Uplift Michigan Academy

Uplift Michigan Academy is an alternative public school in Stephenson, MI, serving 559 students in grades K-12 as its own district, where about 75% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch—a rate notably higher than nearby Stephenson Area Public School (35.8%) and CarneyNadeau Public School (62.2%).

The most striking finding is the school’s academic proficiency, which sits far below state averages and local peers. In the 2025-2026 school year, math proficiency was in the single digits for most grades—for example, just 6.98% of 4th graders and 4.48% of 6th graders met state standards, compared to a state average of roughly 32-39%. English Language Arts scores were somewhat better but still low, ranging from about 7% to 13% proficient, versus a state average near 38-44%. By 11th grade, only 5.8% of students were proficient in SAT math (state: 26.5%) and 29% in reading and writing (state: 52.1%). The student-to-teacher ratio is also high at 17.3:1, meaning larger class sizes and less individualized attention than at Stephenson Area Public School (13.4:1) or CarneyNadeau Public School (11.8:1).

There is a positive trend worth noting: the graduation rate has nearly doubled from a low of 38.6% in 2021-2022 to 68.6% in 2024-2025, though it still trails the state average of 84% and the 0% dropout rate at nearby schools. An 8th-grade science class stands out as a relative strength, with 20.4% proficiency in 2025-2026, higher than the school’s other subjects. The school spends $13,107 per student—less than the $17,085 at Stephenson Area Public School and $15,537 at CarneyNadeau Public School—which, combined with the high student-teacher ratio and low scores, suggests resources may not be reaching students effectively. While the “alternative” label often means serving students who struggled elsewhere, CarneyNadeau Public School, also classified as alternative with similar poverty levels, outperforms Uplift in nearly every metric, showing that better outcomes are possible.