Best Public Schools in Martin, MI

The city of Martin, Michigan, is served by the Martin Public Schools district, which includes two schools—Martin High School (grades 6-12) and Robert D Brandon Elementary School (grades PK-5)—together educating about 629 students in a predominantly middle-income area where roughly 42-50% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

For parents, the standout story is Martin High School, which excels at keeping students on track: it boasts a 94.3% graduation rate (well above the state’s 84%), a 0% dropout rate, and exceptional 10th-grade PSAT reading scores (81% proficiency vs. 58% statewide). However, this academic strength doesn’t fully carry over to college readiness—only 12.5% of 11th graders meet SAT math benchmarks, compared to 26.5% statewide. Meanwhile, Robert D Brandon Elementary School shines in specific areas, particularly 4th-grade ELA (53.3% proficiency, beating the state by 11 points) and 5th-grade science (51% vs. 40% state). The elementary school also has a slightly better student-teacher ratio (16.7:1) than the high school (18.8:1), though it serves a higher percentage of low-income students (50% vs. 42%).

Across both schools, science is a clear strength, with 8th graders outperforming the state by 10 points, while math remains the district’s biggest challenge—proficiency drops from 14-31% in elementary grades to just 11-23% in middle school. Parents should note the dramatic year-to-year swings in test scores (e.g., 3rd-grade ELA halved from 40.5% to 20.8%), likely due to small class sizes. Chronic absenteeism has improved significantly district-wide to 9.6%, though the elementary school’s rate (15.4%) still trails that mark. Ultimately, this district invests heavily per student (over $14,700 at both schools) and excels at graduating students, but the persistent math gaps and uneven middle-school performance suggest families should monitor subject-specific progress closely.