Summary:
Saugatuck High School is the sole high school in the Saugatuck Public Schools district, serving grades 9-12 with 267 students in a highly ranked Michigan district (top 5% statewide).
This school is an academic standout, having climbed from #145 to #52 in Michigan’s state rankings over just two years—now placing it in the top 6% of all high schools. Graduation rates are exceptional at 95.2%, far above the state’s 84%, while the dropout rate is less than half the state average. Test scores are consistently strong: 11th graders post 70% proficiency in science and 75.7% in SAT reading/writing, both roughly double state averages. Ninth graders shine even brighter, with 89.8% ELA proficiency and 71.2% math proficiency, suggesting the district’s elementary and middle schools feed students in well-prepared. However, math remains a clear weak spot—only 34.3% of 11th graders are proficient in SAT math, a 41-point gap versus reading, and proficiency drops sharply from 9th to 11th grade in both subjects.
The most puzzling finding is chronic absenteeism: 47.2% of students are chronically absent, nearly double the state rate (27.9%), yet academic outcomes remain elite. This contradiction suggests absences may be excused or tied to enrichment activities rather than disengagement. Financially, the school spends $19,016 per student with a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio, and only 22.85% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, indicating a relatively affluent population. Science proficiency jumped 11.4 points year-over-year, hinting at successful curriculum changes. For parents, this is a small, high-achieving school with outstanding humanities and science programs, a notable math challenge to watch, and an attendance metric that doesn’t match its stellar results—worth a closer look during a school visit.
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