Lighthouse Academy South Campus

Lighthouse Academy South Campus is an alternative public charter school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving 146 students in grades K-12. The school has seen a shift in its racial demographics, with a decrease in white students and an increase in African American and Hispanic students over the past few years.

Lighthouse Academy South Campus faces significant challenges, with low graduation rates ranging from 12.5% to 31.8% over the past five years, much lower than the state average. The school also has alarmingly high dropout rates, ranging from 37.5% to 50%, and extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.3% to 73.2%, far exceeding the state average. Academically, the school's performance on state assessments is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. Despite serving a high-need population, with 93.86% to 95.89% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school's outcomes are concerning.

Comparisons to other nearby schools provide some interesting insights. Bethany Based School, an alternative public school in a different district, has a higher four-year graduation rate (42.8%) and lower dropout rate (28.5%) than Lighthouse Academy South Campus, despite serving a student population with a higher percentage of white students. In contrast, Lincoln School and Lincoln Developmental Center, alternative public schools in the Kent Independent School District, have even lower graduation rates (0.0%) and higher chronic absenteeism rates than Lighthouse Academy South Campus. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids Montessori Academy, a public alternative school in the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, outperforms Lighthouse Academy South Campus and the district as a whole in academic achievement.