Summary:
Zip code 48001 in Clay, Michigan, is served by four schools within the Algonac Community School District, enrolling roughly 1,287 students across elementary and secondary grades in a suburban-rural river community.
For parents, the standout choice for academics is Algonquin Elementary School, which earns a 3-star rating and leads the district in ELA and science proficiency—5th grade ELA reached 54.5% and science hit 39.6%, both well above state averages. However, its math scores decline sharply after 4th grade, and its state ranking has slipped from 467th to 720th. Algonac Junior/Senior High School is the district’s improvement story, boasting a 97% graduation rate (state: 84%) and strong 8th grade PSAT ELA scores (64% proficient), yet it struggles mightily in math—only 8.5% of 11th graders passed SAT math versus the state’s 26.5%. Social studies also lags by 11-14 points. Millside Elementary School serves only PK-1st grade, so no test data exists, but it spends the most per student ($17,186) while facing the highest chronic absenteeism (30.4%) and free/reduced lunch rate (61.5%). Algonac Alternative Education is a small program (19 students) with a concerning 66.6% graduation rate and the district’s lowest per-student spending at $9,303.
The clearest takeaway is a systemic math decline starting around 5th grade—proficiency drops from 45.2% in 3rd grade to 8.5% on the 11th grade SAT—while ELA instruction remains a genuine strength across all grade levels. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide warning sign, especially at Millside, and the alternative school’s low funding relative to its at-risk population raises equity questions. Overall, this district excels in literacy and graduation outcomes but needs urgent intervention in secondary math and social studies.
Thank you for your feedback!