Summary:
The city of Escanaba, Michigan, is served by 7 schools spanning pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, with most belonging to the Escanaba Area Public Schools district, alongside two specialized institutions operated by the Delta-Schoolcraft Independent School District (Isd) and the Michigan Department of Human Services.
For parents, the standout choice is clearly Escanaba JuniorSenior High School, which serves grades 6-12 and outperforms state averages in nearly every subject. Its 93.6% graduation rate far exceeds the state’s 84%, its dropout rate is just 1.9%, and its 11th graders score nearly double the state average in science (62.3% vs. 35.2%). The school also has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the district at 16.7%. At the elementary level, Escanaba Upper Elementary (grades 3-5) shows strong 5th-grade science and math scores, though its 4th-grade ELA proficiency (30.1%) lags behind the state (41.3%). Lemmer Elementary School (grades 1-2) and Webster Kindergarten Center round out the early grades, with Webster receiving the highest per-student funding ($17,808) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.2:1), though its chronic absenteeism (26.4%) is a concern.
The biggest red flag is Escanaba Student Success Center, an alternative high school that receives the lowest per-student funding ($7,749) despite serving the highest-need population (75.96% free/reduced lunch). Its outcomes are poor: 50.7% chronic absenteeism, a 70.7% graduation rate, and test scores 20-30 points below state averages. The specialized Learning Center and Bay Pines Center serve highly transient, high-need students and show extreme metrics (0% and 21.4% graduation rates, respectively), but these are not comparable to traditional schools. Notably, math scores at Escanaba Upper Elementary declined sharply from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026 (5th grade dropped from 45.1% to 30.3%), suggesting a curriculum or cohort issue worth investigating.
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