High Schools in Saginaw School District of the City of

The Saginaw School District of the City of contains three high schools serving grades 9-12 (with one also serving grades 6-8) in a mid-sized Michigan city facing significant economic challenges, and the schools present dramatically different outcomes for families to consider.

For parents, the standout choice is clearly Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy (SASA), which ranks #1 in Michigan and achieves proficiency rates of 70-90% across subjects—compared to just 4-18% at Saginaw United High School, the district's comprehensive school serving 981 students. SASA also has a much healthier chronic absenteeism rate (24.7% vs. 63.3% at Saginaw United) and a higher graduation rate (96.3% vs. 91.6%). However, SASA is a magnet school with selective admission, so not every student can attend. Saginaw United, which serves the majority of students and has 83.79% free/reduced lunch eligibility, is struggling badly—its state ranking has fallen from 672 to 741 over two years, and science proficiency dropped from 14.4% to just 5.6% in one year. The Career Opportunities Center is a small career-tech program (31 students) with a 0% graduation rate and 100% dropout rate, despite spending $79,322 per student—nearly four times what Saginaw United spends. This suggests the program is not serving its students effectively and needs immediate review.

The district overall ranks in the 21st percentile statewide, with a graduation rate (83%) just below the state average and chronic absenteeism (59.5%) more than double the state rate. The stark reality is that SASA's success masks deep problems elsewhere: Saginaw United's students are failing core subjects at alarming rates, and the Career Center's outcomes are catastrophic. For parents, the key takeaway is that school choice matters enormously here—if your child can gain admission to SASA, the educational experience is world-class, but the district's other options are struggling significantly and require urgent attention to attendance, instruction, and program quality.