools.

While the school faces some challenges, such as increasing chronic absenteeism, its students continue to excel, with high rankings in various subgroups, including female students, Asian students, and special education students. Okemos Public MontessoriCentral's strong performance is reflected in its high spending per student, at $15,986 in the 2022-2023 school year, compared to the nearby schools' range of $13,504 to $14,890 per student. Overall, Okemos Public MontessoriCentral is an exceptional educational institution that provides a unique and enriching learning experience for its diverse student population.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

4406 Okemos Rd
Okemos, MI 48864-2553

(517) 706-5400

District: Okemos Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
56^th of 1,486 Michigan Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,986

Students who attend Okemos Public MontessoriCentral usually attend:

Middle:	Chippewa Middle School
	Kinawa School
High:	Okemos High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.5

Number of students: 323

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.1%

Asian:

36.2%

Two or more races:

10.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 11.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Okemos Public MontessoriCentral to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Okemos Public MontessoriCentral ranks better than 96.2% of elementary schools in Michigan. It also ranks first among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Okemos Public Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 94.39. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Okemos Public MontessoriCentral has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Okemos Public Schools District. Racial makeup is: White (46.1%), Asian (36.2%), two or more races (10.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 11.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Okemos Public Schools District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral is 15.5, which is the lowest among 4 elementary schools in the Okemos Public Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Okemos Public MontessoriCentral employs 20.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral is $15,986, which is the highest among 4 elementary schools in the Okemos Public Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Okemos Public MontessoriCentral:

SchoolDigger ranks Okemos Public MontessoriCentral 56^th of 1486 Michigan public elementary schools. (See Okemos Public MontessoriCentral in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

White students:

Okemos Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Okemos Public Schools 31^st of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Okemos Public MontessoriCentral.

What do you think?

Your rating for Okemos Public MontessoriCentral?

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Rank History for Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

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Rank History for all students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile
2006	83.20	104^th	1545	93.3%
2007	74.96	305^th	1565	80.5%
2008	82.25	135^th	1577	91.4%
2009	84.09	93^rd	1589	94.1%
2010	75.12	314^th	1552	79.8%
2011	87.70	8^th	1552	99.5%
2012	92.92	41^st	1566	97.4%
2013	91.86	54^th	1563	96.5%
2014	94.38	28^th	1533	98.2%
2015	97.65	9^th	1580	99.4%
2016	96.18	23^rd	1548	98.5%
2017	97.25	17^th	1466	98.8%
2018	97.35	15^th	1448	99.0%
2021	89.18	80^th	1153	93.1%
2022	93.99	51^st	1344	96.2%
2023	94.29	54^th	1470	96.3%
2024	94.39	56^th	1486	96.2%

See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	86.70	16^th	225	92.9%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	74.33	242^nd	1381	82.5%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	97.95	8^th	1443	99.4%
2023	92.04	58^th	1321	95.6%
2024	93.76	44^th	1342	96.7%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	96.05	21^st	1446	98.5%
2022	91.21	64^th	1139	94.4%
2023	94.20	42^nd	1334	96.9%
2024	91.70	70^th	1347	94.8%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	82.03	12^th	97	87.6%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for White students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	95.22	22^nd	1253	98.2%
2019	94.42	31^st	1128	97.3%
2021	86.60	79^th	1005	92.1%
2023	84.81	136^th	1198	88.6%
2024	88.72	89^th	1204	92.6%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Monday, October 25, 2010

My son attended Edgewood Montessori for one year. I found both the teacher and the principle to be unprofessional and unwilling to change. Here are two examples.

On the first day of 1st grade my son was given 20 words to read--he stumbled after the first three and therefore was placed in the lowest reading group. When I discovered this and had my son read from a 2nd grade chapter book he was able to read the text fluently even though he had never seen the text before. Yet the teacher refused to move him because he had already been placed in a group.

At this time I also discovered that his math program consisted only of endless review worksheets. He was given no instruction; only one worksheet after another. My son was doing multiplication and division as a 5-year-old and identified as gifted by his Kindergarten teacher. This was the whole reason we chose a multi-grade, Montessori classroom for him.

But, the teacher would not deviate from her plan. He could not move up and do 2nd grade math until he had completed every single 1st grade worksheet. (Even though I had him complete 15 2nd grade math problems in front of her and he did 100% correct!)

Finally, in a meeting with the principal and teacher I asked if they could tell me how much of my son's day was spent in review and how much in new instruction. Both of them looked at me and said, with genuinely puzzled looks, "I just don't know what that question means." I probed deeper and found that they truly could not define the terms "review" and "new instruction" and they were totally unable to describe teacher/student interaction in those terms.

I am still shocked by that conversation, especially since I am a teacher myself. I have never, ever been confronted by such incompetence. Two years later (and happily moved to a different school district where, yes, my son is in the gifted program) I am still puzzled at how those two ever got any job in education, nor were able to keep it.

I have heard there are some good teachers at that school but if you get the poor quality ones don't expect the principal to be able to help you in any way--she's worse than they are. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2004	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	0
2005	95	7	22	8	0	n/a	n/a	9	141
2006	127	6	26	7	0	n/a	n/a	10	176
2007	176	12	27	6	0	n/a	n/a	6	227
2008	174	10	23	7	n/a	n/a	n/a	4	218
2009	176	11	29	9	0	n/a	n/a	9	234
2010	203	13	35	14	0	n/a	n/a	2	267
2011	176	11	45	6	0	0	12	0	250
2012	175	12	37	13	0	0	23	0	260
2013	175	14	37	21	0	0	17	0	264
2014	189	13	46	22	1	0	22	0	293
2015	188	10	50	24	1	0	25	0	298
2016	197	8	59	27	1	0	31	0	323
2017	195	9	70	23	1	0	31	0	329
2018	197	8	76	22	1	0	23	0	327
2019	199	16	72	20	0	1	24	0	332
2020	194	16	75	16	0	1	26	0	328
2021	171	17	79	11	1	1	25	0	305
2022	163	13	86	11	1	1	22	0	297
2023	153	8	99	12	1	0	37	0	310
2024	149	11	117	10	1	0	35	0	323

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2004	0	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	141	3.8	37.1	n/a
2006	176	9.7	18.1	0
2007	227	10.9	20.8	0
2008	218	12.9	16.9	5.6
2009	234	13.5	17.3	6.7
2010	267	13.7	19.3	8.3
2011	250	17.0	14.6	8.4
2012	260	16.2	15.9	11.9
2013	264	20.3	12.9	13.3
2014	293	19.7	14.8	9.6
2015	298	18.0	16.5	10.1
2016	323	19.0	17.0	8.4
2017	329	21.4	15.3	6.7
2018	327	20.3	16.0	7.6
2019	332	20.4	16.2	12.3
2020	328	20.4	16.0	11.9
2021	305	18.6	16.3	13.8
2022	297	20.1	14.7	11.1
2023	310	20.3	15.2	13.2
2024	323	20.7	15.5	11.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2004	0	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	141	3.8	37.1	n/a
2006	176	9.7	18.1	0
2007	227	10.9	20.8	0
2008	218	12.9	16.9	5.6
2009	234	13.5	17.3	6.7
2010	267	13.7	19.3	8.3
2011	250	17.0	14.6	8.4
2012	260	16.2	15.9	11.9
2013	264	20.3	12.9	13.3
2014	293	19.7	14.8	9.6
2015	298	18.0	16.5	10.1
2016	323	19.0	17.0	8.4
2017	329	21.4	15.3	6.7
2018	327	20.3	16.0	7.6
2019	332	20.4	16.2	12.3
2020	328	20.4	16.0	11.9
2021	305	18.6	16.3	13.8
2022	297	20.1	14.7	11.1
2023	310	20.3	15.2	13.2
2024	323	20.7	15.5	11.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$295 (2.5%)	$11,443 (97.5%)	$11,738
2020	$324 (2.7%)	$11,666 (97.3%)	$11,990
2021	$664 (5.2%)	$12,196 (94.8%)	$12,860
2022	$527 (3.6%)	$14,201 (96.4%)	$14,728
2023	$1,344 (8.4%)	$14,642 (91.6%)	$15,986

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
4th Grade Math (Okemos Public MontessoriCentral)	74.1	65.4	8.7%
4th Grade Math (Okemos Public Schools)	70.9	56.7	14.2%
4th Grade Math (Michigan)	41.8	38.6	3.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	332	310	6.6%
African American	16	8	50%
American Indian	0	1
Asian	72	99	37.5%
Hispanic	20	12	40%
Pacific Islander	1	0	100%
White	199	153	23.1%
Two or More Races	24	37	54.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	12.3%	13.2%	0.9%

Schools Near Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				M-Step English Language Arts (2024)			M-Step Math (2024)			M-Step Science (2024)	M-Step Social Studies (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Okemos Public MontessoriCentral	Public	PK, KG-4	4406 Okemos Rd	Okemos	48864	Ingham County	Okemos Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 706-5400	323	21	15.5	11.5%	149 (46.1%)	11 (3.4%)	10 (3.1%)	117 (36.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (10.8%)	94.4	56^th of 1486 public elementary schools	96.2%		94.3	54^th of 1470 public elementary schools	96.3%	2	73.3	83.1		68.3	71.2				$15,986	$1,345	$14,642
Bennett Woods Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	2650 Bennett Rd	Okemos	48864	Ingham County	Okemos Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 706-5100	486	30	16.4	20.8%	297 (61.1%)	34 (7.0%)	10 (2.1%)	84 (17.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (12.1%)	81.8	231^st of 1486 public elementary schools	84.5%		82.2	225^th of 1470 public elementary schools	84.7%	6	52.6	68.6		57.4	60.0				$13,863	$952	$12,911
Cornell Elementary School	Public	K-4	4371 Cornell Rd	Okemos	48864	Ingham County	Okemos Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 706-5300	453	27	16.7	17.9%	253 (55.8%)	14 (3.1%)	5 (1.1%)	121 (26.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (11.9%)	82.2	224^th of 1486 public elementary schools	84.9%		86.1	166^th of 1470 public elementary schools	88.7%	58	51.6	66.3		63.4	58.5				$13,504	$828	$12,676
Hiawatha Elementary School	Public	K-4	1900 Jolly Rd	Okemos	48864	Ingham County	Okemos Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 706-4500	445	28	15.8	26.7%	242 (54.4%)	35 (7.9%)	5 (1.1%)	102 (22.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (13.0%)	80.1	244^th of 1486 public elementary schools	83.6%		79.2	261^st of 1470 public elementary schools	82.2%	17	58.2	61.1		65.9	50.0				$14,092	$1,311	$12,781
Marble School	Public	PK, KG-5	729 N Hagadorn Rd	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 333-7860	302	22	13.8	37.1%	174 (57.6%)	50 (16.6%)	33 (10.9%)	7 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (12.3%)	68.2	436^th of 1486 public elementary schools	70.7%		66.2	454^th of 1470 public elementary schools	69.1%	18	46.0	52.2	51.0	62.0	43.5	47.1	52.9	23.5	$13,608	$1,192	$12,416
Vera Ralya Elementary School	Public	2-5	5645 School St	Haslett	48840	Ingham County	Haslett Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 339-8202	389	26	15.1	28.8%	266 (68.4%)	20 (5.1%)	58 (14.9%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.3%)	77.3	297^th of 1486 public elementary schools	80.0%		81.2	240^th of 1470 public elementary schools	83.7%	57	63.7	53.3	53.2	67.0	51.6	42.2	50.5	38.5	$14,890	$912	$13,978
Murphy Elementary School	Public	2-5	1875 Lake Lansing Rd	Haslett	48840	Ingham County	Haslett Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 339-8253	376	25	15.2	31.1%	265 (70.5%)	9 (2.4%)	40 (10.6%)	26 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.6%)	90.1	109^th of 1486 public elementary schools	92.7%		91.8	86^th of 1470 public elementary schools	94.1%	23	56.4	59.6	70.5	69.1	76.0	52.6	73.7	51.6	$14,703	$1,114	$13,588
Donley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2961 E Lake Lansing Rd	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 333-7370	276	20	14.0	57.6%	117 (42.4%)	63 (22.8%)	39 (14.1%)	20 (7.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (13.0%)	48.3	725^th of 1486 public elementary schools	51.2%		37.5	889^th of 1470 public elementary schools	39.5%	164	63.4	35.3	40.5	69.0	19.6	32.6	32.6	18.6	$16,903	$2,214	$14,689
Wilkshire School	Public	PK, KG-1	5750 Academic Way	Haslett	48840	Ingham County	Haslett Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 339-8208	397	29	13.9	32.5%	277 (69.8%)	18 (4.5%)	40 (10.1%)	25 (6.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.1%)								(n/a)									$17,115	$2,449	$14,666
Red Cedar School	Public	PK, KG-5	1110 Narcissus Dr	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 333-5060	192	21	9.3	44.8%	67 (34.9%)	33 (17.2%)	29 (15.1%)	44 (22.9%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.9%)	59.4	561^st of 1486 public elementary schools	62.2%		44.2	777^th of 1470 public elementary schools	47.1%	216		72.0	40.0	18.2	63.0	36.4	40.9		$20,515	$1,596	$18,920

Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Okemos Public MontessoriCentral:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Okemos Public Schools:

Average Parent Rating:

What do you think?

Rank History for Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Rank History for all students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Rank History for Special Education students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Rank History for Female students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Rank History for Male students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Rank History for Asian students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Rank History for White students at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Review counts

Enrollment information for Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Student/Teacher Ratio Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Per Pupil Expenditures for Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Impact of COVID-19 on Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

Frequently Asked Questions about Okemos Public MontessoriCentral

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