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BayArenac Community High School

Q: Is BayArenac Community High School a good school?

BayArenac Community High School ranks 533 rd of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

533^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 33% of Michigan high schools

Summary

BayArenac Community High School is a small alternative high school in Essexville, MI, serving 180 students in grades 9-12 as its own single-school district, where over 86% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most important thing for parents to understand is that this school faces serious challenges with student retention and completion. The 4-year graduation rate for the class of 2025 was just 44.4%—less than half the state average of 84.0% and dramatically lower than nearby traditional schools like Garber High School (91.6%), John Glenn High School (95.9%), and Bay City Western High School (96.6%). The dropout rate of 20.8% is nearly three times the state average and jumped significantly from the prior year. Chronic absenteeism affects nearly 40% of students, which is far above the state average and likely contributes to the academic struggles. While the school has improved its state ranking from the 10th percentile in 2018-2019 to the 33rd percentile now, this progress on test scores has not translated into better graduation outcomes.

BayArenac serves a very different purpose than the high-performing Garber High School located just half a mile away—it functions as an alternative placement for students who haven't succeeded in traditional settings. The student population faces profound economic challenges, with 86% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch compared to 37% at Garber. Academically, results are mixed: 43.8% of 11th graders were proficient in SAT reading and writing (close to the state average), but science and social studies proficiency lag behind. The school spends about $12,834 per student, comparable to more successful area schools, yet the investment hasn't produced similar results—highlighting the immense difficulty of educating such a high-needs population. Parents considering this school should understand it serves a specific alternative-education mission, but should carefully weigh the retention and completion statistics.

180

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,834

Per pupil spending ?

86.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

805 Langstaff St
Essexville, MI 48732-1367

(989) 893-8811

District: Bay-Arenac Community High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.4%

Hispanic:

12.8%

African American:

8.3%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare BayArenac Community High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2008 → 33rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2008

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (36% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (44% vs 84%)

!Dropout rate above the Michigan average (21% vs 7%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg36%

Michigan avg43%

533^rd of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

438^th of 625Bay-Arenac Community High School among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	31.3	533 of 800	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.5	598 of 666	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.9	719 of 824	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.3	668 of 835	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.0	532 of 852	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	28.7	592 of 832	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	12.1	673 of 799	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.7	584 of 765	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	44.2	493 of 754	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	31.1	563 of 750	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	19.9	614 of 767	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	10.8	624 of 705	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	4.4	668 of 710	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	447 of 719	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.0	471 of 532	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	634 of 755	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2019	18.2	465 of 543	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.7	588 of 671	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	2.6	575 of 582	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.7	653 of 708	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2019)14th percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)12th percentile-21 vs school

Female (2018)6th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing44%-8 vs state

English Language Arts35%-24 vs state

Science30%-5 vs state

Social Studies30%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near BayArenac Community High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)		PSAT Mathematics (2026)		SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step Science (2026)	M-Step Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 9th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
BayArenac Community High School	Public, Charter	9-12	805 Langstaff St	Essexville	48732	Bay County	Bay-Arenac Community High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(989) 893-8811	180	10	18.8	86.1%	134 (74.4%)	15 (8.3%)	23 (12.8%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.8%)	31.3	533^rd of 800 public high schools	33.4%					(n/a)		35.0		359.0	43.8	400.6	30.0	30.0	$12,834	$1,984	$10,850
Garber High School	Public	9-12	213 Pine St	Essexville	48732	Bay County	Essexville-Hampton Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 894-9710	489	42	11.6	37.0%	424 (86.7%)	8 (1.6%)	30 (6.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.7%)	64.9	222^nd of 800 public high schools	72.3%		68.1	193^rd of 739 public high schools	73.9%	29	74.2	77.0	35.0	29.0	59.8	19.6	45.3	44.3	$13,126	$610	$12,517
Bay City Eastern High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	601 Blend St	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	Yes	No	No	(989) 895-5550	137	10	13.7	87.6%	83 (60.6%)	12 (8.8%)	25 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (11.7%)								(n/a)		367.3		288.2	408.0	369.3	2079.3		$21,866	$1,775	$20,090
Bay City Central High School	Public	9-12	1624 Columbus Ave	Bay City	48708	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 893-9541	921	54	17.0	71.0%	596 (64.7%)	61 (6.6%)	143 (15.5%)	3 (0.3%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	112 (12.2%)	39.9	458^th of 800 public high schools	42.8%		41.4	431^st of 739 public high schools	41.7%	27	53.9	58.6	18.9	7.9	48.5	12.7	37.6	38.8	$17,400	$860	$16,539
John Glenn High School	Public	9-12	3201 Kiesel Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bangor Township Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 684-7510	864	32	27.2	31.5%	722 (83.6%)	14 (1.6%)	94 (10.9%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (3.2%)	50.8	360^th of 800 public high schools	55.0%		57.4	295^th of 739 public high schools	60.1%	65	61.6	64.5	28.7	25.6	52.9	17.6	24.5	48.1	$13,187	$601	$12,587
Bay City Adult EducationCTP	Public	9-12	4155 Monitor Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 686-4770	65	0		61.5%	48 (73.8%)	5 (7.7%)	9 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.6%)								(n/a)									$3,668	$834	$2,835
State Street Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	4721 3 Mile Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	State Street Academy	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(989) 684-6484	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)	69.2		395.4
Great Lakes Bay Early College	Public	9-12	1961 Delta Rd	University Center	48710	Bay County	Saginaw Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(989) 686-9146	200	10	19.9	23.0%	142 (71.0%)	20 (10.0%)	26 (13.0%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.5%)	90.9	49^th of 800 public high schools	93.9%		88.7	62^nd of 739 public high schools	91.6%	13		90.6		50.0	83.8	35.1	62.2	73.0
Carrollton High School	Public	9-12	1235 Mapleridge Rd	Saginaw	48604	Saginaw County	Carrollton Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 753-3433	431	25	17.4	74.5%	170 (39.4%)	128 (29.7%)	114 (26.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (4.2%)	29.4	546^th of 800 public high schools	31.8%		28.9	512^th of 739 public high schools	30.7%	34	39.7	50.0	5.0	6.7	47.7	412.0	31.0	36.8	$18,123	$2,134	$15,989
Bay City Western High School	Public	9-12	500 W Midland Rd	Auburn	48611	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 662-4481	1,009	43	23.5	31.9%	901 (89.3%)	9 (0.9%)	51 (5.1%)	13 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (3.4%)	60.7	255^th of 800 public high schools	68.1%		45.6	403^rd of 739 public high schools	45.5%	148	72.1	64.6	42.3	34.5	60.8	21.5	33.2	35.0	$14,761	$893	$13,867

Frequently Asked Questions about BayArenac Community High School

What is the racial makeup of BayArenac Community High School?

Students at BayArenac Community High School are 74% White, 13% Hispanic, 8% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

Is BayArenac Community High School a good school?

BayArenac Community High School ranks 533^rd of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is BayArenac Community High School in?

Bay-Arenac Community High School

How many students attend BayArenac Community High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 180 students attended BayArenac Community High School.

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Schools in Essexville, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.