Zemmer Campus 78

Zemmer Campus 78 is a middle school in Lapeer, MI, serving 628 students in grades 7 and 8 as part of the Lapeer Community Schools district.

This school is currently on an impressive upward trajectory. After several years of ranking in the mid-400s statewide, Zemmer made a dramatic leap in the 2025-2026 school year, jumping over 200 spots to rank 213 out of 896 Michigan middle schools—placing it in the 76th percentile with a 4-star rating. This improvement is especially notable when compared to nearby schools like Davison Middle School (ranked 199) and Ruth Fox Middle School (ranked 236), which are also high-performing but didn't show the same year-over-year surge. In core subjects, Zemmer now outperforms the state average and several local competitors: 7th-grade ELA proficiency sits at 46.2% (state: 38.4%), 8th-grade science at 49.7% (state: 39.2%), and 8th-grade social studies at 56.6% (state: 50.3%).

One of the most encouraging findings is the school's success with students from low socio-economic backgrounds—this subgroup now ranks in the 79th percentile statewide, a massive jump from the 43rd percentile the prior year. The school has also made significant strides in reducing chronic absenteeism, dropping from 57.0% in 2020-2021 to 25.8% in 2024-2025, which is actually below the state average. However, math remains a clear area for growth: 7th-grade math proficiency (36.9%) and 8th-grade PSAT math (33.6%) are only slightly above state averages, in stark contrast to the school's ELA and science scores. It's also worth noting that Zemmer's feeder school, Rolland Warner Campus 56, reported an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 88.0% in 2024-2025, suggesting that while Zemmer has successfully tackled attendance for its older students, the issue may persist in earlier grades. With per-student spending at $15,504—higher than peers like Davison ($14,671) and Ruth Fox ($12,338)—the district appears to be investing in resources that may be fueling this positive momentum.