Summary:
Union City Community Schools serves the city of Union City, Michigan, with three schools covering grades PK-12: Union City Elementary School (PK-4), Union City Middle School (5-8), and Union City High School (9-12), serving roughly 909 students in a small, economically diverse community.
The standout school is Union City Middle School, which has earned a 3-star rating for three straight years and posts the district’s strongest test scores—especially in 8th grade PSAT, where 76.6% of students are proficient in English and 44.7% in math, both well above state averages. Union City High School is the district’s biggest improver, jumping from the 28th to 59th percentile in one year, and now exceeds state averages in 11th grade science (41.3%) and social studies (50.7%). It also boasts a 93.7% graduation rate and a 3.7% dropout rate—far better than state norms. In contrast, Union City Elementary School is struggling, ranking in the 13th percentile with proficiency rates in 3rd and 4th grade math and ELA that are roughly half the state average.
Parents should note a few key patterns. The middle school is a clear academic leader, while the high school shows strong momentum and keeps students on track to graduate, despite a high chronic absenteeism rate of 34%. The elementary school, however, needs urgent attention—its scores have dropped sharply, and it serves the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students (62.1%) yet receives the least funding per pupil ($15,035 vs. $17,439 at the high school). There are also dramatic year-to-year swings in test scores across all grades, suggesting instability that may be due to changing cohorts or testing conditions. Overall, this district has pockets of excellence—especially at the middle and high school levels—but families with younger children may want to ask about early literacy and math support at the elementary school.
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