Best Public Schools in Zip Code 49092

Zip code 49092 is served by a single school, Tekonsha Schools, a small K-12 alternative school within the Tekonsha Community Schools district, which enrolls 193 students in a rural, high-poverty area where 68% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

As the only school in the area, Tekonsha Schools presents a mixed picture for parents. On the positive side, the school posts a graduation rate of 85.7%, which is above the state average of 84.0%, and its dropout rate of 3.5% is less than half the state's 7.1%. The school also shows a notable strength in 8th-grade PSAT English Language Arts, where 70.6% of students are proficient, exceeding the state's 64.8%. Additionally, 5th-grade Science proficiency stands at 50%, a full 10 points above the state average. However, these bright spots are countered by significant challenges. Math proficiency is consistently low across all grades, ranging from 13.6% in 10th grade to 21.4% in 5th grade, all well below state averages. Reading skills also appear to decline sharply after middle school: while 8th-grade ELA is strong, 11th-grade SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing proficiency drops to just 23.5%, compared to the state's 52.1%. Elementary proficiency is also concerning, with 4th-grade ELA at 21.1% and Math at 15.8%.

Parents should note that the school spends a relatively high $18,161 per student and maintains a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 13.4:1, yet these resources do not consistently translate into strong test scores, likely due to the fixed costs of running a small, isolated district and the high needs of the student population. Chronic absenteeism affects 22.7% of students, which is better than the state's 27.9% but still means nearly one in four students miss significant school time. The data suggests a school that successfully keeps students enrolled and graduating, but struggles with academic proficiency, particularly in math and upper-level literacy. The isolated successes in 8th-grade ELA and 5th-grade Science could serve as models for improvement in other subjects.