Best Public Schools in Durand, MI

The city of Durand, Michigan, is served by the Durand Area Schools district, which operates four schools—two elementary, one middle, and one high school—for approximately 1,208 students in grades PK-12. The district overall earns a 2-star rating, but performance varies dramatically by grade level, with the high school emerging as the clear standout while the middle school faces significant academic challenges.

Durand Area High School is the district's success story, ranking in the 64th percentile statewide and earning 3 stars. It boasts a remarkable 94.2% graduation rate (10 points above the state average) and a 0.0% dropout rate. The school also showed exceptional year-over-year improvement, jumping 142 spots in state rankings, with science proficiency surging from 28.9% to 42.9% and SAT Reading/Writing improving by over 11 points. In contrast, Durand Middle School represents the district's greatest weakness, with 7th-grade ELA proficiency at 25.2% (13.2 points below state) and 7th-grade math at 20.7% (12.6 points below state). The middle school also receives the least funding per student ($13,092) despite having the highest student-to-teacher ratio (18.5:1), raising questions about resource allocation. Robert Kerr School (grades 2-5) shows modest performance, with its only notable strength being 5th-grade science at 40% proficiency, while Bertha Neal School (PK-1) benefits from the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.5:1) and highest per-student spending ($16,965).

Mathematics is a district-wide weakness, with proficiency gaps widening from elementary through middle school—4th-grade math lags the state by 13.4 points, and all middle school math scores fall 10-13 points below average. However, the district excels at student attendance, with chronic absenteeism at 22.2% versus the state's 27.9%, and all schools beat state averages. The dramatic "middle school slide" followed by strong high school performance suggests students may recover academically later, but the transition years clearly need intervention. For parents, this district offers an excellent high school experience with strong graduation outcomes, but they should be prepared to provide additional math support, particularly during the middle school years.