Benzie Academy

Benzie Academy is a public high school located in Benzonia, Michigan, serving grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of 70 students. Despite being part of the Benzie County Central Schools district, Benzie Academy faces significant challenges, with consistently low graduation rates, high dropout and chronic absenteeism rates, and test scores that lag behind the district and state averages.

Benzie Academy's four-year graduation rates have ranged from just 18.5% to 46.6% over the past five years, far below the 80% graduation rate at the nearby Benzie Central Senior High School. The school also has high dropout rates, ranging from 16% to 36.3%, much higher than the 8.3% rate at Benzie Central. Additionally, Benzie Academy struggles with extremely high chronic absenteeism, with rates as high as 76.6% over the past four years, compared to 53.6% at Benzie Central.

Benzie Academy's academic performance is also a concern, with test scores consistently lower than the Benzie County Central Schools district and the state of Michigan. In 2023-2024, only 15% of Benzie Academy's 11th-grade students were proficient or better in M-Step/Social Studies, compared to 23.7% for the district and 39.6% for the state. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 71.43% to 77.66% over the past three years, significantly higher than the 59.2% at Benzie Central. While Benzie Academy has a more diverse student population compared to Benzie Central, it spends less per student and has a much higher student-teacher ratio, which may contribute to the school's challenges.