Summary:
Coloma High School is the sole high school in the Coloma Community Schools district, serving grades 9 through 12 with 336 students in a rural Michigan community. This single-school district presents a clear picture of one institution’s strengths and challenges relative to state averages.
Overall, Coloma High School is a below-average performer academically, with its state ranking dropping from the 44th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 37th percentile in 2025-2026. The school’s most notable bright spot is English Language Arts, where 10th graders scored 58.8% proficient on the PSAT—nearly identical to the state average of 58.0%. However, mathematics is a critical weakness: only 13.8% of 11th graders were proficient on the SAT math section, compared to the state’s 26.5%. Science (26.2% vs. 35.2% state) and social studies (24.6% vs. 43.2% state) also lag significantly. A dramatic red flag is the 23.8-point drop in 11th-grade social studies proficiency from 48.4% to 24.6% in just one year, suggesting a possible curriculum or cohort issue that needs investigation.
On a positive note, the school’s graduation rate of 86.9% exceeds the state average of 84.0%, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 24.7% is lower than both the district (29.6%) and state (27.9%) averages—an impressive feat given that nearly 64% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The district spends a relatively high $16,173 per student with a student-teacher ratio of 17.6, yet this funding does not appear to translate into competitive math or science outcomes. Parents should note the stark ELA-versus-math divide, which points to a specific instructional challenge rather than a school-wide issue, and the unusually strong 10th-grade ELA performance that may reflect a particularly effective teacher or intervention program worth understanding.
Thank you for your feedback!