Mendon Community School District

The Mendon Community School District is a small, rural Michigan district serving about 464 students across two schools: Mendon MiddleHigh School (grades 6-12) and Mendon Elementary School (grades PK-5).

These two schools are heading in very different directions. Mendon Elementary School is a clear bright spot, showing steady improvement over the past two years—climbing from the 23rd to the 41st percentile in state rankings. Its 5th graders actually match or exceed state averages in both ELA (45.2% proficient) and math (32.3%). In contrast, Mendon MiddleHigh School has been volatile, jumping to the 48th percentile in 2024-2025 before falling back to the 31st percentile this year. The elementary school outperforms the secondary school in most subjects despite serving a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (45.7% vs. 33.1% free/reduced lunch). This suggests strong elementary instruction that isn't yet carrying through to the middle and high school years.

For parents, the most important takeaways involve the secondary school's challenges. Only 12.1% of 11th graders are proficient in SAT math, and just 30.3% meet the bar in reading and writing—both well below state averages. There's also a notable "middle school slump," with 9th grade PSAT scores dropping sharply before recovering in 10th grade. The district does have some positives: chronic absenteeism (22.1% secondary, 16.3% elementary) is better than the state average of 27.9%, and the graduation rate of 86.9% tops the state mark. However, with per-student spending between $15,253 and $16,866 and favorable class sizes, the modest test results raise questions about instructional effectiveness. The elementary school's upward trajectory offers hope that today's younger students may eventually reverse the secondary school's decline.