NICE Community School District

The NICE Community School District in Michigan's Upper Peninsula serves about 1,104 students across two schools—Aspen Ridge Elementary School (PK-8, 721 students) and Westwood High School (7-12, 383 students)—and holds a strong 4-star rating, ranking in the 75th percentile statewide.

Aspen Ridge Elementary School is the district's academic standout, particularly in early grades. Its 3rd graders outperform state averages by nearly 22 points in English language arts and 15 points in math, while 5th grade science proficiency (58.4%) exceeds the state by 18.4 points. The school has climbed from the 65th to 76th percentile over two years. However, a notable "7th grade slump" emerges—both ELA (33.3%) and math (28.2%) fall below state averages, the only grades where this occurs. Even more striking, 8th grade PSAT results show a stark divide: students excel in ELA (72.9% proficient vs. 64.8% state) but only 17.1% reach proficiency in PSAT math, a 16-point deficit. Meanwhile, Westwood High School has shown dramatic improvement, jumping from the 43rd to 67th percentile in one year. Its graduation rate is excellent at 90.1% (6 points above state), and dropout rates are less than half the state average. Yet its chronic absenteeism rate of 36.9% is more than double Aspen Ridge's 15.6% and nearly 10 points above the state—a concern that may be suppressing even stronger results.

Comparing the two schools reveals distinct strengths: Aspen Ridge excels in elementary science and early literacy, while Westwood shines in 10th grade PSAT math (39.1% proficient, 7.6 points above state) and maintains near-average high school science and social studies scores. Westwood achieves these results while spending less per student ($15,044 vs. $16,398) and with larger class sizes (16.7:1 vs. 12.6:1). Both schools serve relatively low-poverty populations (25.6% and 36.6% free/reduced lunch eligibility), providing a foundation for success. The district's main challenges are clear: addressing the middle school math decline, tackling high school absenteeism, and investigating why math proficiency drops sharply from 10th to 11th grade. With targeted interventions, this already strong district could close these gaps and reach even higher levels of achievement.