Olivet Community Schools

The Olivet Community Schools district serves about 1,239 students across three schools—Fern Persons Elementary School (PK-3), Olivet Middle School (grades 4-8), and Olivet High School (grades 9-12)—in a rural Michigan community, and the district overall ranks in the 70th percentile statewide with a 4-star rating.

For parents, the standout story here is Olivet High School, which has climbed an impressive 146 spots in state rankings over three years to reach the 75th percentile. It boasts a 92.4% graduation rate (well above the 84% state average), a dropout rate under 1%, and exceptional 11th-grade science scores where 55.4% of students are proficient versus 35.2% statewide. Olivet Middle School is a consistent performer, particularly in 8th-grade PSAT ELA (73.6% proficiency) and 5th-grade math and science, all significantly above state averages. Fern Persons Elementary School provides a solid foundation with the district's lowest student-teacher ratio (13.8:1) and above-average 3rd-grade ELA scores, though its 3rd-grade math trails the state slightly.

The most critical issue parents should know about is a dramatic "6th-grade slump" at the middle school. Math proficiency collapses from 43% in 5th grade to just 17.4% in 6th grade—a 14.5-point deficit versus the state—before partially recovering in 7th grade. This pattern also appears in ELA and may be linked to the middle school's higher chronic absenteeism rate (20.8%). District-wide, chronic absenteeism (19.1%) is far better than the state average (27.9%), and spending is efficient at roughly $14,759 per student. While math struggles persist into 9th and 10th grade, science is a clear district strength at every level, and the high school's rapid improvement suggests effective instructional changes that could eventually benefit the middle school's math program.