Summary:
North Saginaw Charter Academy is a single charter school in Saginaw, Michigan, serving 679 students in grades PK-8, where 95.43% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch and the student-teacher ratio is 18.6:1.
This school faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 50.6%—nearly double the state average of 27.9%—which directly impacts learning. Academic proficiency lags behind state averages across nearly every subject and grade level. In math, no grade exceeds 25.3% proficiency, with gaps ranging from -11.6 to -17.9 percentage points compared to the state. Reading scores are more stable but still trail, with 5th grade ELA at 30% versus the state's 43.8%. The school's state ranking has declined from 983rd (2023-2024) to 1,129th (2025-2026), placing it in the bottom quarter of Michigan schools. The most concerning area is 5th grade, where math proficiency drops to 15.9%, science to 13.9%, and social studies to just 6.9%—a dramatic "achievement cliff" after 4th grade.
Despite these struggles, there are notable bright spots. Eighth graders show remarkable improvement, with social studies jumping 18.8 percentage points year-over-year to 34.8%, and PSAT math rising 11.7 points to 25.4%. Eighth grade PSAT ELA is the school's strongest subject at 53.7%. These gains suggest effective middle school interventions worth replicating in earlier grades. The school spends $12,579 per student, yet outcomes don't reflect that investment, likely due to the overwhelming poverty factor affecting nearly all students. For parents, the key takeaway is that while this school serves an extremely economically disadvantaged population and faces systemic attendance and math challenges, the 8th grade improvements demonstrate that progress is possible with targeted support. The school's stability in ELA instruction and recent gains in upper grades offer hope, but addressing chronic absenteeism and the 5th grade transition should be top priorities for improvement.
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