Summary:
Fort Gratiot, Michigan, is served by three public schools within the Port Huron Area School District, comprising two elementary schools and one middle school that together educate roughly 1,447 students. The district itself ranks in the 26th percentile statewide, yet the schools within Fort Gratiot show dramatically different performance levels, making this a compelling area for parents to compare options.
Edison Elementary School is the clear standout, ranking in the 77th percentile statewide with a consistent 4-star rating. It outperforms its local peers by 20 to 30 percentage points in most subjects and maintains an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 10.6%—less than one-third the district average. Fort Gratiot Middle School also performs well, ranking in the 73rd percentile with particular strength in math, where 7th grade proficiency exceeds the state by nearly 10 points, and 8th grade PSAT math beats the state by a full 10 points. In contrast, Keewahdin Elementary School struggles, ranking in the 45th percentile with only 2-star ratings for three consecutive years. Keewahdin serves a higher-poverty population (52% free/reduced lunch) and shows significant year-over-year volatility in test scores.
Perhaps the most striking finding is that all three schools receive nearly identical per-student funding (~$14,400), yet outcomes diverge enormously—suggesting school-level factors, not resources, drive success. Chronic absenteeism emerges as the strongest lever for improvement: Fort Gratiot Middle School's rate of 31.6% and Keewahdin's 22.3% are both well above Edison's 10.6%, and reducing absenteeism to Edison's level would likely narrow achievement gaps substantially. For parents, Edison offers top-quartile academics with strong attendance, Fort Gratiot Middle School provides solid math instruction with room for growth in literacy, and Keewahdin presents challenges that may warrant closer investigation into its instructional consistency and support systems.
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