Summary:
Insight School of Michigan is a single virtual high school in Lansing serving grades 9-12 with 862 students, operating as its own district and facing severe academic and engagement challenges.
This online school is in crisis across nearly every measurable category. The graduation rate stands at just 45.4% compared to the state average of 84%, while the dropout rate of 25.8% is more than triple the state's 7.1%. Perhaps most telling is the chronic absenteeism rate of 73.2% — nearly three-quarters of students are not regularly engaging with their coursework, a fundamental problem for a virtual school where attendance requires self-motivation. The school's state ranking has collapsed dramatically, falling from 579th out of 743 schools (22nd percentile) in 2023-2024 to 703rd out of 739 (5th percentile) in 2024-2025, and it has earned zero stars in the most recent two rating periods.
Test scores reveal systemic failures, particularly in mathematics. Only 2.34% of 10th graders are proficient in math on the PSAT — meaning roughly 97.7% are not meeting standards. Reading and writing scores are also deeply concerning, with proficiency ranging from 18.5% (11th grade SAT) to 26.9% (9th grade PSAT), all roughly 33-36 points below state averages. Notably, ELA proficiency actually declines as students advance through grade levels, suggesting students fall further behind rather than gain skills. While social studies improved from 10.4% to 17.2% year-over-year, science dipped slightly to 10.4%. The school serves a predominantly low-income population (77.6% free/reduced lunch) and spends $11,857 per student — comparable to traditional schools — yet achieves results far below what socioeconomic factors alone would predict. This raises serious questions about whether the virtual model is effectively serving these students, especially given the rapid decline in rankings and the extraordinary level of student disengagement reflected in the absenteeism and dropout data.
Thank you for your feedback!