Summary:
The Blended Learning Academies Credit Recovery High School district in Michigan operates two small, alternative high schools serving grades 9-12 in Lansing and Livonia, designed specifically for students who have fallen behind academically and need credit recovery pathways to graduation.
Both campuses face severe challenges, with graduation rates around 30-33% compared to the state average of 84%. The larger Blended Learning Academies Credit Recovery High School in Lansing (159 students) graduates slightly more students (33.3%) than the tiny Blended Learning Academies Credit Recovery High School Liv campus (28 students) at 30.0%. However, the Livonia campus has a much higher dropout rate (30% vs. 16%) despite spending 27% more per student ($11,808 vs. $9,264) and having a better student-teacher ratio (28:1 vs. 33.8:1). The most alarming statistic is chronic absenteeism—the Lansing campus reports 92.2% of students chronically absent, more than triple the state rate, while Livonia reported 70.5% the prior year. This near-universal absenteeism fundamentally undermines any academic progress.
Test scores at the Lansing campus (the only one with data) are well below state averages across all subjects, though there are bright spots: 10th graders scored 52.4% proficient in PSAT ELA, close to the state's 58%, and 11th graders outperformed the district in Social Studies (26.3% vs. 23.1%). The school has shown modest improvement in state ranking over three years, moving from the 12th to 28th percentile. Both schools serve high-needs populations with about half of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. While the district's systemic struggles are evident—with district-wide chronic absenteeism at 92.5%—the Lansing campus's upward trajectory offers a glimmer of hope, though both schools remain dramatically below state averages in nearly every measurable outcome.
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