Lansing STEM Academy is a STEM-focused school in Lansing, Michigan that serves students from kindergarten to eighth grade. Under the leadership of Principal Delsa Chapman, this specialized school has become a center for project-based learning that seeks to expose students to STEM learning in a structured, creative, and accessible way. Currently, the academy enrolls between 630 and 650 students per year, though there is some fluctuation from year to year. Students are admitted based on a rigorous and structured application process run by the school. Although it covers all the core subjects that any other K-8th grade school would go over, it also allows students to learn competitive robotics, advanced mathematics, and other technical skills. By focusing on STEM, they hope to prepare their students to meet their future educational needs head on. Further, this focus seems to be working. In 2013, 10 percent of the student body that was below grade level at the start of the year was back on track to grade level proficiency in less than a year. The academy focuses on making sure that students are not just prepared for school success; they want students to take the groundwork they receive at this school and use it to propel them to excellence in high school and beyond. Through their innovative STEM framework and focus on results, this school is doing just that.
