Best Public Schools in Clinton, MI

The city of Clinton, Michigan, is served by the Clinton Community Schools district, which operates five schools—two elementary, one middle, and two high school options—for approximately 1,238 students in Pre-K through 12th grade. This is a district with a clear split personality: its secondary schools are academic powerhouses, while its elementary school struggles to keep pace, particularly in math.

For parents, the standout is Clinton High School, ranked in the top 12% of Michigan high schools with a 98.7% graduation rate and test scores well above state averages in every subject. Its middle school, Clinton Middle School, is equally impressive, with 8th graders scoring 82.4% proficient in ELA versus 64.8% statewide. The tiny Clinton Virtual JrSr High School serves just 8 students with a perfect graduation rate and the district's lowest student-teacher ratio (8.2:1), though it costs 20% more per student than the traditional high school. The main concern is Clinton Elementary School, where 3rd-grade math proficiency (38.8%) and ELA (28.2%) both fall below state averages, and math scores decline steadily from 3rd to 5th grade. The DPP School of Early Learning serves Pre-K and kindergarten students but has the district's highest student-teacher ratio at 28.3:1.

The most encouraging trend is the dramatic academic surge between elementary and middle school—students arrive below state averages in 3rd grade but by 8th grade are outperforming their peers by nearly 28 points in ELA. The district also excels in science and social studies at every level, and its chronic absenteeism (23.2%) is better than the state average (27.9%), though Clinton High School itself has a puzzling 31.7% absenteeism rate despite its top rankings. Overall, this is a district where secondary education is exceptional, but elementary math intervention and resource allocation—particularly the high cost of the virtual school and low spending at the early learning center—deserve a closer look from parents.