Holt Public Schools

Holt Public Schools is a mid-sized Michigan district serving approximately 4,541 students across 8 schools (5 elementary, 2 middle, and 1 high school) in the Holt area, with a district-wide 3-star rating and a 53rd percentile state ranking.

For parents, the standout school is Wilcox Elementary School, the district’s only 4-star school (73rd percentile). It outperforms every other elementary school in nearly all subjects—3rd grade math proficiency is 64.7% versus the state’s 42.9%, and it has the lowest chronic absenteeism among elementaries at 20.7%. In stark contrast, Washington Woods Middle School is a major concern: 5th grade math proficiency is just 5.6% (state: 32.2%), and science is 11.1% (state: 40%), representing a dramatic collapse from the prior year. Holt Senior High School shows strengths in graduation (86.1% vs. 84% state) and SAT reading (57.6% vs. 52.1% state), but SAT math proficiency is alarmingly low at 14.8% (state: 26.5%). Among other elementaries, Horizon Elementary School stands out for its low chronic absenteeism (12.9%) and solid academics, while Dimondale Elementary School spends a staggering $57,289 per student yet ranks in the 48th percentile—a poor return on investment. Sycamore Elementary School improved from the 26th to 46th percentile recently, but 4th grade scores remain weak.

The district’s biggest systemic issue is math: proficiency falls from 41.3% in 4th grade to 25.3% in 5th grade, then continues declining through middle and high school, bottoming out at 14.8% on the 11th grade SAT. Chronic absenteeism is also a district-wide problem at 30.6% (state: 27.9%), with Dimondale hitting 42.2%. However, graduation rates are a bright spot, and Holt Junior High School and Elliott Elementary School round out the district with mid-tier performance. Parents should investigate the 5th grade transition at Washington Woods and consider Wilcox’s practices as a model for improvement.