Best High Schools in Zip Code 48044

Zip code 48044 in Macomb, Michigan, is served by a single high school, Dakota High School, which enrolls roughly 2,476 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Chippewa Valley Schools district.

Dakota High School is a consistently high-performing institution, earning a 4-star rating from the state for three consecutive years and ranking in the 73rd to 77th percentile of Michigan high schools. Its graduation rate of 96.5% far exceeds the state average of 84.0%, while its dropout rate of just 1.5% is dramatically lower than Michigan’s 7.1%. Academically, the school posts strong results on the SAT and PSAT, with 11th graders scoring 57.9% proficient in reading/writing and 34.5% in math—both well above state averages. The standout metric is 9th-grade PSAT math proficiency at 47.5%, a remarkable 14 percentage points above the state average, suggesting excellent preparation from the feeder middle schools. However, this advantage narrows by 10th grade, and the school shows a notable weakness in 11th-grade science, where proficiency (29.9%) actually falls below both the district (35.4%) and state (35.2%) averages.

Despite its strong overall profile, Dakota High School experienced year-over-year score declines across nearly all subjects between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, including a 10.6-point drop in social studies and a 9.1-point drop in SAT reading/writing. Its state ranking improved slightly during this period, indicating that many other Michigan schools saw similar or larger declines. With only 21% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a comparatively affluent population, and per-student spending of $15,005 is above the national average. Chronic absenteeism affects 22.8% of students—better than the state’s 27.9% but still meaning nearly one in four students misses significant instructional time. Overall, Dakota High School remains a stable, reliable educational option in Macomb County, with strong graduation outcomes and college readiness indicators, though the recent test score declines and the science gap are worth monitoring.