Escanaba Area Public Schools

The Escanaba Area Public Schools district in Michigan serves about 2,130 students across five schools, using a unique structure that separates grades into specialized centers from kindergarten through 12th grade.

For parents, the standout choice is clearly Escanaba JuniorSenior High School, which has earned a 4-star rating for three straight years and ranks in the 79th percentile statewide. Its graduation rate of 93.6% far exceeds the state average of 84%, and its dropout rate is just 1.9%. The school excels in science and social studies, with 11th grade proficiency rates 27 and 20 points above state averages, respectively. However, SAT math proficiency sits at only 21.3%, a striking weakness compared to its 67.2% reading/writing score. The elementary pathway is more mixed: Escanaba Upper Elementary (grades 3-5) shows a concerning 4th grade reading dip at 30.1% proficiency, and its 5th grade math scores dropped nearly 15 points year-over-year. Lemmer Elementary School (grades 1-2) and Webster Kindergarten Center serve younger students with smaller class sizes, though Webster has the highest chronic absenteeism among elementary schools at 26.4%.

The district's biggest challenge is Escanaba Student Success Center, an alternative program for grades 8-12 that earns just 1 star. It serves the highest-need students (76% free/reduced lunch) yet receives the least funding at $7,749 per student—less than half of Webster's $17,808. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 50.7% and graduation rate of 70.7% contrast sharply with the comprehensive high school's performance. Despite these struggles, the center has shown improvement, climbing from the 6th to 24th percentile over two years. Overall, the district's mainstream pathway produces strong outcomes, but parents should be aware of the math challenges at the high school level and the resource disparities affecting the alternative program.