Summary:
The Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools district in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula operates two public high schools serving grades 7 through 12, offering starkly different educational environments for roughly 759 students combined.
Sault Area High School is the district’s traditional comprehensive high school with 688 students, and it is clearly the academic leader. Its state ranking jumped from the 49th to the 65th percentile in one year, and it outperforms the state average in graduation rate (91.1% vs. 84.0%), dropout rate (3.5% vs. 7.1%), and SAT Reading/Writing proficiency (63.8% vs. 52.1%). However, math and science proficiency lag behind state averages (21.5% vs. 26.5% in math; 26.8% vs. 35.2% in science), suggesting a need for stronger STEM support. Chronic absenteeism at 37.1% is also above the state’s 27.9% rate, though far better than its alternative counterpart.
Malcolm Alternative JrSr High School serves just 71 students and faces significant challenges. It ranks in the bottom 20% of Michigan high schools, with a 63.8% graduation rate, an 8.3% dropout rate, and an alarming 87.6% chronic absenteeism rate—more than triple the state average. The school spends $19,727 per student (46% more than Sault Area High School) and maintains a 12:1 student-teacher ratio, reflecting intensive intervention for a population where 70.4% qualify for free/reduced lunch. Test score data is sparse, with only SAT Reading/Writing reported (25.7% proficiency), suggesting a focus on credit recovery over standardized testing. For parents, the choice is clear: Sault Area High School offers a more traditional, academically competitive path, while Malcolm Alternative provides a smaller, more resource-intensive setting for students who may need additional support to stay on track for graduation.
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