Summary:
ZIP code 49072 is served by the Mendon Community School District, a small rural district in Michigan with two schools—Mendon Elementary School (PK-5) and Mendon MiddleHigh School (6-12)—together educating about 464 students.
The two schools are heading in opposite directions. Mendon Elementary School has improved its state percentile ranking for three straight years, climbing from the 23rd to the 41st percentile, and now holds a 2-star rating. Its 5th grade English Language Arts proficiency of 45.2% actually exceeds the state average, making it the only grade in the district to outperform Michigan. The elementary school also boasts a strong 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 16.3%—far better than the state's 27.9%. In contrast, Mendon MiddleHigh School saw its ranking plummet from the 48th to the 31st percentile in a single year. While its graduation rate of 86.9% tops the state average, its 10.8% dropout rate is 52% higher than the state norm, and its student-teacher ratio is a less personal 15.8:1.
The most striking finding is the academic cliff between 5th and 6th grade: ELA proficiency drops from 45.2% to just 20%, suggesting a difficult transition to middle school. Math struggles also intensify with age, falling to 17.9% proficiency in 7th grade and just 12.1% on the 11th grade SAT math—both less than half the state averages. Notably, the elementary school serves more economically disadvantaged students (45.7% vs. 33.1%) yet performs better, and it spends $1,613 more per student. The district's strong attendance and improving elementary trajectory offer hope, but targeted support for the middle/high school transition and secondary math instruction appear critical.
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