Summary:
The city of Hillman, Michigan, is served by the Hillman Community Schools district, which operates just two schools—Hillman Community JrSr High School (grades 6-12) and Hillman Elementary School (grades PK-5)—together educating roughly 432 students in this small, rural community.
For parents, the most striking takeaway is a dramatic "middle school cliff." While 5th graders at Hillman Elementary School score near state averages in both reading and math, proficiency collapses upon entering Hillman Community JrSr High School—6th grade reading drops to 18.5% and 7th grade math falls to just 9.7%. This transition problem is mirrored by attendance: chronic absenteeism is 22.9% at the elementary but jumps to 31.2% at the secondary level. Another paradox is the extreme gap between verbal and math skills. By 11th grade, students score 5 points above the state average on SAT reading (57.1%) but a staggering 15 points below on SAT math (11.4%). The high school also saw a rapid fall from a 4-star rating (83rd percentile) in 2023-2024 to a 2-star rating (42nd percentile) in 2025-2026, despite maintaining a strong 92.8% graduation rate—nearly 9 points above the state average.
Comparing the two schools, the elementary is improving steadily (now at the 33rd percentile) but shows erratic year-to-year swings due to small class sizes, such as 4th grade math collapsing from 38.9% to 10.8% in one year. The Jr/Sr High School, while struggling in math and middle grades, posts excellent 8th grade PSAT reading scores (68.6%, above state) and near-average 11th grade science and social studies results. With per-student spending around $16,400-$16,800—well above the Michigan average—parents may question resource allocation, especially given the severe math deficits and the apparent disengagement that begins in 6th grade. The district's biggest opportunity lies in investigating that 5th-to-6th grade transition and targeting math interventions at the secondary level.
Thank you for your feedback!