Madison Academy

The Madison Academy district is a small, two-school system in the Flint/Burton area of Michigan, serving 638 students in grades K-12 across Madison Academy ElementaryMiddle School (K-8) and Madison Academy High School (9-12), with both schools facing the challenge of very high poverty rates.

For parents, the standout story here is the high school's graduation rate. Madison Academy High School graduates 89.6% of its students, which is actually above the state average of 84.0%. This is a remarkable achievement given that test scores are low, and it suggests the school is very effective at keeping students on track to earn a diploma. In contrast, academic proficiency is a major concern. At the high school, math scores are critically low, with only about 5% of 9th and 10th graders proficient on the PSAT, and 11th-grade SAT reading scores sit at just 16% proficiency. The elementary/middle school shows a more mixed picture. While early-grade math is very weak (3rd grade at 16.7% proficiency), there is a notable bright spot in 6th grade ELA, where 41.7% of students are proficient—actually beating the state average of 37.5%. The K-8 school also has a strong 8th-grade social studies performance relative to its other subjects.

Comparing the two campuses, the K-8 school generally outperforms the high school on state tests, but both struggle with chronic absenteeism, which affects nearly half of all students—roughly double the state rate. A key takeaway is that while Madison Academy ElementaryMiddle School spends an exceptional $30,629 per student and maintains a very low student-teacher ratio of about 6.7:1, these resources have not translated into strong test scores, particularly in math. The district's real strength appears to be in student persistence, as evidenced by the high school's above-average graduation rate, but improving daily attendance and foundational math skills are the most urgent areas needing attention to boost overall academic achievement.