Best Public Schools in Zip Code 48849

The 48849 zip code area is home to 3 schools - Lakewood Elementary School, Lakewood Middle School, and Lakewood High School, all part of the Lakewood Public Schools district. While Lakewood Elementary stands out as a relatively strong performer, the middle and high schools face challenges in meeting state academic standards.

Lakewood Elementary School ranks in the top 40% of Michigan elementary schools and outperforms the state average in 3rd and 4th grade assessments. However, it has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 29.5%. In contrast, Lakewood Middle School lags the state average in proficiency across multiple subjects and grade levels, and also has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 29.5%. Lakewood High School outperforms the state average in 11th grade SAT/Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, but has a relatively high dropout rate of 7.6%.

The schools in the 48849 zip code area have varying free/reduced lunch rates, ranging from 39.71% at Lakewood High to 55% at Lakewood Elementary, indicating differing socioeconomic backgrounds of the student populations. Despite the relatively consistent per-student spending across the 3 schools, the performance disparities suggest that factors such as instructional quality, school leadership, and community engagement may play a more significant role. Addressing chronic absenteeism and identifying the root causes of performance gaps could be key focus areas for the district.