Crossroads Charter Academy

Crossroads Charter Academy is a small, K-12 public charter school in Big Rapids, MI, serving just 117 students with a highly personalized 10.4:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and it operates as an alternative school for students who may have struggled in traditional settings.

The most striking thing about Crossroads is how well it keeps students on track compared to other alternative schools nearby. Its 2024-2025 graduation rate of 80.9% towers over the rates at Big Rapids Virtual School (25.5%), Lighthouse Academy Eagle Village (40.0%), and Mecosta-Osceola Education Center (0.0%). Its dropout rate of just 4.7% is a fraction of the 42.5% and 45.0% rates seen at those same peer schools. Chronic absenteeism (26.7%) is also better than the 38.6% at Mecosta-Osceola, suggesting students are more engaged here. This success likely stems from the school’s high-touch model—spending $11,255 per student and maintaining small class sizes to provide the support these students need.

Academically, the picture is mixed. Crossroads consistently outperforms the state in high school Social Studies, with 11th-grade proficiency at 58.33% in 2025-2026 versus the state’s 43.2%. Science scores have also been strong in some years, though they fluctuate wildly—a direct result of tiny class sizes where one or two students can swing results by 10 points or more. However, in core subjects like English Language Arts and Math, proficiency generally falls below state averages (e.g., 4th-grade ELA at 30.8% vs. 41.3% statewide). For parents, this means Crossroads excels at its primary mission—keeping at-risk students enrolled and graduating—but may not yet bring every student to grade-level mastery in foundational subjects. It’s a school that prioritizes stability and relationships, with academic proficiency as an ongoing area of growth.