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Bay City Central High School

Q: Is Bay City Central High School a good school?

Bay City Central High School ranks 458 th of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

458^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 43% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Bay City Central High School is a large public high school in Bay City, MI, serving 921 students in grades 9-12 within the Bay City School District. The school serves a community with significant economic need, as 71% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—a rate more than double that of its sister school, Bay City Western High School (31.9%).

Academically, Bay City Central presents a mixed picture. The most pressing concern is mathematics: only 12.7% of 11th graders scored proficient on the SAT math section, compared to 26.5% statewide, and 9th-grade PSAT math proficiency (18.9%) also trails the state average (33.5%) by a wide margin. This gap is stark when compared to nearby schools like Bay City Western (21.5% SAT math) and Garber High School. However, the school performs much closer to state averages in English Language Arts (48.5% SAT proficiency vs. 53.9% statewide) and actually meets or exceeds state averages in science (37.6%) and social studies (38.8%). Chronic absenteeism is another significant challenge, with 42.4% of students missing substantial school days—far above the district average (32.8%) and rates at nearby schools like John Glenn High School (30.5%) and Garber (20.4%).

Despite these hurdles, there is a notable bright spot: the graduation rate has climbed steadily from 77.2% in 2021-2022 to 86.3% in 2024-2025, now exceeding both the district (81.4%) and state (84.0%) averages. This improvement suggests that while daily attendance remains a struggle, the school has found effective ways to help seniors finish their requirements. It's also worth noting that Bay City Central spends more per student ($17,400) than comparable area schools, yet its academic outcomes are lower—a pattern that may reflect the additional resources needed to support a student body facing higher levels of economic disadvantage and absenteeism. For parents, this school offers a dedicated staff working to improve outcomes, but math proficiency and consistent attendance remain key areas to watch.

921

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,400

Per pupil spending ?

71%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1624 Columbus Ave
Bay City, MI 48708-6827

(989) 893-9541

District: Bay City School District

Feeder schools for Bay City Central High School:

Elementary:	Hampton Elementary School
	Kolb Elementary School
	MacGregor Elementary School
	Washington Elementary School
Middle:	Handy Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.7%

Hispanic:

15.5%

Two or more races:

12.2%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Bay City Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2016 → 43rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (35% vs 43% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 28% Michigan)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg40%

Michigan avg43%

458^th of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From top 40% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Bay City School District

346^th of 625Bay City School District 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	458 of 800	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.4	431 of 739	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.5	456 of 743	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	398 of 735	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	392 of 531	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.0	338 of 561	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.6	412 of 666	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.0	370 of 824	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.3	393 of 835	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.8	337 of 852	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.0	382 of 832	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	47.3	458 of 799	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.7	473 of 805	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.0	458 of 773	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	58.1	424 of 784	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.9	432 of 765	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	53.0	440 of 754	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	59.1	392 of 750	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	49.6	469 of 767	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	48.0	446 of 705	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	54.3	61 of 170	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	483 of 686	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.2	436 of 629	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.8	499 of 619	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	439 of 611	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	363 of 416	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.0	344 of 462	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	408 of 554	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.9	396 of 710	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	32.8	184 of 259	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	58.3	76 of 203	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.8	86 of 195	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.5	133 of 190	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	40 of 64	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.5	49 of 97	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.5	117 of 201	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	41.0	438 of 719	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.8	363 of 635	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.9	357 of 654	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.0	383 of 614	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.6	296 of 369	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.8	257 of 417	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	241 of 532	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	271 of 755	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	402 of 693	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.5	363 of 628	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	316 of 633	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.5	276 of 611	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.9	327 of 440	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.9	263 of 472	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.6	367 of 543	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.4	319 of 707	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	149 of 179	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	62.5	46 of 127	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.5	92 of 105	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	94 of 110	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.6	68 of 93	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	406 of 671	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.6	488 of 639	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	472 of 638	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.9	382 of 647	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	364 of 492	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.4	322 of 516	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.3	410 of 582	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.5	374 of 708	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2023)64th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile~ school

White (2026)39th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)30th percentile-13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)29th percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)17th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts56%-3 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing48%-4 vs state

Social Studies39%-4 vs state

Science38%~ state avg

Mathematics14%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bay City Central High School

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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)		SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (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 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 9th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bay City Central High School	Public	9-12	1624 Columbus Ave	Bay City	48708	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 893-9541	921	54	17.0	71.0%	596 (64.7%)	61 (6.6%)	143 (15.5%)	3 (0.3%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	112 (12.2%)	39.9	458^th of 800 public high schools	42.8%		41.4	431^st of 739 public high schools	41.7%	27	53.9	58.6	18.9	7.9	48.5	12.7	37.6	38.8	$17,400	$860	$16,539
Bay City Eastern High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	601 Blend St	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	Yes	No	No	(989) 895-5550	137	10	13.7	87.6%	83 (60.6%)	12 (8.8%)	25 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (11.7%)								(n/a)		367.3		288.2	408.0	369.3	2079.3		$21,866	$1,775	$20,090
Garber High School	Public	9-12	213 Pine St	Essexville	48732	Bay County	Essexville-Hampton Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 894-9710	489	42	11.6	37.0%	424 (86.7%)	8 (1.6%)	30 (6.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.7%)	64.9	222^nd of 800 public high schools	72.3%		68.1	193^rd of 739 public high schools	73.9%	29	74.2	77.0	35.0	29.0	59.8	19.6	45.3	44.3	$13,126	$610	$12,517
BayArenac Community High School	Public, Charter	9-12	805 Langstaff St	Essexville	48732	Bay County	Bay-Arenac Community High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(989) 893-8811	180	10	18.8	86.1%	134 (74.4%)	15 (8.3%)	23 (12.8%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.8%)	31.3	533^rd of 800 public high schools	33.4%					(n/a)		35.0		359.0	43.8	400.6	30.0	30.0	$12,834	$1,984	$10,850
John Glenn High School	Public	9-12	3201 Kiesel Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bangor Township Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 684-7510	864	32	27.2	31.5%	722 (83.6%)	14 (1.6%)	94 (10.9%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (3.2%)	50.8	360^th of 800 public high schools	55.0%		57.4	295^th of 739 public high schools	60.1%	65	61.6	64.5	28.7	25.6	52.9	17.6	24.5	48.1	$13,187	$601	$12,587
Bay City Adult EducationCTP	Public	9-12	4155 Monitor Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 686-4770	65	0		61.5%	48 (73.8%)	5 (7.7%)	9 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.6%)								(n/a)									$3,668	$834	$2,835
State Street Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	4721 3 Mile Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	State Street Academy	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(989) 684-6484	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)	69.2		395.4
Great Lakes Bay Early College	Public	9-12	1961 Delta Rd	University Center	48710	Bay County	Saginaw Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(989) 686-9146	200	10	19.9	23.0%	142 (71.0%)	20 (10.0%)	26 (13.0%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.5%)	90.9	49^th of 800 public high schools	93.9%		88.7	62^nd of 739 public high schools	91.6%	13		90.6		50.0	83.8	35.1	62.2	73.0
Carrollton High School	Public	9-12	1235 Mapleridge Rd	Saginaw	48604	Saginaw County	Carrollton Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 753-3433	431	25	17.4	74.5%	170 (39.4%)	128 (29.7%)	114 (26.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (4.2%)	29.4	546^th of 800 public high schools	31.8%		28.9	512^th of 739 public high schools	30.7%	34	39.7	50.0	5.0	6.7	47.7	412.0	31.0	36.8	$18,123	$2,134	$15,989
Omni High School	Public	9-12	479 Shattuck Rd	Saginaw	48724	Saginaw County	Carrollton Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 753-3477	125	6	21.3	83.2%	60 (48.0%)	24 (19.2%)	38 (30.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	9.8	704^th of 800 public high schools	12.0%					(n/a)	23.3	35.7	336.0	353.6	414.4	363.2	2070.4	2083.1	$12,659	$1,053	$11,606

Frequently Asked Questions about Bay City Central High School

What district is Bay City Central High School in?

Bay City School District

How many students attend Bay City Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 921 students attended Bay City Central High School.

What schools feed into Bay City Central High School?

Bay City Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Hampton Elementary School
Elementary : Kolb Elementary School
Elementary : MacGregor Elementary School
Elementary : Washington Elementary School
Middle : Handy Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Bay City Central High School?

Students at Bay City Central High School are 65% White, 16% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 7% African American.

Is Bay City Central High School a good school?

Bay City Central High School ranks 458^th of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Bay City Central High School!

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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.