Summary:
The Chelsea School District in Michigan serves approximately 2,236 students across four schools—North Creek Elementary School (PK-2), South Meadows Elementary School (3-5), Beach Middle School (6-8), and Chelsea High School (9-12)—and ranks 42nd out of 625 Michigan districts with a 5-star rating.
For parents, the standout is Chelsea High School, ranked 33rd of 800 high schools statewide with a 96.7% graduation rate and SAT math proficiency of 59.1% versus the state's 26.5%. Beach Middle School is equally impressive, consistently ranking in the 93rd-98th percentile of Michigan middle schools; its 8th graders post 77.1% PSAT math proficiency versus 33.2% statewide. North Creek Elementary School serves the youngest students well, while South Meadows Elementary School holds a 4-star rating but has slipped from 204th to 326th in state rankings over three years—still above state averages but the district's relative weak spot, especially in 3rd grade ELA (44.4% vs. 37.9% statewide).
District-wide, math is the crown jewel: students outperform state averages by 30-47 percentage points at every grade level, suggesting a strong vertically-aligned curriculum. However, chronic absenteeism at Chelsea High School (27.0%) nearly matches the state average (27.9%), despite stellar outcomes—likely reflecting senior flexibility or dual enrollment. Meanwhile, Beach Middle School has just 10.3% chronic absenteeism. Social studies shows the smallest advantage over state averages, and year-over-year score swings (e.g., 5th grade math dropping 16.9 points at South Meadows) suggest cohort effects rather than systemic issues. Per-student spending ranges from $16,462 to $17,630, with the high school receiving the most resources.
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