Summary:
Yale Public Schools in Yale, Michigan, operates two high schools serving grades 6-12: Yale Senior High School, a traditional 9-12 comprehensive high school with 509 students, and Phoenix Alternative School, a very small alternative program with just 6 students.
Yale Senior High School is the clear academic leader, ranking in the 81st percentile statewide and earning a 4-star rating for three consecutive years. Its graduation rate is exceptional at 96.6%, far above the state average of 84.0%, and its dropout rate is just 1.6% compared to 7.1% statewide. The school outperforms state averages in most subjects, including science (50% vs. 35.2% proficient), social studies (52.2% vs. 43.2%), and PSAT math and ELA at both 9th and 10th grades. However, SAT math proficiency is a notable weakness at 19%, well below the state average of 26.5%, and scores have declined sharply year-over-year in both SAT reading/writing (from 70.8% to 57.8%) and SAT math (from 30.1% to 19.0%). Chronic absenteeism is a relative strength at 16.3%, significantly better than the state's 27.9%.
In stark contrast, Phoenix Alternative School serves a fundamentally different purpose for at-risk students, with a 40% graduation rate and a 60% dropout rate. These figures must be interpreted cautiously given the tiny enrollment—a single student represents about 16.7% of the population. The school also has a very high student-teacher ratio of 37.5:1, nearly double that of Yale Senior High (19.1:1), yet spends only slightly less per student ($12,434 vs. $13,556). Because Phoenix is so small, Yale Senior High School essentially drives all district-wide metrics, including the district's strong 94.4% graduation rate and 89th percentile state ranking. For parents, the key takeaway is that Yale Senior High offers strong overall academics with a notable math gap, while Phoenix serves a specialized, high-need population where direct comparisons to traditional schools are not meaningful.
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