The Great Lakes State has a lot to offer: its natural beauty makes it major regional travel destination, and it remains a leading player in the high-tech, agriculture and manufacturing industries. Additionally, Michigan has many excellent public districts that play a large role in preparing the state’s youngsters for the future.

The best school district in Michigan is the Novi Community School District of Novi, MI, a suburb 25 miles outside of Detroit. NCSD’s eight schools regularly rank among the best the state has to offer, with Novi Woods earning a Blue Ribbon School Award in 2015, a distinction only afforded to the nation’s best schools.

Michigan’s #2 school district is Rochester Community Schools District, a large system serving communities in both Oakland and Macomb Counties with an enrollment topping 14,500 students. Recently, the district was awarded the Association of School Business Officials International Meritorious Budget Award for its 2017-2018 budget year, recognizing its financial efficiency and budget transparency.

Ranking third is the Troy School District, comprising 20 schools in Troy, MI, a city that is part of the Greater Detroit area. The district’s accolades are numerous; it is one of four districts in the area to be granted an “A+” rating from Detroit News, and Troy High School earned a gold medal from U.S. News & World Report, ranking it among the nation’s best public high schools.

The fourth position on the list belongs to Okemos Public Schools, a recently reorganized district of seven schools located in Okemos, MI, followed by #5 East Rapids Public Schools, whose schools have earned two Blue Ribbon School honors in just the past three years.

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.

Did your district make the list?