Chippewa Hills School District

The Chippewa Hills School District is a rural district in central Michigan serving approximately 1,773 students across six schools, from Pre-K through 12th grade, with three elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools.

For parents, the standout school in this district is clearly Weidman Elementary School, which ranks in the top 10% of all Michigan elementary schools and earns a 5-star rating. What makes this remarkable is that Weidman achieves this while serving a student population where 73.3% qualify for free/reduced lunch—the second-highest poverty rate among the district's elementaries. Its 3rd-grade math proficiency of 85% is double the state average. By contrast, Barryton Elementary School and Mecosta Elementary School perform closer to state averages, with Barryton ranking in the 50th percentile and Mecosta in the 63rd. At the secondary level, Chippewa Hills Middle School shows strong momentum, improving from the 60th to 70th percentile over three years, with 7th-grade math proficiency (43.9%) significantly exceeding the state average. However, Chippewa Hills High School struggles mightily in math—only 9% of 11th graders are proficient on the SAT, compared to 26.5% statewide. The most concerning school is Mosaic School, which serves just 89 students with an 84.3% free/reduced lunch rate, a 57.1% chronic absenteeism rate, a 29.6:1 student-teacher ratio, and a 51.7% graduation rate.

The district shows a troubling pattern of academic decline as students advance. Elementary students generally exceed state averages, middle schoolers remain competitive, but high schoolers fall significantly behind—especially in mathematics. The drop between 8th and 9th grade is particularly steep, suggesting transition issues. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide challenge, with every school except the high school exceeding the state rate of 27.9%. While the traditional high school pathway graduates 86.6% of students (above the state average), Mosaic's poor outcomes drag the district-wide rate down to 78.5%. On a positive note, English Language Arts performance remains strong through high school, with 10th-grade PSAT ELA proficiency at 64.4% versus 58.0% statewide, indicating the math decline is subject-specific rather than a general academic problem.