Cass City Public Schools

Cass City Public Schools is a small, rural Michigan district serving approximately 877 students across two schools: Cass City Elementary (grades PK-6) and Cass City Junior and Senior High School (grades 7-12). The district ranks in the 86th percentile statewide, earning a 4-star rating, and serves a significant population of economically disadvantaged students.

Cass City Elementary is the district’s academic standout, consistently exceeding state proficiency rates across nearly every subject and grade level. In 3rd grade, 70.1% of students are proficient in math and 66.7% in English language arts—both roughly 28 points above state averages. Even with 56.4% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, the school maintains a 4-star rating. However, there is a notable math decline as students advance: proficiency drops from 70.1% in 3rd grade to just 36.8% by 5th grade, a pattern seen in prior years as well. Chronic absenteeism is remarkably low at 8.4%, less than one-third of the state average.

Cass City Junior and Senior High School is the district’s rising star, improving its state ranking by 110 positions over two years to 196th. The school posts a 94.8% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate, both exceptional. Seventh-grade ELA proficiency (62.1%) exceeds the state by nearly 24 points, and 11th-grade social studies (62.9%) beats the state by almost 20 points. However, 11th-grade SAT math (21.4%) falls below the state average (26.5%), a sharp drop from the prior year despite strong 10th-grade PSAT math scores (50.8% vs. 31.5% state). Chronic absenteeism (15.3%) is also well below the state figure. While the elementary school currently outperforms the secondary school academically, the high school’s rapid improvement and strong retention metrics suggest the district is building momentum across all grade levels.