Riverview Community School District

The Riverview Community School District serves approximately 2,743 students across seven schools—three elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools, and one alternative program—in a suburban Michigan community, with the district ranking in the 54th percentile statewide.

For parents, the standout choice is Riverview Community High School, which leads the district with a 4-star rating, a 97.5% graduation rate (compared to the state's 84%), and strong SAT scores—64.4% proficient in reading and writing versus the state's 52.1%. Among elementary schools, Forest Elementary School has shown the most dramatic improvement, jumping from the 37th to the 59th percentile in two years, and it boasts the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 13.3%. In contrast, Memorial Elementary School trails its peers, with 4th-grade math proficiency collapsing to just 11.5% and 3rd-grade ELA at 28.6%, the lowest among the three elementaries. Huntington Elementary School shows strength in 4th grade (64.8% ELA) but struggles in 5th-grade social studies at 11.6%. Seitz Middle School performs well in 8th-grade ELA (72.1% proficient) but lags in math, with only 35.8% proficient.

A district-wide concern is the persistent math gap—at the high school, only 26% are proficient in SAT math versus 64.4% in reading. Riverview Virtual Academy raises red flags with a 71.7% graduation rate, a 52.3:1 student-teacher ratio, and test scores 20-40 points below district averages, despite spending far less per student ($7,540). Chronic absenteeism affects roughly a quarter of students at most traditional schools, though Forest Elementary stands out as an exception. Notably, spending doesn't predict success—Huntington spends the most ($14,942 per student) yet ranks mid-pack, while the high school achieves top results with less. The Riverview Transition Center serves just 15 students in 12th grade as a focused intervention program. Overall, the district offers a strong high school experience and one improving elementary, but families should weigh significant variability in math outcomes and the virtual academy's challenges.