Best Public Schools in Dewitt, MI

The city of DeWitt, Michigan, is served by the highly-rated DeWitt Public Schools district, which includes five schools—three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—collectively educating roughly 3,100 students from Pre-K through 12th grade in a suburban setting northwest of Lansing.

This is an elite district, ranking in the 95th percentile statewide with 5-star ratings across all schools. DeWitt High School stands out as the academic powerhouse, boasting a 97.3% graduation rate and exceptional SAT scores—particularly in Social Studies (77.4% proficiency vs. 43.2% statewide) and Reading/Writing (80.7% vs. 52.1%). DeWitt Middle School shows consistent excellence, with 8th graders achieving 85.1% proficiency in PSAT English Language Arts and 77.6% in Social Studies. Among the elementary schools, David Scott Elementary School (serving grades 2-3) provides a strong foundation with 3rd grade math proficiency at 67.8% and the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at 9.7%. Herbison Woods Elementary School (grades 4-5) and Schavey Road Elementary School (Pre-K-1st) round out the feeder pattern, with Schavey Road also showing impressively low absenteeism at 9.0%.

District-wide, students outperform state averages by 20-34 percentage points in nearly every subject, with chronic absenteeism at just 12.4% compared to the state's 27.9%. However, two areas warrant attention. First, math proficiency plateaus around 50-56% across all grade levels—a 25-30 point gap behind ELA scores, suggesting a district-wide challenge in math instruction. Second, 6th grade ELA proficiency at the middle school dropped sharply from 57.8% to 46.3% in one year, possibly indicating a transition issue for students entering middle school. The district also shows a socioeconomic advantage (only 11-15% free/reduced lunch) and spends between $12,863-$14,707 per student. While Social Studies is a clear strength at every level, 5th grade proficiency (41.8%) lags behind the exceptional performance seen in 8th and 11th grades, hinting at a possible curriculum gap at that specific grade.