Summary:
Mason County Eastern Junior High/High School is the sole high school in the Mason County Eastern Schools district, a small, rural school in Custer, Michigan, serving grades 7 through 12 with 176 students.
This school stands out for its exceptional graduation rate of 96.8%, which is nearly 13 points above the state average, and its dropout rate of just 3.1%—less than half the state figure. The school has also earned a 4-star rating and jumped to the 73rd percentile in state rankings for 2025-2026, a significant improvement from the prior year. Academically, the most striking strength is in 9th-grade English Language Arts, where 81.3% of students are proficient—a remarkable 21 points above the state average. The school also shows strong results in 11th-grade science (48.3% proficient, 13 points above the state) and 10th-grade math (34.8%, above the state average). However, math proficiency lags in the middle grades, with 7th and 8th graders scoring about 9-10 points below state averages. Similarly, 7th-grade ELA is a weak spot at 19.1% proficiency, though by 8th grade the gap nearly closes.
Given that 63.1% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, the school is clearly outperforming expectations despite socioeconomic challenges. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 25.0% is also below the state average of 27.9%, suggesting strong student engagement. One key takeaway for parents is the "middle school slump" pattern: students underperform in 7th and 8th grade but show dramatic improvement by 9th grade and beyond, particularly in ELA and science. With a small student body, year-to-year test scores can swing widely due to small cohorts, so it is wise to look at multi-year trends. Overall, this is a school that successfully supports its students through high school, with standout upper-grade academics and a clear upward trajectory in state rankings.
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