Best Public Schools in Zip Code 48726

ZIP code 48726 in Cass City, Michigan, is served by two public schools within the Cass City Public Schools district, which together educate 877 students across grades PK-12 in a small, rural community setting.

For parents, the standout choice in this area is Cass City Elementary, which delivers exceptional early-grade results, particularly in 3rd-grade math where 70.1% of students are proficient—a remarkable 27 points above the state average. The elementary school also maintains a 4-star rating and outperforms state averages in every subject and grade level tested, with ELA proficiency running 9-28 points higher than the state. Meanwhile, Cass City Junior and Senior High School shows impressive momentum, climbing from the 59th to the 76th percentile in state rankings over three years. The high school boasts a 94.8% graduation rate and a perfect 0.0% dropout rate, both far better than state averages. However, a notable weakness emerges in SAT math, where only 21.4% of 11th graders are proficient—5 points below the state—even though PSAT scores in earlier grades meet or exceed state benchmarks, suggesting a test preparation gap rather than a content knowledge issue.

One of the most striking patterns is the dramatic decline in math proficiency as students advance through elementary grades, dropping from 70.1% in 3rd grade to just 36.8% by 5th grade—a 33-point slide that points to potential curriculum challenges in upper elementary. Chronic absenteeism is a hidden success story, with the elementary school at just 8.4% and the high school at 15.3%, both far below the 27.9% state average. The elementary school serves a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (56.4% free/reduced lunch) than the high school (41.2%), yet still achieves stronger relative performance, indicating effective support for at-risk learners. Science performance also diverges by grade, with 8th graders exceeding state averages but 11th graders falling below, mirroring the SAT math trend of students losing ground by junior year.