Summary:
Zip code 48618 in Coleman, Michigan, is served by two public schools within the Coleman Community Schools district, which together educate roughly 559 students from kindergarten through 12th grade in a predominantly low-income, rural community.
For parents, the most striking story here is the contrast between the two campuses. Coleman Elementary School (K-6) is showing steady, if modest, improvement, climbing from the 22nd to the 30th percentile in state rankings over three years. However, it still trails state averages in every subject, with particular weakness in upper elementary ELA—6th-grade proficiency fell to just 16.7% versus the state's 37.5%. In contrast, Coleman JuniorSenior High School (7-12) has a puzzling profile: it boasts a stellar 94.8% graduation rate and previously posted exceptional 8th-grade PSAT ELA scores (77.1% proficiency), yet its overall ranking plummeted from the 55th to the 39th percentile in one year. The high school's math scores are particularly concerning, with 8th-grade PSAT math proficiency at just 11.4% compared to the state's 33.2%.
Chronic absenteeism is a hidden crisis, especially at the secondary level where 34.6% of students are chronically absent—nearly 7 points above the state average. The district spends a substantial $19,442 per secondary student, yet this investment isn't translating into proportional academic gains. While the elementary school shows relative strength in math compared to ELA, and the high school demonstrates pockets of excellence in science and literacy, the overall picture is one of a district that successfully keeps students in school through graduation but struggles to bring them to academic proficiency. The elementary school's social studies scores also collapsed dramatically from 23.4% to 8.8% in one year, warranting immediate investigation.
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