Best Public Schools in Almont, MI

The city of Almont, Michigan, is served by the three schools of the Almont Community Schools district, which together educate roughly 1,389 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. This is a high-performing, 4-star district, ranking in the 89th percentile statewide, and it offers a clear K-12 pipeline that parents can evaluate from the primary years through high school.

For parents, the standout story is the dramatic improvement at Almont Middle School, which jumped 76 spots in the state rankings over two years to reach the 90th percentile. This momentum is fueled by strong 6th-grade scores, but it is tempered by a significant anomaly in 5th grade, where both ELA and math proficiency dropped by roughly 14 to 21 percentage points in a single year. Meanwhile, Orchard Primary School serves as the academic foundation, earning a 5-star rating with 3rd-grade proficiency rates more than 20 points above the state average in both reading and math. At the top of the pipeline, Almont High School is a consistent performer with a 91.9% graduation rate, far exceeding the state average, and strong scores in 8th-grade science and social studies.

However, there are clear areas of concern. Chronic absenteeism at the high school (27.2%) is nearly double the rate seen in the lower grades and matches the state average, suggesting engagement drops off significantly in later years. Additionally, 11th-grade SAT math proficiency (26.3%) actually falls below the state average, a puzzling decline given that math scores in earlier grades exceed state benchmarks. The district also shows an unusual socioeconomic pattern, with free/reduced lunch eligibility dropping from 32.5% at the primary school to just 19% at the high school. While the middle school spends the least per student, it achieved the most dramatic ranking improvement, suggesting efficient resource use. Overall, this district excels in early education and social studies, but addressing the high school absenteeism, the 5th-grade slump, and the SAT math gap will be key to reaching the 5-star tier across the board.