Summary:
The city of Horton, Michigan, is served by the Hanover-Horton School District, which operates just two schools—Hanover-Horton High School (grades 9-12) and Hanover-Horton Middle School (grades 6-8)—together serving about 539 students in this small, rural community.
The high school is the district’s clear standout. It boasts an 88.4% graduation rate (above the state’s 84.0%), a remarkably low 2.5% dropout rate, and chronic absenteeism of just 11.7%—far better than the state average of 27.9%. Its best year was 2024-2025, when it ranked 101st in Michigan (86th percentile) with a 4-star rating, though it slipped to 305th (62nd percentile) the following year. In contrast, the middle school has declined steadily, falling from 354th to 472nd in rankings, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 22.1% is nearly double the high school’s. The middle school also serves more economically disadvantaged students (37.2% free/reduced lunch vs. 31.1% at the high school) and spends $3,230 less per student ($12,420 vs. $15,650).
The most urgent issue is a systemic math weakness. While both schools excel in PSAT English—8th graders hit 74.3% proficiency (+9.5 vs. state) and 10th graders 73.5% (+15.5)—math proficiency is alarmingly low. Just 17.9% of 7th graders and 16.2% of 8th graders are proficient in math, both roughly half the state average. This pattern persists into high school, where only 17.2% of 11th graders pass SAT math. The high school also saw a dramatic one-year test score drop across all subjects (e.g., SAT reading fell from 75% to 53.1%), coinciding with its ranking decline. For parents, this district offers strong literacy and graduation outcomes, but math intervention is clearly needed from middle school onward.
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