Best High Schools in Zip Code 48460

Zip code 48460 is home to a single high school, New Lothrop High School, which serves grades 7 through 12 within the New Lothrop Area Public Schools district, a small, rural educational setting with 398 students.

For parents, the standout feature of New Lothrop High School is its exceptional student engagement and persistence. The school boasts a remarkable 98.8% graduation rate and a mere 1.1% dropout rate, far outpacing state averages. Chronic absenteeism is also strikingly low at 10.8%, less than half the state's 27.9%, indicating a highly connected and supportive school community. Academically, the school shows a clear strength in English Language Arts, with proficiency rates consistently exceeding state benchmarks across all grade levels—most notably an 11th-grade SAT reading/writing proficiency of 72.7% versus the state's 52.1%. Science scores are also strong, particularly in 8th grade where 58.1% of students are proficient compared to 39.2% statewide. The district itself is highly rated, ranking in the top 16% of Michigan districts with a 4-star rating.

However, the data reveals a significant challenge in mathematics. While 7th-grade math proficiency is strong at 50%, it steadily declines through high school, with only 27.3% of 11th graders proficient in SAT math, barely above the state average. This creates a dramatic 45-point gap between the school's 11th-grade reading and math scores. Additionally, 11th-grade social studies proficiency (36.4%) falls below the state average (43.2%), marking the only subject where the school significantly underperforms. Despite these academic areas for growth, the school's overall trajectory is positive, having improved its state ranking from the 64th to the 71st percentile over recent years. With a moderate free/reduced lunch rate of 34.17% and a per-student investment of $16,500, New Lothrop High School provides a stable, well-funded environment where students are clearly engaged and supported, even as it works to strengthen its upper-level math and social studies instruction.