Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

JW Sexton High School

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12
687th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 739 Michigan High Schools
Better than 7% of Michigan high schools
Summary

JW Sexton High School is a public magnet high school in Lansing, Michigan, serving grades 8-12 with a total enrollment of 745 students. The school is part of the Lansing Public School District, which is ranked 526 out of 613 districts in Michigan and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

JW Sexton High School consistently performs below the state and district averages on standardized tests, with only 14.9% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in M-Step/Science, compared to 18.1% for the Lansing Public School District and 34.9% statewide. The school also has a relatively low 4-year graduation rate, ranging from 76.3% to 88.9% over the past few years, and a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 29.5% to 80.8%. Additionally, the school serves a student population with a very high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage.

When comparing JW Sexton High School to other nearby schools in the Lansing Public School District, such as Eastern High School and Everett High School, the performance gaps are evident. These schools consistently outperform JW Sexton High School on academic measures, have higher graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism. Despite the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, JW Sexton High School spends a relatively high amount per student, ranging from $17,372 to $22,700 per year, suggesting the school may be facing challenges in effectively utilizing its resources to improve student outcomes.

586
Students ?
18.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$24,562
Per pupil spending ?
90.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 102 McPherson Ave
       Lansing, MI  48915-1760

(517) 755-1070

District: Lansing Public School District


Feeder schools for JW Sexton High School:

Elementary:    Forrest G Averill School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
56.7%
White:
14.7%
Hispanic:
12.5%
more
 See top rated Michigan high schools

 Compare JW Sexton High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2013 → 7th in 2025
Strengths
91% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Michigan average (14% vs 44% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (63% vs 28% Michigan)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school14%
District avg21%
Michigan avg44%
687th of 739
Michigan public high schools ?
Bottom 7%▼ down 15 pts since 2015
From bottom 22% (2015) to bottom 7% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
3rd of 3High Schools in the Lansing Public School District
526th of 613Lansing Public School District among Michigan districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20246.8868 of 8973.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20235.6861 of 8832.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20223.8771 of 7760.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20187.6822 of 8381.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20167.4837 of 8946.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20159.7838 of 9198.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20146.8881 of 9214.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20136.0896 of 9192.5%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201818.8333 of 3669.0%☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20181.3104 of 1040.0%☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201817.8148 of 1543.9%☆☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20192.6654 of 6580.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20184.9789 of 7940.6%☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20248.2808 of 8363.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20236.9803 of 8252.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20223.6689 of 6910.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20189.6776 of 8154.8%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20245.5773 of 7861.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20234.1773 of 7760.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20189.2750 of 7975.9%☆☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20183.7671 of 6781.0%☆☆☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20257.3687 of 7397.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20246.9694 of 7436.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20238.7675 of 7358.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20193.9643 of 6663.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20188.6724 of 82412.1%★☆☆☆☆
20176.7711 of 83514.9%★☆☆☆☆
201613.7677 of 85220.5%★☆☆☆☆
201521.1652 of 83221.6%★☆☆☆☆
201415.7641 of 79919.8%★☆☆☆☆
201319.7609 of 80524.3%★☆☆☆☆
201211.2672 of 77313.1%★☆☆☆☆
201125.5595 of 78424.1%★☆☆☆☆
201028.3567 of 76525.9%★☆☆☆☆
200930.6562 of 75425.5%★☆☆☆☆
200829.7569 of 75024.1%★☆☆☆☆
200730.3569 of 76725.8%★☆☆☆☆
200628.3557 of 70521.0%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202510.3188 of 1922.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202417.4163 of 18813.3%★☆☆☆☆
202321.0144 of 17015.3%★☆☆☆☆
201810.5237 of 2546.7%☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20182.884 of 873.4%☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201827.979 of 10222.5%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20255.5607 of 6293.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20244.7600 of 6193.1%☆☆☆☆☆
20239.4560 of 6118.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20192.3543 of 5542.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20184.8661 of 7106.9%☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202527.7149 of 20326.6%★☆☆☆☆
202322.3157 of 19017.4%★☆☆☆☆
201831.7123 of 20138.8%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20258.9595 of 6356.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20246.4627 of 6544.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202310.8565 of 6148.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20193.9516 of 5323.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20188.8676 of 75510.5%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20255.3600 of 6284.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20245.0605 of 6334.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20235.5587 of 6113.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20192.2533 of 5431.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20186.7644 of 7078.9%☆☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202530.4450 of 63929.6%★☆☆☆☆
202427.7468 of 63826.6%★☆☆☆☆
20238.5617 of 6474.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20187.0631 of 70810.9%★☆☆☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Middle school
African American (2018)9th percentile+7 vs school
English Language Learner (2018)4th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2024)3rd percentile~ school
Male (2024)2nd percentile~ school
White (2018)1st percentile~ school
Female (2019)1st percentile
Asian (2018)<1st percentile~ school
High school
White (2025)30th percentile+23 vs school
Hispanic (2025)27th percentile+20 vs school
English Language Learner (2018)23rd percentile+10 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school
Male (2025)4th percentile-3 vs school
Female (2025)3rd percentile-4 vs school
Asian (2018)3rd percentile-9 vs school
African American (2025)2nd percentile-5 vs school
By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing18%-38 vs state
Science15%-20 vs state
Social Studies10%-32 vs state

No ratings yet
Be the first to rate JW Sexton High School and help other families decide.
Rate JW Sexton High School
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.



Schools Near JW Sexton High School









Frequently Asked Questions about JW Sexton High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 586 students attended JW Sexton High School.

Students at JW Sexton High School are 57% African American, 15% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

JW Sexton High School ranks in the bottom 7.0% of Michigan high schools.

JW Sexton High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Forrest G Averill School


Rate JW Sexton High School!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for JW Sexton High School!




SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





Diagnostics