Pontiac Academy for Excellence MiddleHigh

Pontiac Academy for Excellence MiddleHigh is a public charter school in Pontiac, MI, serving 553 students in grades 6 through 12, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

This school faces significant challenges that parents should understand. Most striking is the extreme year-to-year volatility in graduation rates, which have swung from 93.3% to 56.0% and back up to 82.7% over the past three years. Dropout rates have similarly fluctuated, reaching as high as 44% in one recent year. Chronic absenteeism is another major concern—at 64.2%, it is more than double the state average of 27.9% and dramatically higher than nearby Bloomfield Hills High School (18.5%) or Avondale High School (22.4%). Academically, the school ranks in the bottom 8% of Michigan high schools, and test scores show a troubling pattern of decline as students advance—for example, ELA proficiency drops from 26.8% in 5th grade to just 8.77% by 7th grade.

There are some relative bright spots worth noting. For African American students specifically, the school ranks in the 25th percentile statewide—a better outcome than its overall ranking suggests. Additionally, 11th-grade proficiency in Science (11.54%) and Social Studies (15.38%) actually exceeds that of nearby Pontiac High School (5.9% and 5.1%). However, the school spends only about $10,766 per student, far less than neighboring districts like Bloomfield Hills Schools ($24,801 per student) or Pontiac City School District ($29,768 per student). This funding gap, combined with the challenges of serving a high-poverty population, makes it difficult for the school to provide the intensive support services needed to overcome its attendance and academic hurdles. Parents considering this school should weigh these factors carefully and investigate whether the school's strengths align with their child's specific needs.