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JW Sexton High School

Q: Is JW Sexton High School a good school?

JW Sexton High School ranks in the bottom 9.6% of Michigan high schools.

Q: How many students attend JW Sexton High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 586 students attended JW Sexton High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of JW Sexton High School?

Students at JW Sexton High School are 57% African American, 15% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

Q: What schools feed into JW Sexton High School?

JW Sexton High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Forrest G Averill School

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

723^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 10% of Michigan high schools

Summary

JW Sexton High School is a public high school in Lansing, MI, serving 586 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Lansing Public School District.

The most encouraging news for parents is the school's remarkable progress in keeping students on track to graduate. Over the past five years, the graduation rate has climbed from 61.2% to an impressive 91.0%—now surpassing the state average of 84.0%. This means your child is far more likely to earn a diploma today than just a few years ago. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending $24,562 per pupil, which is the highest among nearby schools and significantly more than East Lansing High School ($15,407) or Waverly Senior High School ($15,016). This funding likely supports the substantial non-academic needs of the student body, where over 90% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

However, academic proficiency on standardized tests remains a significant challenge. Only 8.7% of 11th graders were proficient in SAT Math and 21.4% in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing—rates roughly half of those at Eastern High School and a fraction of the scores at East Lansing High School (36.8% and 66.3%, respectively). Chronic absenteeism is also a concern, with 63.2% of students missing significant school time, though this is a major improvement from the 91.9% rate seen a few years ago. The school's state ranking has improved from the 3rd percentile to the 10th percentile, and the dropout rate has fallen dramatically from 15.0% to 3.2%. While test scores lag, the school appears to be building a more stable environment that keeps students engaged through graduation—a foundation that may lead to future academic gains.

586

Students ?

18.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,562

Per pupil spending ?

90.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

102 McPherson Ave
Lansing, MI 48915-1760

(517) 755-1070

District: Lansing Public School District

Feeder schools for JW Sexton High School:

Elementary:

Forrest G Averill School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

56.7%

White:

14.7%

Hispanic:

12.5%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare JW Sexton High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 20th percentile in 2014 → 10th in 2026

Strengths

✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (14% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (63% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school14%

District avg21%

Michigan avg43%

723^rd of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 21% (2016) to bottom 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3High Schools in the Lansing Public School District

539^th of 625Lansing Public 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	6.8	868 of 897	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	861 of 883	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.8	771 of 776	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.6	822 of 838	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.4	837 of 894	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.7	838 of 919	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.8	881 of 921	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.0	896 of 919	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	18.8	333 of 366	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	1.3	104 of 104	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	17.8	148 of 154	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2019	2.6	654 of 658	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.9	789 of 794	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	8.2	808 of 836	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.9	803 of 825	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.6	689 of 691	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.6	776 of 815	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	5.5	773 of 786	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.1	773 of 776	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.2	750 of 797	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	3.7	671 of 678	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	723 of 800	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.3	687 of 739	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.9	694 of 743	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	675 of 735	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.9	643 of 666	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.6	724 of 824	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	6.7	711 of 835	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.7	677 of 852	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.1	652 of 832	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.7	641 of 799	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.7	609 of 805	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	11.2	672 of 773	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	25.5	595 of 784	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.3	567 of 765	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.6	562 of 754	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	29.7	569 of 750	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.3	569 of 767	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	28.3	557 of 705	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	232 of 252	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.3	188 of 192	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	163 of 188	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	144 of 170	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	237 of 254	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	2.8	84 of 87	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.2	110 of 119	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	79 of 102	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.4	634 of 686	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.5	607 of 629	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.7	600 of 619	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	560 of 611	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.3	543 of 554	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.8	661 of 710	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	222 of 259	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.7	149 of 203	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	157 of 190	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	123 of 201	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	10.8	648 of 719	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.9	595 of 635	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	627 of 654	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	565 of 614	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.9	516 of 532	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.8	676 of 755	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	5.8	656 of 693	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.3	600 of 628	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	605 of 633	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.5	587 of 611	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.2	533 of 543	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.7	644 of 707	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.1	579 of 671	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.4	450 of 639	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	468 of 638	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	617 of 647	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.0	631 of 708	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

African American (2018)9th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2018)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2024)2nd percentile~ school

White (2018)1st percentile~ school

Female (2019)1st percentile

Asian (2018)<1st percentile~ school

High school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)14th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile~ school

African American (2026)8th percentile~ school

Female (2026)8th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)8th percentile~ school

Male (2026)5th percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2018)3rd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts23%-37 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing21%-31 vs state

Social Studies18%-25 vs state

Science10%-25 vs state

Mathematics4%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near JW Sexton High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)		PSAT Mathematics (2026)		SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 9th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th 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
JW Sexton High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	102 McPherson Ave	Lansing	48915	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 755-1070	586	32	18.0	90.3%	86 (14.7%)	332 (56.7%)	73 (12.5%)	36 (6.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (9.7%)	8.2	723^rd of 800 public high schools	9.6%		7.3	687^th of 739 public high schools	7.0%	36	23.1	22.2	5.1	3.7	21.4	8.7		10.3		18.3	$24,562	$3,598	$20,964
Waverly Senior High School	Public	9-12	160 Snow Rd	Lansing	48917	Eaton County	Waverly Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 323-3831	987	47	21.1	50.3%	273 (27.7%)	354 (35.9%)	226 (22.9%)	44 (4.5%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (8.6%)	23.6	586^th of 800 public high schools	26.8%		29.2	510^th of 739 public high schools	31.0%	76	46.7	52.2	10.7	19.8	30.7	11.5		15.5		25.2	$15,016	$761	$14,255
SAIL Waverly	Public	9-12	160 Snow Rd	Lansing	48854	Ingham County	Ingham Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(517) 244-1210	9	1	9.0	33.3%	4 (44.4%)	4 (44.4%)	1 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Ingham AcademyFamily Center	Public	7-12	1601 W Holmes Rd	Lansing	48910	Ingham County	Ingham Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(517) 352-2692	41	4	9.2	82.9%	10 (24.4%)	24 (58.5%)	3 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.3%)								(n/a)		340.0		285.7	270.0	249.1
Eastern High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	626 Marshall St	Lansing	48912	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 755-1050	798	40	19.8	86.6%	152 (19.0%)	283 (35.5%)	229 (28.7%)	28 (3.5%)	7 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	97 (12.2%)	22.2	597^th of 800 public high schools	25.4%		16.4	611^th of 739 public high schools	17.3%	14	42.0	36.3	15.7	12.9	37.9	12.6		22.9		28.2	$21,269	$3,132	$18,137
Everett High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	3900 Stabler St	Lansing	48910	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(517) 755-1080	1,017	51	19.8	88.6%	188 (18.5%)	430 (42.3%)	204 (20.1%)	106 (10.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (8.7%)	13	677^th of 800 public high schools	15.4%		16.7	607^th of 739 public high schools	17.9%	70	30.9	33.5	5.8	9.4	28.9	8.1		17.1		21.2	$19,861	$3,193	$16,668
Eaton Regional Educational Service Agency Career Preparation Center	Public	9-12	5708 Cornerstone Dr	Lansing	48813	Eaton County	Eaton Regional Educational Service Agency	No	No	No	No	(517) 483-1341	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
SAIL Lansing	Public	9-12	200 N Foster Ave	Lansing	48854	Ingham County	Ingham Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(517) 244-1210	12	2	6.0	33.3%	5 (41.7%)	5 (41.7%)	1 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (8.3%)								(n/a)
Insight School of Michigan	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	526 S Creyts Rd	Lansing	48917	Eaton County	Insight School of Michigan	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(517) 580-0020	862	39	22.0	77.6%	457 (53.0%)	223 (25.9%)	92 (10.7%)	3 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (9.6%)	7.2	738^th of 800 public high schools	7.8%		6.1	703^rd of 739 public high schools	4.9%	35	26.9	21.9	317.1	2.3	18.5	357.9		10.4		17.2	$11,857	$528	$11,329
Hill Center	Public	9-12	5815 Wise Rd	Lansing	48911	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 755-2800	0	1	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about JW Sexton High School

What district is JW Sexton High School in?

Lansing Public School District

Is JW Sexton High School a good school?

JW Sexton High School ranks in the bottom 9.6% of Michigan high schools.

What schools feed into JW Sexton High School?

JW Sexton High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Forrest G Averill School

How many students attend JW Sexton High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 586 students attended JW Sexton High School.

What is the racial makeup of JW Sexton High School?

Students at JW Sexton High School are 57% African American, 15% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

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.