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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 49442

New rankings! Michigan test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

6,983

Students

Districts

Top rankedOakridge High School500^th of 800 Michigan high schools

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Biggest riser

Oakview Elementary School up 36 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Wesley School 5.5 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

2★

1★

0★

11 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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Summary:

The 20 schools serving zip code 49442 in Muskegon, Michigan, span elementary through high school and face significant socioeconomic challenges, with most students qualifying for free or reduced lunch and chronic absenteeism often running well above state averages.

For parents exploring options, Oakridge High School stands out as the top-ranked school in the area, reaching the 55th percentile statewide in 2024-2025 and actually exceeding state averages in science (44.1% vs. 34.9%) and social studies (52.7% vs. 42.1%). Its feeder pattern through Oakridge Upper Elementary School and Oakridge Middle School (which, despite an alternative classification, posts PSAT English proficiency of 54.9%—far ahead of Charles Hackley Middle School's 30.1%) makes Oakridge Public Schools the strongest district in the area. Orchard View High School showed remarkable improvement, with SAT reading proficiency jumping from 32.5% to 46.5% and math more than doubling to 20.2%. Among elementary options, Oakridge Lower Elementary School leads with 3rd grade ELA at 31.2%, while Timberland Charter Academy outperforms Muskegon Public elementary schools despite serving a 97% low-income population.

The most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism—Muskegon Community Education Center reports a staggering 90.7% rate, yet paradoxically maintains an 80.3% graduation rate, suggesting its flexible model works for students who attend. Muskegon Lakeshore High School Career Center requires urgent attention with an 8.2% graduation rate, 32.7% dropout rate, and a 34.8:1 student-teacher ratio. Notably, higher spending doesn't guarantee better outcomes—Marquette Elementary School spends $22,735 per student yet posts some of the lowest proficiency scores, while Oakridge Upper Elementary School achieves better results at nearly half the cost. Across the board, proficiency declines as students advance, and math scores consistently lag behind English, making early intervention and attendance improvement the most promising levers for change.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)			PSAT Mathematics (2026)			SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)			M-Step Social Studies (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 9th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Timberland Charter Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	2574 McLaughlin Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Timberland Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(231) 767-9700	613	41	14.9	97.1%	71 (11.6%)	370 (60.4%)	86 (14.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (13.5%)	12	1330^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.9%		15.8	1248^th of 1488 public elementary schools	16.1%	82	20.7			5.2					18.3	12.3	14.3	24.1	16.9	22.5	9.0	5.4	14.8	17.2	10.5	12.3			10.5		$15,545	$2,292	$13,253
Three Oaks Public School Academy	Public, Magnet, Charter	PK, KG-6	1212 Kingsley St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Three Oaks Public School Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 767-3365	363	24	15.2	100.0%	57 (15.7%)	246 (67.8%)	28 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.2%)	7.2	1433^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	4.0%		15.1	1258^th of 1488 public elementary schools	15.5%	175									5.2	6.8		20.8		6.9	6.7		16.7		10.4						$15,070	$2,525	$12,545
Lighthouse Academy The Port	Public, Charter	5-12	205 E Apple Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Lighthouse Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(231) 767-7248	14	3	4.9	78.6%	3 (21.4%)	10 (71.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)								(n/a)																									$15,209	$5,039	$10,169
Muskegon Lakeshore High School Career Center	Public, Charter	9-12	125 Catherine Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Lakeshore High School & Career Center	Yes	No	No	Yes	(330) 256-3294	181	5	34.8	81.2%	22 (12.2%)	134 (74.0%)	11 (6.1%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.6%)								(n/a)																									$19,174	$709	$18,465
Marquette Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	480 Bennett St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Public Schools of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 720-2600	367	30	12.1	95.1%	49 (13.4%)	228 (62.1%)	41 (11.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (12.8%)	5.6	1469^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.5%		5.5	1458^th of 1488 public elementary schools	2.0%	11									11.3	11.1	7.1			13.1	8.3				5.5						$22,735	$6,475	$16,260
Oakview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1420 Madison St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Public Schools of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 720-2450	438	25	17.6	95.7%	82 (18.7%)	269 (61.4%)	37 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (11.4%)	7.7	1416^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.1%		5.7	1452^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	2.4%	36									17.3	14.5	5.7			14.8	6.6				11.5						$17,499	$4,207	$13,292
Charles Hackley Middle School	Public	6-8	180 E Laketon Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Public Schools of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 720-3000	774	38	20.5	87.1%	137 (17.7%)	407 (52.6%)	144 (18.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (10.6%)	8.5	846^th of 896 public middle schools	5.6%		7	853^rd of 890 public middle schools	4.2%	7	38.4			5.0								9.5	12.3				7.1	4.2		10.8			15.6		$14,785	$2,707	$12,078
Muskegon Community Education Center	Public	9-12	1826 Hoyt St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Public Schools of the City of	No	No	No	No	(231) 720-2800	107	5	22.9	78.5%	17 (15.9%)	70 (65.4%)	10 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (9.3%)								(n/a)																								13.6	$23,000	$2,238	$20,763
Oakridge Upper Elementary School	Public	1-6	481 S Wolf Lake Rd	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Oakridge Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 788-7508	437	21	21.2	64.5%	327 (74.8%)	13 (3.0%)	59 (13.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (8.0%)	17.8	1219^th of 1492 public elementary schools	18.3%		18.1	1193^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	19.8%	26										22.7	22.9	25.3			17.0	14.0	17.2		22.5			6.2			$11,728	$1,225	$10,502
Oakridge High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	5493 Hall Rd	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Oakridge Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(231) 788-7300	539	32	16.6	52.7%	431 (80.0%)	14 (2.6%)	53 (9.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.1%)	34.7	500^th of 800 public high schools	37.5%		54.4	330^th of 739 public high schools	55.3%	170		51.6	51.0		19.7	19.2	36.2	13.3													31.7			37.9	$15,274	$1,452	$13,822
Oakridge Middle School	Public, Alternative	3-12	251 S Wolf Lake Rd	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Oakridge Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 788-7400	271	16	16.8	53.1%	216 (79.7%)	9 (3.3%)	22 (8.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	22 (8.1%)								(n/a)	53.0			14.2									22.4					13.4		22.9			37.3		$13,861	$1,440	$12,421
Oakridge Lower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	120 N Park St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Oakridge Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 788-7608	549	37	15.0	72.5%	410 (74.7%)	22 (4.0%)	68 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (8.6%)								(n/a)									31.2					29.6											$14,300	$1,329	$12,971
Orchard View Community Education	Public	9-12	35 S Sheridan Dr	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Orchard View Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 760-1350	134	17	8.0	67.9%	94 (70.1%)	18 (13.4%)	11 (8.2%)	1 (0.7%)	4 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.5%)								(n/a)																									$17,341	$2,449	$14,892
Orchard View Middle School	Public, Magnet	5-9	35 S Sheridan Dr	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Orchard View Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 760-1500	422	29	14.6	69.2%	213 (50.5%)	121 (28.7%)	42 (10.0%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.7%)	15.6	753^rd of 896 public middle schools	16.0%		19.3	704^th of 890 public middle schools	20.9%	49	40.6			9.8								15.5	15.1				8.5	10.5		28.1			26.7		$17,514	$1,689	$15,825
Orchard View High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	16 N Quarterline Rd	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Orchard View Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(231) 760-1400	543	33	16.2	65.4%	277 (51.0%)	151 (27.8%)	55 (10.1%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (9.9%)	27.5	556^th of 800 public high schools	30.5%		18.6	591^st of 739 public high schools	20.0%	35		35.4	41.6		15.4	19.2	46.5	20.2													21.7			30.4	$16,547	$1,595	$14,952
Orchard View Early Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-1	2820 MacArthur Rd	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Orchard View Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 760-1850	331	24	13.7	69.5%	181 (54.7%)	76 (23.0%)	38 (11.5%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (9.7%)								(n/a)																									$19,965	$2,871	$17,093
Cardinal Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	2310 Marquette Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Orchard View Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(231) 760-1700	611	44	13.8	71.2%	327 (53.5%)	167 (27.3%)	55 (9.0%)	3 (0.5%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.2%)	18.3	1208^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.0%		16.6	1230^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.3%	22									24.3	22.1	26.7			26.6	27.9	12.0			20.7			7.3			$16,208	$1,590	$14,618
Wesley School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	915 Wesley Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Area Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(231) 773-9158	127	23	5.5	33.9%	83 (65.4%)	25 (19.7%)	8 (6.3%)	4 (3.1%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	5 (3.9%)								(n/a)
Lakeshore Learning Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	1001 Wesley Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Area Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(231) 773-0534	21	5	4.3	81.0%	14 (66.7%)	4 (19.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (14.3%)								(n/a)
Muskegon Area Career Technical Center	Public	9-12	200 Harvey St	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Area Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(231) 767-3606	0	20	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Muskegon Maritime Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	571 E Apple Ave	Muskegon	49442	Muskegon County	Muskegon Maritime Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(231) 724-7577	141	8	18.0	86.5%	16 (11.3%)	115 (81.6%)	5 (3.5%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.1%)								(n/a)																						23.1			$16,311	$2,358	$13,953

Cities Near Zip Code 49442

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Muskegon	0.53 mi	52	372^nd
Muskegon Heights	3.42 mi	1
Norton Shores	6.65 mi	1	238^th
Fruitport	7.08 mi	6	272^nd
Twin Lake	8.79 mi	1	289^th

See the top MI Michigan cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.