Summary:
The Public Schools of Calumet Laurium & Keweenaw district in Michigan's rural Upper Peninsula serves 598 high school students across two very different schools: Calumet High School, a traditional comprehensive school with 525 students, and CHSHorizons School, a much smaller alternative program with 73 students.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that these two schools offer vastly different experiences and outcomes. Calumet High School is the clear academic leader, ranking in the 84th percentile statewide and improving its position by 45 spots over two years. It outperforms state averages in nearly every subject, with particularly strong science (56.7% proficiency vs. 35.2% statewide) and reading/writing scores (69.7% vs. 52.1%). Its graduation rate of 89.6% exceeds the state average, and its dropout rate of 1.6% is remarkably low. In contrast, CHSHorizons School ranks in the bottom 16% of Michigan schools, with a graduation rate of just 57.1% and a dropout rate of 10.7%. Nearly half of its students are chronically absent, and 72.6% qualify for free/reduced lunch—nearly double the rate at Calumet High. While CHSHorizons spends more per student ($16,403 vs. $14,019) and has smaller classes (11.6:1 vs. 17.7:1), these resources have not translated into better outcomes, likely reflecting the significant challenges its student population faces.
One notable concern across the district is chronic absenteeism, which affects 30.4% of Calumet High students—higher than the state average of 27.9%—despite the school's strong academics. Mathematics is also a relative weakness at Calumet High, with only 31.9% of 11th graders proficient in SAT math compared to 69.7% in reading/writing. The district's overall 4-star rating masks this internal disparity, so parents should carefully consider which school best fits their child's needs, knowing that Calumet High offers strong traditional academics while CHSHorizons serves a higher-need population with more intensive support structures.
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