Durand Area Schools

Durand Area Schools is a small Michigan district of four schools serving about 1,208 students in grades PK-12, with a moderate-to-high poverty population and a district ranking in the 48th percentile statewide.

The clear standout is Durand Area High School, which jumped to the 64th percentile in the latest ranking and now outperforms state averages in science, social studies, and SAT reading/writing. Its 94.2% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate are exceptional. This marks a dramatic turnaround from the prior year, with double-digit gains in science and SAT reading. In contrast, Durand Middle School struggles significantly—7th grade ELA proficiency is 25.2% versus the state’s 38.4%, and math proficiency sits 10-13 points below state averages. Interestingly, the middle school also has the district’s lowest per-student spending ($13,092) and highest student-teacher ratio (18.5:1), while Bertha Neal School (PK-1) enjoys the best ratio (10.5:1) and highest spending ($16,965). Robert Kerr School (2-5) shows mixed results: 5th grade science matches the state average, but math proficiency lags by 10-17 points.

Math is a district-wide weakness, though the high school nearly reaches state parity on SAT math. The most striking pattern is the “middle school dip”—students underperform in grades 6-8 but recover by high school, suggesting either a strong high school intervention or that middle school tests don’t capture growth. A silver lining: chronic absenteeism is below the state average (27.9%) at every school, from 17.8% at Robert Kerr to 25.9% at the high school. The district’s overall ranking masks wide variation—the high school’s 64th percentile contrasts with the middle school’s 38th and Robert Kerr’s 41st. For parents, this means the high school offers strong outcomes, but the middle school years may require extra support, particularly in math and ELA.