Northport Public School

Northport Public School is a small, K-12 school in the village of Northport, MI, serving just 127 students as a single-school district in the Leelanau County area. This school stands out for its extraordinary investment in every child, spending $40,602 per student—more than double what nearby Ellsworth Community School ($19,400) and Leland Public School ($20,652) spend, and 54.7% more than Central Lake Public Schools ($26,248). With an 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio—the lowest in the area—your child is likely to receive highly personalized attention that larger schools simply cannot offer.

Despite serving a population where over three-quarters of students (76.38%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, Northport consistently outperforms the state average in core subjects. For example, 3rd-grade math proficiency hit 72.73% in 2025-2026, far exceeding the state's 42.9% and beating Ellsworth's 30%. In 11th-grade science, Northport's 60% proficiency rate is nearly 25 points above the state average and surpasses all neighboring schools, including Leland (45.9%) and Central Lake (34.6%). This pattern of high achievement despite economic challenges suggests the school's heavy investment in small classes and support services is making a real difference for students.

One thing to keep in mind is that Northport's small size creates dramatic year-to-year swings in data. The graduation rate jumped from 50% in 2023-2024 to a perfect 100% in 2024-2025—a reflection of just a handful of students in each graduating class rather than a systemic change. Chronic absenteeism (18.6%) is better than the state average (27.9%) and has been steadily improving from a high of 31.2% a few years ago. If you value a close-knit, resource-rich environment where teachers know every student by name, Northport Public School District is worth a serious look—just interpret single-year statistics with some flexibility given the small cohort sizes.