Summary:
Zip code 48506 in Flint, Michigan, is served by two high schools within the Kearsley Community School District: a large traditional institution and a small virtual academy, together serving grades 9-12 in an area where roughly 70% of students face economic disadvantage.
Kearsley High School is the primary option, enrolling 836 students. Its academic ranking has been extremely volatile, swinging from the 62nd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 76th in 2024-2025, then collapsing to the 33rd percentile in 2025-2026. Current proficiency rates are concerning: only 12.2% of 11th graders are proficient in SAT math, and reading proficiency sits at 41.7%. Chronic absenteeism is a major issue at 50.3%, nearly double the state average. The school graduates 80.2% of students, which beats the district's 70% rate but trails the state's 84%. By contrast, Kearsley Virtual Academy serves just 83 students and shows dramatically worse outcomes: only 29.1% graduate and 33.3% drop out. Despite having a lower student-teacher ratio (9.7:1 vs. 18.2:1) and spending 44% less per student ($8,658 vs. $15,573), the virtual school is failing the vast majority of its students.
The most striking takeaway is the stark contrast between the two models. While the traditional high school struggles with engagement and math proficiency, the virtual academy's results are catastrophic, suggesting that online learning is not overcoming the challenges these students face. District-wide, the Kearsley Community School District has a 70% graduation rate and a 14.5% dropout rate, both far worse than state averages. For parents, the data clearly favors the traditional high school, though both institutions face significant hurdles tied to high poverty levels and low academic achievement, particularly in mathematics.
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