Summary:
Zip code 49337 is home to just one high school, Newaygo High School, part of the Newaygo Public School District, serving grades 9-12 with 460 students in a predominantly lower-income area where 61% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
For parents, the standout news is that Newaygo High School graduates students at a remarkably high rate—92%, which is 8 points above the state average—and its dropout rate of 4.9% is well below the state’s 7.1%. The school also shines in social studies, where 51.6% of 11th graders are proficient, beating the state by 8.4 points. However, math is a serious concern: only 15.1% of 11th graders are proficient in SAT math, a gap of 11.4 points below the state, and that number dropped 4.4 points in just one year. Reading and writing scores also trail the state by about 9 points, and by 10th grade, the ELA gap widens to 10.5 points, suggesting students lose ground as they advance. Chronic absenteeism affects 32% of students—4 points above the state—which likely compounds these academic struggles.
Despite spending a hefty $18,738 per student, results are mixed, and the school’s ranking has slipped slightly over three years, now sitting at 400th out of 625 Michigan high schools (a 2-star rating). The high graduation rate paired with low test scores and high absenteeism suggests the school may be prioritizing getting students to graduation over rigorous academic mastery. For parents, this means your child will likely graduate on time, but you may need to supplement math and reading support at home, especially if they struggle in those areas. The strong social studies performance shows the school can achieve excellence, so focusing on math intervention and attendance could help unlock better overall outcomes.
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