Summary:
The Great Lakes Learning Academy district in East Lansing, MI, operates two high schools serving grades 9-12 (with one also covering grades 6-8) and faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the 13th percentile statewide. Both schools serve a high proportion of economically disadvantaged students, but they differ sharply in size, structure, and outcomes.
The Great Lakes Learning Academy Middle/High School is the larger and higher-performing campus, enrolling 760 students in grades 6-12. It posts a graduation rate of 68.6% and a dropout rate of 14.0%, both well off the state averages of 84.0% and 7.1%, respectively. Its relative strength is in English Language Arts, with 8th-grade PSAT ELA proficiency at 52.9% (state: 64.8%), and it showed a slight improvement in state ranking from the 12th to 22nd percentile between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. However, math proficiency is critically low—just 5.1% of 8th graders, 10.8% of 9th graders, and 5.5% of 10th graders scored proficient on the PSAT Math. Chronic absenteeism affects 32.7% of students, and per-student spending is $10,057.
In contrast, the Great Lakes Learning Academy Alternative High School serves a smaller, more at-risk population of 163 students in grades 9-12. Its challenges are severe: a graduation rate of just 27.1%, a dropout rate of 38.3%, and chronic absenteeism at 55.0%. Academic proficiency is also lower, with 11th-grade SAT reading at 24.0% and science at 12.0% (state: 52.1% and 35.2%). Despite spending more than double per student ($22,724), outcomes remain far below the main campus. The district’s primary barrier appears to be attendance, which directly impacts test scores and graduation. While the alternative school likely provides necessary intervention services, the data suggests that improving student engagement and attendance must be the first priority for both campuses.
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