Best High Schools in Allendale, MI

The city of Allendale, Michigan is home to two high schools: Allendale High School and New Options High School. Allendale High School, a public school serving grades 8-12, stands out as the higher-performing of the two, with stronger academic metrics, a lower student-teacher ratio, and a less economically disadvantaged student population.

Allendale High School has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, ranking between 225-255 out of 735-743 Michigan high schools. The school outperforms the state average on key assessments, including SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (65.6% proficient vs. 55.4% statewide) and SAT Mathematics (36.7% proficient vs. 27.5% statewide). In contrast, New Options High School, a smaller virtual public school, has a much lower statewide ranking, ranging from 519 to 716 out of 824-852 Michigan high schools in recent years.

While both schools have the same 4-year graduation rate (82.8%) and dropout rate (7.6%), the significant difference in free/reduced lunch rates (25.52% at Allendale High School vs. 57.78% at New Options High School) suggests that New Options High School serves a more economically disadvantaged student population, which may contribute to its lower academic performance. Additionally, the higher student-teacher ratio at New Options High School (39.8) compared to Allendale High School (20.8) could also be a factor in the virtual school's lower outcomes.