Bridgeport High School

Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, MI, serves approximately 501 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School District, a district facing significant economic challenges with over 91% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academic proficiency at Bridgeport High School is critically low across all subjects. In the most recent testing, only about 4% of 9th and 10th graders are proficient in math, compared to state averages above 31%. On the 11th-grade SAT, just 19.5% of students are proficient in reading and writing versus a 52.1% state average, and science and social studies proficiency rates hover around 10%, far below state averages of 35-43%. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern—62.8% of students miss significant school time, more than double the state average. The graduation rate sits at 76.7%, below the state's 84%, and the dropout rate has fluctuated wildly, from 6.8% in one year to over 16% in others. While the school spends $15,648 per student—more than some higher-performing neighbors—the outcomes remain persistently low.

For context, nearby Frankenmuth High School, just 7 miles away, boasts a 97.2% graduation rate, a 0% dropout rate, and proficiency rates of 75.6% in reading and 52% in math. Even Birch Run High School, 8.5 miles away, significantly outperforms Bridgeport with an 87% graduation rate and much higher test scores. However, comparing to Saginaw United High School, which serves a similarly high-poverty population, reveals that Bridgeport's graduation rate is notably lower (76.7% vs. 91.6%), suggesting that poverty alone doesn't determine outcomes. The most urgent priorities for Bridgeport High School must be tackling chronic absenteeism and implementing intensive academic interventions to build foundational skills in math and reading.