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South Lake High School

Public Grades 9-12

683^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 15% of Michigan high schools

Summary

South Lake High School in Saint Clair Shores, MI, is a small-to-mid-sized public high school serving 426 students in grades 9-12 as part of the South Lake Schools district.

For parents, the most striking thing about South Lake is its "graduation vs. proficiency" story. On one hand, the school shines when it comes to keeping students on track: its graduation rate of 89.8% is dramatically higher than nearby Eastpointe High School (70.0%) and Harper Woods High School, and its dropout rate of 5.0% is far lower than those same neighbors. In fact, South Lake's graduation rate even surpasses that of the higher-scoring Grosse Pointe North High School (88.0%). On the other hand, state test scores are low—only 7.8% of 11th graders are proficient in math and 30.4% in reading/writing. However, those scores are still nearly double the proficiency rates at Eastpointe and Harper Woods, making South Lake a relative academic leader among schools serving similar high-poverty communities (56% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch).

Another positive trend is chronic absenteeism, which has plummeted from a staggering 62.7% in 2021-2022 to 34.4% in 2024-2025—a remarkable improvement compared to Eastpointe (61.2%) and Harper Woods (59.0%), which remain stuck above 55%. That said, South Lake still trails the more affluent Lakeview High School just two miles away, where poverty is lower (42.3%) and reading proficiency is more than double (63.2%). The school also spends heavily—$19,092 per student, more than Lakeview—yet results remain modest. For parents, South Lake offers a caring environment that gets kids to graduation, but families should be aware that academic benchmarks lag behind wealthier neighboring districts.

426

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,092

Per pupil spending ?

56.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21900 E 9 Mile Rd
Saint Clair Shores, MI 48080-2905

(586) 435-1401

District: South Lake Schools

Feeder schools for South Lake High School:

Elementary:	Avalon Elementary School
	Elmwood Elementary School
Middle:	South Lake Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

73.9%

White:

16.9%

Two or more races:

4.9%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare South Lake High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 1st percentile in 2022 → 15th in 2026

Strengths

✓90% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 15th (2026) from a 1st-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (19% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 27 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg19%

Michigan avg43%

683^rd of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From bottom 42% (2016) to bottom 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

513^th of 625South Lake 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
2026	12.3	683 of 800	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.7	695 of 739	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	606 of 743	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	677 of 735	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.1	526 of 531	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.6	541 of 561	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.4	515 of 666	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	590 of 824	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.5	540 of 835	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.8	495 of 852	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	54.0	399 of 832	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	41.3	499 of 799	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.9	464 of 805	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.4	498 of 773	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.3	537 of 784	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.1	492 of 765	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	54.2	434 of 754	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	56.9	411 of 750	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	63.7	329 of 767	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	53.9	399 of 705	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	174 of 252	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.1	161 of 192	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.2	122 of 188	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.5	137 of 170	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	47 of 59	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	88 of 147	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.3	156 of 254	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	6.1	645 of 686	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.7	578 of 629	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	548 of 619	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	572 of 611	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.4	448 of 462	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.7	464 of 554	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.8	516 of 710	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	14.0	629 of 719	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	5.5	617 of 635	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.9	484 of 654	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	580 of 614	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.2	393 of 417	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.5	425 of 532	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.5	566 of 755	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	572 of 693	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	2.4	624 of 628	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	533 of 633	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	599 of 611	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.4	471 of 472	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	463 of 543	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.0	573 of 707	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	127 of 220	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.8	254 of 315	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.4	554 of 671	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	8.3	599 of 639	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	63.0	196 of 638	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	22.6	524 of 647	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.8	261 of 582	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.5	275 of 708	61.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)42nd percentile+28 vs school

African American (2026)31st percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)17th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile~ school

Female (2026)6th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts32%-27 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing30%-22 vs state

Social Studies22%-22 vs state

Science12%-23 vs state

Mathematics8%-24 vs state

4.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Great students, Teachers that care about each student make our school a wonderful place to work and learn. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, September 19, 2010

My son loves his freshman year at South Lake High and the staff are wonderful. Close Quote

Schools Near South Lake 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 8th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th 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
South Lake High School	Public	9-12	21900 E 9 Mile Rd	Saint Clair Shores	48080	Macomb County	South Lake Schools	No	No	No	No	(586) 435-1401	426	27	15.7	56.3%	72 (16.9%)	315 (73.9%)	13 (3.1%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.9%)	12.3	683^rd of 800 public high schools	14.6%		6.7	695^th of 739 public high schools	6.0%	12		31.4	32.5		7.8	8.4	30.4	7.8		11.8		21.6	$19,092	$1,452	$17,640
Lakeview High School	Public	9-12	21100 E 11 Mile Rd	Saint Clair Shores	48081	Macomb County	Lakeview Public Schools (Macomb)	No	No	No	No	(586) 445-4045	1,319	61	21.6	42.3%	917 (69.5%)	230 (17.4%)	57 (4.3%)	7 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	107 (8.1%)	54	323^rd of 800 public high schools	59.6%		49.1	369^th of 739 public high schools	50.1%	46		66.9	65.0		36.0	26.7	63.2	22.5		22.3		35.1	$16,307	$640	$15,667
Grosse Pointe North High School	Public	9-12	707 Vernier Rd	Grosse Pointe Woods	48236	Wayne County	Grosse Pointe Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(313) 432-3200	924	60	15.3	25.2%	540 (58.4%)	292 (31.6%)	29 (3.1%)	24 (2.6%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	33 (3.6%)	79.1	122^nd of 800 public high schools	84.8%		79.3	118^th of 739 public high schools	84.0%	4		74.6	78.2		47.1	47.1	65.2	33.3		41.6		51.6	$20,003	$772	$19,231
Harper Woods High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	20225 Beaconsfield St	Harper Woods	48225	Wayne County	Harper Woods The School District of the City of	No	Yes	No	Yes	(313) 245-3084	877	35	25.0	82.0%	12 (1.4%)	854 (97.4%)	8 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	4.4	775^th of 800 public high schools	3.1%		8.2	674^th of 739 public high schools	8.8%	101		19.4	16.9		1.1	2.5	16.0			6.3		11.2	$21,500	$1,851	$19,648
The Harper Woods College and Career Institute	Public	9-12	20570 Kelly Rd	Harper Woods	48225	Wayne County	Harper Woods The School District of the City of	No	No	No	No	(313) 332-8451	0	6	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Chandler Park Academy High School	Public, Charter	9-12	20254 Kelly Rd	Harper Woods	48225	Wayne County	Chandler Park Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(313) 499-3010	688	37	18.5	86.2%	0 (0.0%)	686 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	5.4	760^th of 800 public high schools	5.0%		10.2	663^rd of 739 public high schools	10.3%	97		20.1	23.0		1.6	3.6	18.9			10.4		6.0	$15,157	$2,026	$13,131
Avatar Academy of Excellence	Public, Virtual	9-12	19748 Harper Ave	Harper Woods	48225	Wayne County	Harper Woods The School District of the City of	No	No	Yes	Yes	(313) 912-3948	78	1	78.0	83.3%	1 (1.3%)	77 (98.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46.3	405^th of 800 public high schools	49.4%					(n/a)			8.3									63.9	$32,938	$799	$32,139
Harper Woods Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Magnet	6-12	19872 Kelly Rd	Harper Woods	48225	Wayne County	Harper Woods The School District of the City of	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	(800) 297-2119	1,029	5	228.6	76.4%	374 (36.3%)	603 (58.6%)	27 (2.6%)	16 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (0.9%)	3.6	784^th of 800 public high schools	2.0%		3.1	735^th of 739 public high schools	0.5%	49	27.1	29.6	15.2		4.9		8.9			2.3	14.9	4.0	$7,754	$810	$6,944
Eastpointe High School	Public	8-12	15501 Couzens Ave	Eastpointe	48021	Macomb County	Eastpointe Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(586) 533-3700	624	33	18.9	86.7%	45 (7.2%)	514 (82.4%)	9 (1.4%)	8 (1.3%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.1%)	5.3	762^nd of 800 public high schools	4.8%		3.6	731^st of 739 public high schools	1.1%	31	25.9	20.6	16.0	3.7	3.7	4.2	15.4		5.9	10.3	10.3	13.0	$18,267	$2,191	$16,075
Eastpointe Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	15501 Couzens Ave	Eastpointe	48021	Macomb County	Eastpointe Community Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(586) 533-3700	128	0		85.2%	7 (5.5%)	114 (89.1%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.9%)								(n/a)			12.5										$5,470	$1,596	$3,875

Frequently Asked Questions about South Lake High School

Is South Lake High School a good school?

South Lake High School ranks in the bottom 14.6% of Michigan high schools.

How many students attend South Lake High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 426 students attended South Lake High School.

What district is South Lake High School in?

South Lake Schools

What is the racial makeup of South Lake High School?

Students at South Lake High School are 74% African American, 17% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools feed into South Lake High School?

South Lake High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Avalon Elementary School
Elementary : Elmwood Elementary School
Middle : South Lake Middle School

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Schools in Saint Clair Shores, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 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.