Beaverton Schools

The Beaverton Schools district in Michigan serves about 874 students across two schools: Beaverton Junior/Senior High School (grades 6-12) and Beaverton Elementary School (grades PK-5). Both schools serve a largely economically disadvantaged population, with over half of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, and per-student spending is nearly identical at around $14,500.

The two schools are on very different trajectories. Beaverton Junior/Senior High School made a dramatic leap from a 1-star to a 3-star rating, climbing from the 25th to the 61st percentile in one year. Its standout performance is in the middle grades: 7th graders exceed state averages in math by 14 points (47.4% vs. 33.3%), and 8th graders beat the state in science by nearly 17 points (56% vs. 39.2%). However, the high school side struggles with college readiness—only 19.6% of 11th graders are proficient in SAT math (vs. 26.5% statewide)—and has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 34.1% and a dropout rate of 9.6%, both above state averages. In contrast, Beaverton Elementary School has slipped from a 3-star to a 2-star rating over two years. Its biggest concern is ELA, where proficiency ranges from just 21% to 32% across grades 3-5, a 12-20 point deficit versus the state. The elementary school does have a lower chronic absenteeism rate (22.8%) than the high school and a better student-teacher ratio (15.2:1 vs. 20.2:1).

For parents, the key takeaway is that the middle school years are a clear strength, while early literacy and high school readiness are the district's biggest challenges. The dramatic year-to-year swings in test scores (e.g., 6th grade ELA dropped from 44.6% to 18.8%) suggest small class sizes make single-year comparisons unreliable. The high school's improvement is promising, but the elementary school's declining ELA performance may foreshadow future struggles. Given the high school's elevated dropout and absenteeism rates, engagement and support systems appear just as critical as instruction. The district's near-identical spending per student at both schools, despite weaker elementary outcomes, raises questions about resource allocation that parents may want to explore.