Bentley Senior High School

Bentley Senior High School is a small public high school in Burton, MI, serving 227 students in grades 9-12 within the Bentley Community School District.

The most encouraging news for parents is that Bentley Senior High School has a genuine success story when it comes to graduation. Despite facing significant economic challenges—with about 60% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch—the school graduates its students at a rate of 86.2%, which actually beats the state average of 84.0%. This isn't a fluke; the school has consistently outperformed its own district average by 5 to 20 percentage points over the past five years. Its dropout rate of 3.4% is less than half the state average of 7.1%. This suggests that once students enroll at Bentley, the school is effective at keeping them engaged and on track to earn a diploma. This is particularly notable when you compare it to other local options. For instance, Flex High Burton has a 9.0% graduation rate, and Accelerated Learning Academy graduates only 34.9% of its students. Even the district's own alternative program, Bentley High School BOLD Academy, has a 33.3% graduation rate, making Bentley Senior High the clear standout for student success in the area.

While the school excels at keeping students in school, academic test scores remain a challenge and are below state averages in most subjects. However, there are signs of progress and relative strengths. The school has shown meaningful improvement in reducing chronic absenteeism, dropping from 53.1% to 35.0% over the last few years. Furthermore, the school appears to be particularly effective with its economically disadvantaged students, earning a 2-star rating for this subgroup, which is better than its overall performance. When compared to nearby traditional high schools like Kearsley High School, Bentley actually has a higher graduation rate (86.2% vs. 80.2%) and a much lower chronic absenteeism rate (35.0% vs. 50.3%). For parents weighing their options, Bentley Senior High School offers a stable, supportive environment that prioritizes seeing students through to graduation, even if its state test scores don't yet reflect the same level of success.