Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Michigan rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Saginaw Preparatory Academy

Public, Magnet, Charter Grades PK, KG-8

1438^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Saginaw Preparatory Academy is a public charter school in Saginaw, MI, serving 376 students in grades PK through 8, where 97% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

This school faces significant challenges, particularly with attendance. Over half of its students (56.2%) are chronically absent, meaning they miss 10% or more of the school year—a rate roughly double the state average. While this is concerning, it's actually lower than several nearby schools like Merrill Park Elementary School (68%) and Arthur Eddy Academy (64.7%). Academically, the school ranks in the bottom 5% of Michigan elementary schools with a 0-star rating. Test scores show a troubling decline in recent years—for example, 3rd grade reading proficiency fell from 17.86% in 2023-2024 to just 5.77% in 2025-2026. However, performance varies by grade: 5th grade reading (14.81%) is actually competitive with nearby schools like Stone School (12.1%) and Jessie Loomis School (9.38%), and 8th grade PSAT scores (37% proficiency) are notably stronger than elementary results.

The school spends $13,176 per student—significantly less than nearby schools like Arthur Eddy Academy ($21,644) or Carrollton Elementary School ($19,349)—yet outcomes aren't meaningfully better than schools spending more. With a student-teacher ratio of 18.8, teachers have less capacity for individualized attention compared to schools like Stone School (17.6). The core issue appears to be student engagement and attendance rather than funding alone. Students who persist to middle school show stronger skills, suggesting that high absenteeism in elementary years prevents many from reaching that point with adequate preparation. For parents, this school offers a PK-8 structure that avoids a middle school transition, but the combination of high poverty, extreme absenteeism, and declining test scores presents serious obstacles that families should carefully consider.

376

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,176

Per pupil spending ?

97.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5173 Lodge St
Saginaw, MI 48601-6829

(989) 752-9600

District: Saginaw Preparatory Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.2%

Hispanic:

7.2%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Saginaw Preparatory Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 13th percentile in 2012 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (12% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (56% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school12%

District avg12%

Michigan avg40%

Elementary school

1,438^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 14% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

848^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 19% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

607^th of 625Saginaw Preparatory Academy 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.0	1438 of 1492	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.5	1413 of 1488	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	1409 of 1486	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	1335 of 1448	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.4	1377 of 1466	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	13.6	1338 of 1548	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	9.3	1468 of 1580	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.9	1465 of 1533	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.6	1481 of 1563	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	19.9	1365 of 1566	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	67.9	537 of 1552	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.3	654 of 1552	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.5	563 of 1589	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.5	410 of 1577	74.0%	★★★★☆
2007	50.1	1000 of 1565	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	76.2	263 of 1545	83.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.5	352 of 388	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.8	316 of 369	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	264 of 348	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.4	283 of 475	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.8	1293 of 1343	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	1387 of 1443	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	10.2	1292 of 1352	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.9	1258 of 1346	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	1304 of 1381	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.9	1217 of 1397	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	16.5	1145 of 1366	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	1154 of 1446	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.4	848 of 896	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	772 of 890	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	811 of 838	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.5	794 of 821	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	18.7	725 of 894	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.4	764 of 919	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	10.8	828 of 921	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.8	797 of 919	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	38.2	607 of 900	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.8	585 of 858	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	67.8	322 of 851	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	47.9	583 of 847	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	80.3	116 of 839	86.2%	★★★★☆
2007	49.2	541 of 823	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	72.0	228 of 806	71.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	262 of 337	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.3	133 of 338	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	23.9	296 of 366	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	6.8	767 of 794	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	12.7	770 of 834	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.5	718 of 832	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	763 of 815	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.6	660 of 813	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	738 of 797	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Male (2025)16th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2026)9th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile~ school

Female (2026)4th percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2026)22nd percentile+17 vs school

Male (2026)19th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile~ school

Female (2018)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science15%-25 vs state

Social Studies15%-24 vs state

English Language Arts8%-32 vs state

Math8%-28 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Saginaw Preparatory Academy

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, November 6, 2016

The school cares for kids, academic goals are set high, everyone knows the kids and help to get them to study. Principal knows parents and all the kids. always friendly and listens and fixes concerns. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, November 3, 2015

The changes that took place in this school in 2014/15 have turned the school around. Test scores are on the rise and you will never find another school that treats students so well. The staff is lead by a principal that knows every student and teachers care about kids. Close Quote

Schools Near Saginaw Preparatory Academy

Load more schools when map is moved

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)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (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 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Saginaw Preparatory Academy	Public, Magnet, Charter	PK, KG-8	5173 Lodge St	Saginaw	48601	Saginaw County	Saginaw Preparatory Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(989) 752-9600	376	20	18.8	97.1%	7 (1.9%)	328 (87.2%)	27 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	7	1438^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.6%		7.5	1413^th of 1488 public elementary schools	5.0%	25	37.0	348.1	5.8	6.7	14.8	10.0	7.9	7.7	1362.9	1458.1	1562.9	1658.0	14.8	14.8	14.8	14.8	$13,176	$2,164	$11,012
Jessie Loomis School	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 Limerick St	Saginaw	48601	Saginaw County	Saginaw School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 399-4750	308	16	19.8	96.1%	10 (3.2%)	255 (82.8%)	27 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	14 (4.5%)	10.5	1361^st of 1492 public elementary schools	8.8%		12.4	1309^th of 1488 public elementary schools	12.0%	52			12.0	8.5	9.4			19.6	10.6	25.0			12.5		1466.5		$19,273	$4,212	$15,061
Thomas White School	Public	PK, KG-1	3650 Southfield Dr	Saginaw	48601	Saginaw County	Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 777-2811	187	9	21.2	95.2%	34 (18.2%)	102 (54.5%)	40 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.9%)								(n/a)																	$15,678	$926	$14,752
Martin G Atkins Elementary School	Public, Magnet	2-5	3675 Southfield Dr	Saginaw	48601	Saginaw County	Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(989) 777-1600	381	22	17.1	96.6%	60 (15.7%)	255 (66.9%)	39 (10.2%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.0%)	4.5	1489^th of 1492 public elementary schools	0.2%		4.3	1485^th of 1488 public elementary schools	0.2%	4			8.0	9.1	8.6			8.0	5.1	1455.8			1468.1		1461.4		$12,924	$926	$11,998
Arthur Eddy Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1000 Cathay St	Saginaw	48601	Saginaw County	Saginaw School District of the City of	No	Yes	No	Yes	(989) 399-5250	232	14	17.1	96.6%	9 (3.9%)	205 (88.4%)	11 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	10	1370^th of 1492 public elementary schools	8.2%		8.3	1388^th of 1488 public elementary schools	6.7%	18			9.8	19.5	24.4			1267.0	7.3	9.8			12.2		7.5		$21,644	$4,424	$17,220
Jessie Rouse School	Public	PK, KG-5	435 Randolph St	Saginaw	48601	Saginaw County	Saginaw School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 399-5000	230	13	17.6	91.7%	24 (10.4%)	166 (72.2%)	32 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.7%)	6.1	1459^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.2%					(n/a)			7.5	9.1	16.7			1253.7	1351.6	1466.2			12.5		1463.5		$17,462	$3,342	$14,120
Stone School	Public	PK, KG-5	1006 State St	Saginaw	48602	Saginaw County	Saginaw School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 399-5100	273	16	17.6	91.2%	45 (16.5%)	157 (57.5%)	53 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	15 (5.5%)	5.8	1465^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.8%		6.5	1437^th of 1488 public elementary schools	3.4%	28			8.3	10.5	12.1			1265.5	1364.0	1462.0			12.1		1468.4		$18,685	$4,050	$14,635
Herig School	Public	PK, KG-5	1905 Houghton Ave	Saginaw	48602	Saginaw County	Saginaw School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 399-4350	282	11	25.6	94.0%	59 (20.9%)	148 (52.5%)	50 (17.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	23 (8.2%)	11.6	1340^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.2%		5.4	1460^th of 1488 public elementary schools	1.9%	120			1261.6	1364.7	15.2			1264.7	8.9	1460.7			23.9		1468.3		$18,509	$5,006	$13,503
Merrill Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 Grout St	Saginaw	48602	Saginaw County	Saginaw School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 399-4800	267	13	20.5	92.5%	53 (19.9%)	128 (47.9%)	52 (19.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	33 (12.4%)	9.1	1390^th of 1492 public elementary schools	6.8%		10.9	1339^th of 1488 public elementary schools	10.0%	51			10.5	10.3	26.3			13.2	7.7	7.9			10.5		10.5		$16,780	$2,966	$13,814
Carrollton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3211 Carla Dr	Saginaw	48604	Saginaw County	Carrollton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 754-2425	662	39	17.0	85.2%	240 (36.3%)	164 (24.8%)	207 (31.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (7.4%)	15.2	1272^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	14.7%		14.7	1262^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	15.2%	10			13.7	33.0	16.3			22.5	28.4	10.1			17.2		8.5		$19,349	$1,656	$17,693

Frequently Asked Questions about Saginaw Preparatory Academy

What is the racial makeup of Saginaw Preparatory Academy?

Students at Saginaw Preparatory Academy are 87% African American, 7% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% White.

How many students attend Saginaw Preparatory Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 376 students attended Saginaw Preparatory Academy.

What district is Saginaw Preparatory Academy in?

Saginaw Preparatory Academy

Is Saginaw Preparatory Academy a good school?

Saginaw Preparatory Academy ranks in the bottom 3.6% of Michigan elementary schools.

Rate Saginaw Preparatory Academy!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Saginaw, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Saginaw Preparatory Academy!

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.