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Kalkaska High School

Q: Is Kalkaska High School a good school?

Kalkaska High School ranks 314 th of 739 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

314^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 739 Michigan High Schools

Better than 58% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Kalkaska High School is a public high school serving 466 students in grades 9-12 in Kalkaska, Michigan, which is part of the Kalkaska Public Schools district. The school has shown mixed academic performance, with 11th-grade students performing above the state average in M-Step/Science but below the state average in SAT/Mathematics. Kalkaska High School also faces challenges with a high chronic absenteeism rate and a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to the nearby Central High School, which is part of the Traverse City Area Public Schools district, Kalkaska High School consistently underperforms on standardized test scores, with lower proficiency rates in subjects like M-Step/Science, M-Step/Social Studies, SAT/Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and SAT/Mathematics. This difference in academic performance may be partly attributed to the fact that Kalkaska High School has a significantly higher percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds compared to Central High School.

Additionally, Kalkaska High School's chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 23.5% to 31.3% over the past few years, is notably higher than that of the nearby Traverse City High School and Central High School, both of which had a 29.5% chronic absenteeism rate in 2023-2024. This high rate of chronic absenteeism may be a contributing factor to the school's lower academic performance and is an area that the school and district may need to address through targeted interventions and support for students.

439

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,501

Per pupil spending ?

47.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

109 N Birch St
Kalkaska, MI 49646-7931

(231) 258-9167

District: Kalkaska Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.9%

Hispanic:

4.3%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Kalkaska High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 45th percentile in 2022 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓90% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (83%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 58th (2025) from a 45th-percentile low (2022)

✓Above the Michigan median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg40%

Michigan avg40%

314^th of 739

Michigan public high schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From top 28% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

340^th of 613Kalkaska Public Schools 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
2025	55.9	314 of 739	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.6	250 of 743	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	233 of 735	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.6	291 of 531	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.8	250 of 561	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.7	331 of 666	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.2	322 of 824	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	75.2	160 of 835	80.8%	★★★★☆
2016	69.7	237 of 852	72.2%	★★★★☆
2015	71.2	236 of 832	71.6%	★★★★☆
2014	69.2	235 of 799	70.6%	★★★★☆
2013	60.5	328 of 805	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.7	306 of 773	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.2	304 of 784	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	72.5	238 of 765	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.9	283 of 754	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	55.6	423 of 750	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	72.2	222 of 767	71.1%	★★★★☆
2006	56.8	374 of 705	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	50.1	307 of 629	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.9	157 of 619	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	62.6	198 of 611	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.1	180 of 416	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.0	315 of 462	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.2	339 of 554	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.7	380 of 710	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	66.9	179 of 635	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	66.7	173 of 654	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	60.0	216 of 614	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.0	168 of 369	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.5	75 of 417	82.0%	★★★★☆
2019	49.3	274 of 532	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.9	213 of 755	71.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	296 of 628	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.5	350 of 633	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	246 of 611	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.4	359 of 440	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.8	181 of 472	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.9	292 of 543	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.2	239 of 707	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	34.7	186 of 315	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	48.8	311 of 639	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	285 of 638	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.6	320 of 647	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.3	339 of 492	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.0	271 of 516	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.2	355 of 582	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.7	383 of 708	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)72nd percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)53rd percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)51st percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)51st percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2018)41st percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing49%-6 vs state

Science45%+10 vs state

Social Studies42%~ state avg

Mathematics25%-3 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Monday, September 12, 2011

After moving to Kalkaska in November 2010, I have been very happy with the interaction between Teachers & School and home. Thanks to all the teachers and staff who go above and beyond. Close Quote

Schools Near Kalkaska High School

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
Kalkaska High School	Public	9-12	109 N Birch St	Kalkaska	49646	Kalkaska County	Kalkaska Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 258-9167	439	23	18.9	47.4%	399 (90.9%)	8 (1.8%)	19 (4.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.3%)	55.9	314^th of 739 public high schools	57.5%		61.6	250^th of 743 public high schools	66.4%	64			48.9	25.0						44.8		42.5	$13,501	$897	$12,604
Forest Area High School	Public	9-12	7661 Shippy Rd SW	Fife Lake	49633	Kalkaska County	Forest Area Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 369-2884	156	10	15.1	44.9%	150 (96.2%)	3 (1.9%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	24.6	544^th of 739 public high schools	26.4%		48.3	354^th of 743 public high schools	52.4%	190			34.6							26.9		23.1	$13,029	$1,167	$11,862
Mancelona High School	Public	9-12	9300 W Limits St	Mancelona	49659	Antrim County	Mancelona Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 587-8551	243	15	16.3	73.7%	228 (93.8%)	2 (0.8%)	10 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	25.9	532^nd of 739 public high schools	28.0%		64.1	224^th of 743 public high schools	69.9%	308			37.3	13.6						32.8		19.0	$16,218	$1,948	$14,269
Elk Rapids High School	Public	9-12	308 Meguzee Pt	Elk Rapids	49629	Antrim County	Elk Rapids Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 264-8108	360	18	20.3	18.9%	329 (91.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.2%)	2 (0.6%)	6 (1.7%)	93.5	40^th of 739 public high schools	94.6%		96.4	18^th of 743 public high schools	97.6%	22			72.0	47.6						72.0		72.8	$00	$00	$00
Sunrise Academy	Public	9-12	308 Meguzee Pt	Elk Rapids	49629	Antrim County	Elk Rapids Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 264-8108	21	1	15.5	47.6%	17 (81.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)								(n/a)													$00	$00	$00
Bellaire MiddleHigh School	Public	6-12	204 W Forrest Home Ave	Bellaire	49615	Antrim County	Bellaire Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 533-8015	140	11	12.2	51.4%	129 (92.1%)	1 (0.7%)	7 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	52.2	346^th of 739 public high schools	53.2%		64.4	216^th of 743 public high schools	70.9%	130	72.7	22.7	50.0		55.6	25.0	22.2	25.0	45.5	31.3	50.0	43.8	$23,513	$1,315	$22,197
Traverse City High School	Public	9-12	3962 3 Mile Rd N	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-5860	171	10	16.3	59.6%	139 (81.3%)	10 (5.8%)	11 (6.4%)	1 (0.6%)	9 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	30.6	503^rd of 739 public high schools	31.9%		8.8	675^th of 743 public high schools	9.2%	172			37.8							24.2		33.3	$19,494	$1,520	$17,974
Shawono Center	Public	6-12	10 N Howes Lake Rd	Grayling	49738	Crawford County	Michigan Department of Human Services	No	No	No	No	(517) 335-3541	19	0		52.6%	8 (42.1%)	7 (36.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (21.1%)								(n/a)
North EdCareer Technical	Public	11-12	880 Parsons Rd	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Northwest Education Services	No	No	No	No	(231) 922-6260	0	38	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Central High School	Public	8-12	1150 Milliken Dr	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-6500	1,326	56	23.6	20.3%	1,191 (89.8%)	38 (2.9%)	41 (3.1%)	33 (2.5%)	22 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	70.9	178^th of 739 public high schools	75.9%		77.1	136^th of 743 public high schools	81.7%	42			80.2	51.1						33.0		36.4	$13,659	$1,499	$12,160

Frequently Asked Questions about Kalkaska High School

What is the racial makeup of Kalkaska High School?

Students at Kalkaska High School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Is Kalkaska High School a good school?

Kalkaska High School ranks 314^th of 739 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Kalkaska High School in?

Kalkaska Public Schools

How many students attend Kalkaska High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Kalkaska High School.

What schools feed into Kalkaska High School?

Kalkaska High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Kalkaska Elementary School
Elementary : Rapid City Elementary School
Middle : Kalkaska Middle School

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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.