Best Public Schools in Reese, MI

The city of Reese, Michigan, is served by the Reese Public Schools district, which includes three schools—an elementary school (PK-5), a middle school (6-8), and a high school (9-12)—with a combined enrollment of 743 students in a small, close-knit community.

For parents, the standout school in this district is clearly Reese Elementary School, which earns a 4-star rating and consistently outperforms state averages in both English Language Arts and Math. For example, 3rd-grade math proficiency is 69.2% compared to the state's 42.9%. This is especially impressive given that over 58% of its students qualify for free/reduced lunch. In contrast, Reese Middle School is the district's weakest link, holding a 2-star rating and falling below state averages in nearly every subject. The drop-off from elementary to middle school is stark—5th-grade ELA proficiency is near the state average, but by 7th grade it falls to 30.5% versus the state's 38.4%. Reese High School presents a mixed picture: students excel in reading and writing on the SAT (58.5% proficient vs. 52.1% statewide) and boast a graduation rate of 88.1%, but math is a serious weakness, with only 27.7% proficient on the SAT and 9th-grade PSAT math scores at just 15% (state: 33.5%).

One of the most positive findings is attendance—chronic absenteeism across all three schools is roughly 10 points lower than the state average (around 17-18% vs. 27.9%), meaning students are showing up ready to learn. Per-student spending is consistent at about $13,200-$13,600, and student-teacher ratios are reasonable, increasing from 17.5 at the elementary level to 21.2 at the middle school. The district overall ranks 227th out of 625 in Michigan (64th percentile, 3 stars). The key takeaway for parents is that Reese Elementary provides an excellent foundation, but the middle school years represent a critical challenge that the district must address to ensure students don't lose ground before reaching a high school that otherwise does a good job of graduating its students.