Summary:
Fennville Public Schools is a small, predominantly low-income Michigan district of four schools—an elementary, a middle, and two high schools—serving about 1,214 students in a rural area, with a district-wide 2-star rating and a 33rd-percentile state ranking.
The district’s clear standout is Fennville Public High School, which has climbed from the 20th to the 39th percentile in state rankings over two years and boasts a 97.9% graduation rate—far above the state’s 84%—despite 75.2% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Its 9th graders outperform state averages in both PSAT ELA (67.8% vs. 60.2%) and math (44.8% vs. 33.5%). In contrast, Fennville Alternative High School is a critical concern: with only 35 students and an 85.7% low-income rate, it posts a 25% graduation rate, a 31.2% dropout rate, and 48% chronic absenteeism. Fennville Middle School is the math bright spot—8th graders hit 42% PSAT math proficiency versus the state’s 33.2%—but its overall ranking dipped to the 38th percentile, and chronic absenteeism there is a staggering 48.8%. Fennville Elementary School spends the most per pupil ($18,076) yet trails state averages in nearly every subject, with 3rd-grade math proficiency at just 18.3%.
The most striking pattern is the “freshman boost”: 9th-grade scores soar above state averages, then plummet by 10th grade—a 25-point ELA drop and 31-point math drop—suggesting freshman supports aren’t sustained. Math is the district’s biggest weakness overall, lagging 15–20 points behind state averages in most grades, while chronic absenteeism worsens as students age, from 22.5% in elementary to nearly half in middle and alternative high school. The traditional high school’s success with at-risk students offers a model worth replicating, especially given the alternative school’s poor outcomes despite comparable per-pupil spending. For parents, this district offers a high-performing traditional high school and a middle school that excels in 8th-grade math, but elementary academics and attendance remain serious hurdles.
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