Capac Community Schools

Capac Community Schools is a small, rural Michigan district serving roughly 681 students across three schools—Capac Elementary School (PK-6), Capac JrSr High School (7-12), and Capac Virtual Education Program (K-12)—with a moderate-to-high poverty population and a district ranking in the bottom third of Michigan (32nd percentile).

The clear standout is Capac JrSr High School, which posts a 93% graduation rate (well above the state’s 84%), a dropout rate of just 4.6%, and remarkably low chronic absenteeism at 9.4% versus 27.9% statewide. Its 8th-grade social studies proficiency (54.2%) actually beats the state average, and 11th-grade social studies nearly matches it. However, math is a glaring weakness—SAT math proficiency is 11.7% compared to 26.5% statewide, and PSAT math scores trail by 20-plus points. In contrast, Capac Elementary School shows a troubling “middle school cliff”: 3rd graders exceed state math averages (51.4% vs. 42.9%), but by 6th grade, proficiency collapses to 18.2% in math and just 12.1% in ELA. The Capac Virtual Education Program is the district’s weakest link, with a 64.2% graduation rate, a 21.4% dropout rate, and a 39:1 student-teacher ratio—all while spending only $6,471 per student compared to nearly $16,000 at the JrSr High.

For parents, the takeaway is mixed: the JrSr High demonstrates the district can achieve strong outcomes when resources are concentrated, but the elementary years show a steep academic slide that needs urgent attention. The virtual program’s low cost and poor results raise serious equity concerns, and systemic math deficiencies across every grade level are the district’s most critical challenge. Social studies stands out as a model subject, while chronic absenteeism is not the problem—instructional quality and curriculum rigor likely are.