Best Public Schools in Carsonville, MI

Carsonville-Port Sanilac School District serves the city of Carsonville, Michigan, with three schools covering grades PK-12 and enrolling roughly 405 students in a rural, small-town setting. The district’s story is one of stark contrasts: the high school is a clear standout, while the elementary school and alternative learning center face significant challenges.

Carsonville-Port Sanilac High School is the district’s flagship, earning a 4-star rating for three straight years and climbing to the 74th percentile statewide. It boasts a perfect 100% graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate, far exceeding the district and state averages. The high school outperforms Michigan state averages in most subjects, particularly science (52.2% proficient vs. 35.2% state) and social studies (65.2% vs. 43.2%). However, SAT math proficiency lags at just 26.1%, creating a large gap with reading/writing (60.9%). In contrast, Carsonville-Port Sanilac Elementary School is struggling—its state ranking dropped 16 percentile points in one year, and every grade and subject falls below state averages, with 5th grade math at only 13% proficiency. The elementary school also spends the most per student ($17,942) yet shows the weakest results, suggesting resource allocation isn’t translating into outcomes.

The Carsonville-Port Sanilac Learning Center, an alternative program for grades 6-12, is the most concerning. It serves the highest-need students (79% free/reduced lunch) but receives the least funding ($8,012 per student) and has an extreme 112.7:1 student-teacher ratio, likely indicating a virtual model. Its graduation rate is just 50%, with a 20% dropout rate and 81.9% chronic absenteeism. Meanwhile, the high school’s 6th to 7th grade test scores show a dramatic drop (e.g., ELA from 60% to 21% proficiency), pointing to a possible middle-school transition issue. Chronic absenteeism is also elevated at the high school (32.8%), yet it still achieves strong outcomes—a sign that effective interventions exist at the secondary level but haven’t been replicated downward.