Best Public Schools in Zip Code 49601

Zip code 49601, serving the Cadillac, Michigan area, contains 6 schools—2 elementary, 1 middle, 2 high schools, and 1 special education program—with a total enrollment of roughly 2,882 students across the Cadillac Area Public Schools district and the Wexford-Missaukee Independent School District (Isd).

For families, the standout choice is Cadillac Senior High School, which earns a 4-star rating and ranks in the 82nd percentile statewide. It posts a 91% graduation rate, well above the state’s 84%, and beats state averages in science, social studies, and SAT reading/writing by 10-12 points. Its main weakness is math, where only 34.9% of 11th graders are proficient. In stark contrast, Cadillac Innovation High School struggles with a 1-star rating, a 57.8% graduation rate, and a troubling 33.3:1 student-teacher ratio—nearly double that of the traditional high school—despite serving a population with higher economic need. At the middle school level, Mackinaw Trail Middle School is a strong performer, exceeding state proficiency by 10-22 points in most subjects, particularly 7th-grade math (55.4% vs. 33.3% statewide). Among elementary schools, Franklin Elementary School and Lincoln Elementary School offer different trade-offs: Franklin has higher 3rd-grade ELA scores (48.8% vs. 28.6%), while Lincoln shows a consistent upward ranking trend and a lower student-teacher ratio (16.1:1).

Across the district, math proficiency is a systemic weakness, lagging behind reading at every level. Chronic absenteeism is also a concern, ranging from 21.3% at Lincoln to 63.2% at the WexfordMissaukee Independent School District (Isd) Special Education program, which serves just 89 students with intensive resources. Notably, the district outperforms state averages despite 40-70% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, and per-student spending is similar across schools ($12,111-$14,351), yet outcomes vary widely—suggesting resource allocation, not total spending, drives success. Cadillac Senior High also slipped from a 5-star to 4-star rating this year, so families should watch whether that decline continues.