Schools in Zip Code 49030

Zip code 49030 in Burr Oak, Michigan, is served by the Burr Oak Community School District, which operates three schools—Burr Oak Elementary School (K-8), Burr Oak High School (9-12), and Burr Oak Virtual Academy (K-12)—serving a combined 501 students from a predominantly low-income community.

For parents, the most striking finding is the divide between the traditional schools and the virtual option. Burr Oak High School is the district’s clear bright spot, with a graduation rate of 78.5% (close to the 84% state average) and a dropout rate of just 7.1%, matching the state exactly. In contrast, Burr Oak Virtual Academy—which enrolls more students (278) than both brick-and-mortar schools combined—has a graduation rate of only 47.1% and a dropout rate of 31.4%, over four times the state average. The Virtual Academy also has an extreme student-teacher ratio of 69.5:1, compared to 25.9:1 at the high school and 12.9:1 at Burr Oak Elementary School. Chronic absenteeism follows the same pattern: 42.3% at the Virtual Academy, 35.6% at the high school, and 27.2% at the elementary school—the latter actually beating the state average of 27.9%.

Academically, Burr Oak Elementary School shows the most promise, improving from a 1-star to a 2-star rating over three years and posting the district’s highest test score (53.85% proficiency in 8th grade ELA). The high school’s 9th grade ELA proficiency is also strong at 50%, though scores decline by 11th grade. Interestingly, the Virtual Academy outperforms the district average on some SAT and PSAT sections despite its poor graduation outcomes, suggesting it serves a mix of motivated and disengaged students. The district’s overall 1-star rating is heavily dragged down by the Virtual Academy’s struggles, masking the fact that the traditional high school performs reasonably well given that 75.3% of its students qualify for free/reduced lunch.