Beecher High School

Beecher High School in Mount Morris, MI, is a small school serving 185 students in grades 7 through 12 within the Beecher Community School District, where over 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch—a reflection of the high-need community it supports.

One of the most striking things about Beecher is its chronic absenteeism rate of 60% for the 2024-2025 school year, which is more than double the state average of 27.9% and significantly higher than nearby schools like EA Johnson Memorial High School (45.5%) and Genesee High School (39.3%). This attendance challenge is closely tied to academic performance—for example, only 7.69% of 9th graders are proficient in math, compared to the state average of 33.5%. At the same time, the school has made notable progress in its graduation rate, climbing from 60.4% in 2022-2023 to 75.7% in 2024-2025, though its dropout rate of 18.1% remains more than 2.5 times the state average. Interestingly, Beecher spends $35,510 per student—more than double what Genesee High School ($14,296) and EA Johnson Memorial ($14,874) spend—yet academic outcomes remain low, raising questions about the additional costs of serving a population with such high poverty and absenteeism.

Despite these challenges, there are bright spots. Beecher's performance with its African American students is notably stronger than its overall performance, ranking in the 36th percentile statewide—a substantial improvement from the 18th percentile in 2017-2018. The school also outperforms several alternative schools in the area, including Flex High North Flint (10% graduation rate) and The Learning CoOp (7.1%), though it still trails Hamady Community High School (90.6%) and EA Johnson Memorial (85.1%). For parents, the key takeaway is that Beecher is a school working hard to improve graduation rates and support specific student groups, but attendance and academic proficiency remain significant hurdles that families should consider carefully.