Summary:
Jackson Preparatory Early College is a single-school district in Jackson, MI, serving grades 6 through 12 with 260 students under the Jackson Preparatory & Early College district umbrella.
This school is a study in contrasts. It shows genuine strength in humanities: 8th-grade social studies proficiency (70%) and science (58.1%) far exceed state averages, and ELA scores are consistently above state levels across most grades. However, mathematics is a significant weakness. 7th-grade math proficiency sits at just 9.68%—a dramatic 23.6-point deficit from the state—and SAT math scores (11.9%) are less than half the state rate. This math struggle appears to worsen over time, with 8th-grade PSAT math (48.4%) being a bright spot that fades by 9th grade (23.9%). The school's state ranking has dropped sharply from the 83rd to the 54th percentile over two years, despite many scores remaining above average, suggesting the 7th-grade math collapse and other factors are dragging down its composite standing.
Beyond test scores, the school faces serious engagement challenges. Chronic absenteeism is 40.8%—nearly 13 points above the state—and the dropout rate is 11.1%, both troubling for an early college program. The graduation rate (77.7%) also trails the state by 6.3 points. Interestingly, the school has a relatively low poverty rate (29.62% free/reduced lunch), so these attendance issues aren't primarily economic. The "early college paradox" is evident: performance in both ELA and math declines in upper grades, suggesting students may struggle with the transition to college-level rigor. With per-student spending at $11,177 and a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio, the most urgent priorities should be math intervention, especially in middle school, and programs to boost attendance and retention. If the school can address these while preserving its humanities strengths, it could reverse its ranking decline and better serve its mission.
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