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Columbia Alternative Education

Public Grades 6-12

Summary

Columbia Alternative Education is a public high school serving grades 6-12 in Clarklake, Michigan, with a relatively small student population of 88 students. However, the school has struggled with significant academic and operational challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom quartile of Michigan high schools.

The key issues facing Columbia Alternative Education include low academic performance, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past two years, as well as very low graduation rates (46.1%) and high dropout rates (up to 17%). The school also experiences extremely high chronic absenteeism, reaching 75.2% in the 2020-2021 school year. Student test scores are also significantly lower than state and district averages, with only 14.29% of 11th graders proficient or better in Math and Social Studies. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch (61.36%), indicating high poverty rates among the student population.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as East Jackson Secondary School, Michigan Center JrSr High School, and Columbia Central High School, Columbia Alternative Education stands out as an underperforming outlier, with significantly lower academic performance, graduation rates, and higher absenteeism and dropout rates. The data also reveals that the school's spending per student, at $9,011, is lower than some of the nearby schools, which may contribute to the challenges faced by the school.

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,203

Per pupil spending ?

46.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4460 N Lake Rd
Clarklake, MI 49234-9694

(517) 529-9400

District: Columbia School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.5%

Two or more races:

6.4%

Hispanic:

5.1%

See top rated Michigan public schools

Compare Columbia Alternative Education to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2007 → 9th in 2023

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2007

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (14% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (70% vs 83%)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2022-2023) ?

This school14%

District avg36%

Michigan avg38%

Not ranked this year

Columbia Alternative Education did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

128^th of 613Columbia 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
2023	10.0	671 of 735	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	647 of 824	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.7	629 of 852	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	5.6	832 of 832	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	20.5	602 of 765	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	10.8	664 of 754	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.6	597 of 750	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	3.2	749 of 767	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	12.4	586 of 710	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	15.6	530 of 611	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.1	581 of 707	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	6.6	626 of 647	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	626 of 708	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2018)17th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2023)13th percentile+5 vs school

White (2023)3rd percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2022-2023) ?

Science14%-25 vs state

Social Studies14%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbia Alternative Education

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)		M-Step Math (2025)		M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Columbia Alternative Education	Public	6-12	4460 N Lake Rd	Clarklake	49234	Jackson County	Columbia School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 529-9400	78	5	15.2	46.2%	69 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.4%)								(n/a)													$9,203	$952	$8,251
Columbia Central High School	Public	7-12	11775 Hewitt Rd	Brooklyn	49230	Jackson County	Columbia School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 592-6634	637	36	17.8	29.7%	569 (89.3%)	6 (0.9%)	25 (3.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.3%)	63.1	246^th of 739 public high schools	66.7%		73.1	156^th of 743 public high schools	79.0%	90	62.2	31.1	62.5	33.3		55.2		32.8	46.7	41.1	51.1	36.8	$13,357	$586	$12,771
Jackson Preparatory Early College	Public, Charter	6-12	2111 Emmons Rd	Jackson	49201	Jackson County	Jackson Preparatory & Early College	Yes	No	No	Yes	(517) 705-5732	260	13	19.8	29.6%	168 (64.6%)	43 (16.5%)	19 (7.3%)	6 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	22 (8.5%)	69	188^th of 739 public high schools	74.6%		79.4	123^rd of 743 public high schools	83.4%	65	80.0	30.0		33.3	43.5	52.2	18.2	34.8	59.4	37.5	59.4	56.0	$10,231	$361	$9,869
Jackson Area Career Center	Public	9-12	6800 Browns Lake Rd	Jackson	49201	Jackson County	Jackson Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(517) 768-5163	0	36	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Ackerson High School	Public	9-12	121 W Brooklyn Rd	Napoleon	49261	Jackson County	Napoleon Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 905-5718	84	3	28.0	73.8%	76 (90.5%)	2 (2.4%)	2 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.8%)								(n/a)										14.3			$10,629	$870	$9,758
Napoleon High School	Public	9-12	201 West	Napoleon	49261	Jackson County	Napoleon Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 536-8667	381	17	23.0	31.0%	357 (93.7%)	3 (0.8%)	11 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	58.5	289^th of 739 public high schools	60.9%		54.1	307^th of 743 public high schools	58.7%	18			59.0	26.0						37.0		44.0	$13,609	$1,022	$12,586
Vandercook Lake High School	Public	7-12	1000 E Golf Ave	Jackson	49203	Jackson County	Vandercook Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 782-8167	258	19	13.5	73.3%	196 (76.0%)	12 (4.7%)	17 (6.6%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (11.6%)	17.8	595^th of 739 public high schools	19.5%		20.6	598^th of 743 public high schools	19.5%	3	47.5		25.0			9.8		9.8	28.2	22.9	25.6	22.9	$16,467	$1,296	$15,171
Michigan Center JrSr High School	Public	7-12	400 S State St	Michigan Center	49254	Jackson County	Michigan Center School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 764-1440	700	33	21.0	44.1%	608 (86.9%)	14 (2.0%)	26 (3.7%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.9%)	33.9	479^th of 739 public high schools	35.2%		27.1	532^nd of 743 public high schools	28.4%	53	52.1	17.0	44.3	16.4		24.5		11.8	22.9	26.4	28.9	34.9	$12,442	$1,072	$11,370
Jackson County Jail	Public	9-12	212 W Wesley St	Jackson	49201	Jackson County	Jackson Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 841-2208	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
East Jackson Secondary School	Public	7-12	1566 N Sutton Rd	Jackson	49202	Jackson County	East Jackson Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 764-1700	359	19	18.8	79.1%	262 (73.0%)	36 (10.0%)	25 (7.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	30 (8.4%)	24	547^th of 739 public high schools	26.0%		46.3	368^th of 743 public high schools	50.5%	179	50.8		32.0			23.4		12.8	20.0	22.9	16.7	29.2	$15,072	$1,550	$13,522

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Alternative Education

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Alternative Education?

Students at Columbia Alternative Education are 88% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

What district is Columbia Alternative Education in?

Columbia School District

How many students attend Columbia Alternative Education?

In the 2024-25 school year, 78 students attended Columbia Alternative Education.

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MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Clarklake, MI

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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.