Grass Lake Community Schools

Grass Lake Community Schools is a small, cohesive district in Michigan serving about 1,334 students across three schools: George Long Elementary School (K-5), Grass Lake Middle School (6-8), and Grass Lake High School (9-12). The district ranks in the 73rd percentile statewide (167 out of 625 Michigan districts) and serves a relatively advantaged population, with free/reduced lunch rates between 27.5% and 33.1%—well below state averages.

Grass Lake Middle School is the district’s academic leader, holding a 72nd percentile ranking (4 stars). Its 8th grade PSAT English Language Arts proficiency rate of 74.7% is nearly 10 points above the state average, and it also outpaces state averages in 6th grade ELA (+10.4 points), 8th grade Social Studies (+10.4 points), and 8th grade Science (+8.4 points). However, the middle school has the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the district (24.3%) despite having the lowest student-teacher ratio (15.4:1). George Long Elementary School excels in consistency, particularly in 5th grade Science (63.2% vs. 40% state) and Social Studies (36.8% vs. 27.5% state), with 3rd and 5th grade ELA also running roughly 10 points above state averages. Grass Lake High School posts a strong 90.5% graduation rate and an exceptionally low 1.1% dropout rate (state: 7.1%), but its 11th grade test scores have declined sharply year-over-year—SAT ERW fell from 60.9% to 51.1%, and Social Studies dropped 13.3 points to 31.5%, now 11.7 points below the state average.

The district’s clear strength is science, with elementary and middle school students outperforming state averages by 8 to 23 points. ELA is also strong in grades 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, though 7th grade ELA dips below state (34.8% vs. 38.4%). Math remains a consistent challenge, hovering near or slightly below state averages in most grades, with only 5th grade showing a significant advantage (+12.2 points). Social Studies is a strength in grades 5 and 8 but collapses by 11th grade. The strongest relative performance cluster is grades 5-8, where students outperform state averages by 8-23 points across subjects. Chronic absenteeism is below the state rate (27.9%) at all levels, but spikes in middle school. Overall, the district achieves above-average results in most subjects with per-student spending between $13,307 and $13,867, suggesting efficient resource use—though the high school’s recent volatility and math struggles warrant attention.