Summary:
Zip code 49307 is home to a single public high school, Big Rapids High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Big Rapids Public Schools district.
Big Rapids High School stands out as a strong performer within its own district, significantly outpacing the district average on key outcome measures. The school’s graduation rate of 82.9% is well above the district’s 70.8%, and its dropout rate of 6.2% is less than half the district’s 13.9%. Academically, the school shows a clear split in strengths. It excels in English Language Arts and Science, with 11th-grade SAT reading/writing proficiency at 56.9% and M-Step science proficiency at 44.3%, both above state averages. However, mathematics is a notable weakness at every grade level. For example, only 23.5% of 9th graders are proficient in math on the PSAT, a full 10 points below the state average of 33.5%. Social studies proficiency (31.1%) also trails the state by a wide margin. With an enrollment of 755 students and a relatively low free/reduced lunch rate of 34.83%, the school serves a comparatively more affluent population, which makes the math and social studies gaps more striking.
Despite these academic challenges, the school is on a positive trajectory, improving its state ranking from 256th in 2023-2024 to 325th in 2025-2026. Chronic absenteeism (24.6%) is slightly better than the state average, and per-student spending is a robust $14,708. However, the student-teacher ratio of 20.3:1 is relatively high, suggesting large class sizes that may impact the effectiveness of instruction, particularly in the underperforming subjects. For parents, this school offers a solid foundation in literacy and science, but they should be aware that extra support in math and social studies may be necessary to ensure their child is fully prepared for college and career.
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