Schools in Zip Code 48763

Zip code 48763, serving the Tawas City, Michigan area, is home to five schools spanning pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, with a total enrollment of 1,344 students across three distinct districts: Tawas Area Schools, Alternative Educational Academy of Iosco County, and Iosco Regional Educational Service Agency.

The traditional public schools in the Tawas Area Schools district form a cohesive and high-performing system. Tawas Area High School stands out as the academic leader with a 97.6% graduation rate, zero dropouts, and exceptional science and social studies scores—more than 17 points above state averages. Its 4-star district rating reflects consistent quality. Clara B Bolen Elementary School shows positive momentum, with 4th grade ELA proficiency at 53.9% (+12.6 over state) and dramatic 3rd grade ELA improvement. Tawas Area Middle School performs well in ELA, particularly in 8th grade PSAT (74.4% proficiency), though math lags across all grades. A striking pattern emerges: ELA proficiency consistently exceeds state averages while math trails by 5-11 points at nearly every grade level. Chronic absenteeism increases with grade level, from 18.3% in elementary to 27.2% in high school.

In contrast, Alternative Educational Academy of Iosco County faces severe challenges, serving an 83% free/reduced lunch population with a 26.4% graduation rate and 71.7% chronic absenteeism—the highest in the dataset. Despite this, its 8th grade PSAT ELA proficiency of 61.5% suggests untapped academic potential. Notably, this school spends the least per student ($12,088) while serving the highest-need population. Iosco Regional Educational Service Agency Special Education provides intensive support for 49 students with a remarkable $66,879 per-student expenditure and 4.9:1 student-teacher ratio, reflecting its specialized mission rather than a traditional performance metric.