The public education situation in Michigan is one of contrasts: while student performance in Detroit, the state’s largest city, is below average (although there are promising signs of improvement), districts in the adjacent suburbs perform exceptionally well. It’s no surprise that a number of Michigan’s five best school districts are located in this region.
Northville Public Schools is the best school district in Michigan. Comprising eleven schools in the wealthy suburb of Northville, the district consistently has a graduation rate north of 96% and its students regularly best state and national averages on the ACT and SAT’s.
Earning the #2 spot in Michigan is Lake Orion Community Schools, a large district of ten schools with a total enrollment of over 7,500 hailing from the village of Lake Orion and several adjacent communities. Students in the district outperform state averages on the Michigan Merit Exam, ACT, and SAT.
Michigan’s 3rd best school district is Hudsonville Public Schools, a system of 12 schools that is the second-largest district in Ottawa County. For three years in a row, all district buildings have earned an “A” grade from the Michigan Department of Education.
Novi Community School District places 4th among Michigan public school districts. Not only do Novi students perform exceptionally on standardized tests, they are active outside of the classroom, as well, with 56% of 7th-12th graders involved in an athletic program, and 29% of high schoolers participating in performing arts.
Completing the list of Michigan’s five best school districts is Midland Public Schools, a ten-school district headquartered in the city of Midland. The district boasts a graduation rate of 95%.
Top School Districts in Michigan, 2020
Rank School District City
1 Northville Public Schools Northville
2 Lake Orion Community Schools Lake Orion
3 Hudsonville Public School District Hudsonville
4 Novi Community School District Novi
5 Midland Public Schools Midland
6 Bloomfield Hills Schools Bloomfield Hills
7 Brighton Area Schools Brighton
8 Byron Center Public Schools Byron Center
9 Saline Area Schools Saline
10 Clarkston Community School District Clarkston
11 Spring Lake Public Schools Spring Lake
12 East Grand Rapids Public Schools Grand Rapids
13 St. Joseph Public Schools Saint Joseph
14 Hartland Consolidated Schools Howell
15 Zeeland Public Schools Zeeland
16 Okemos Public Schools Okemos
17 Anchor Bay School District Casco
18 Jenison Public Schools Jenison
19 West Ottawa Public School District Holland
20 Berkley School District Oak Park
21 Lakeview Public Schools (Macomb) Saint Clair Shores
22 Grandville Public Schools Grandville
23 Lowell Area Schools Lowell
24 Dewitt Public Schools Dewitt
25 Caledonia Community Schools Caledonia
26 Dexter Community School District Dexter
27 Howell Public Schools Howell
28 West Bloomfield School District West Bloomfield
29 Davison Community Schools Davison
30 Grand Haven Area Public Schools Grand Haven
31 Mattawan Consolidated School Mattawan
32 Fraser Public Schools Fraser
33 Haslett Public Schools Haslett
34 Marysville Public Schools Marysville
35 Linden Community Schools Linden
36 Oxford Community Schools Oxford
37 Grosse Ile Township Schools Grosse Ile
38 Royal Oak Schools Royal Oak
39 Coopersville Area Public School District Coopersville
40 Romeo Community Schools Romeo
41 East Lansing School District East Lansing
42 Grand Ledge Public Schools Grand Ledge
43 Chelsea School District Chelsea
44 St. Johns Public Schools Saint Johns
45 Lakeshore School District (Berrien) Stevensville
46 Southfield Public School District Southfield
47 Bedford Public Schools Temperance
48 Public Schools Of Petoskey Petoskey
49 Bullock Creek School District Midland
50 East China School District East China
51 Hamilton Community Schools Hamilton
52 Almont Community Schools Almont
53 Lapeer Community Schools Lapeer
54 Goodrich Area Schools Goodrich
55 Williamston Community Schools Williamston
56 Greenville Public Schools Greenville
57 Thornapple Kellogg School District Middleville
58 Frankenmuth School District Frankenmuth
59 Houghton-Portage Township School District Houghton
60 Saugatuck Public Schools Douglas
61 Holt Public Schools Holt
62 Avondale School District Auburn Hills
63 Otsego Public Schools Otsego
64 Mason Public Schools (Ingham) Mason
65 Wayland Union Schools Wayland
66 Freeland Community School District Freeland
67 Lakeview Sch. District (Calhoun) Battle Creek
68 Allendale Public Schools Allendale
69 Glen Lake Community Schools Maple City
70 Armada Area Schools Armada
71 Kingsley Area Schools Kingsley
72 Trenton Public Schools Trenton
73 Crestwood School District Dearborn Heights
74 Bridgman Public Schools Bridgman
75 Cedar Springs Public Schools Cedar Springs
76 Mona Shores Public School District Norton Shores
77 Manchester Community Schools Manchester
78 New Lothrop Area Public Schools New Lothrop
79 Riverview Community School District Riverview
80 Sparta Area Schools Sparta
81 Ida Public School District Ida
82 Lakewood Public Schools Woodland
83 Yale Public Schools Yale
84 Blissfield Community Schools Blissfield
85 Hopkins Public Schools Hopkins
86 Harbor Springs School District Harbor Springs
87 Allen Park Public Schools Allen Park
88 Gull Lake Community Schools Richland
89 Plainwell Community Schools Plainwell
90 Lake Fenton Community Schools Fenton
91 Fowler Public Schools Fowler
92 Fowlerville Community Schools Fowlerville
93 Woodhaven-Brownstown School District Woodhaven
94 Kenowa Hills Public Schools Grand Rapids
95 Flushing Community Schools Flushing
96 Cass City Public Schools Cass City
97 Imlay City Community Schools Imlay City
98 West Branch-Rose City Area Schools West Branch
99 Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools Westphalia
100 Elk Rapids Schools Elk Rapids
Methodology
The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.
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