Summary:
Zip code 49615 is home to just one high school, Bellaire Middle/High School, a combined middle and high school serving grades 6-12 within the Bellaire Public Schools district in a rural Michigan setting.
Bellaire Middle/High School is a small, high-performing school with 140 students and a favorable 12.2:1 student-to-teacher ratio. It has earned a 4-star rating and currently ranks in the 74th percentile of Michigan high schools, a strong rebound from a temporary dip the previous year. The school excels in several key areas: its graduation rate is an impressive 95.8%, nearly 12 points above the state average, and its dropout rate is about half the state figure. Students perform well above state averages in English language arts across multiple grades, with 9th grade PSAT ELA proficiency at an exceptional 82.6%. High school science and social studies scores also outpace the state, with 11th graders achieving 52.9% proficiency in both subjects. The school invests heavily in its students, spending $24,581 per pupil, which supports personalized attention despite over half the student body qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
The primary area of concern is middle school mathematics. Proficiency rates in 7th and 8th grade math fall significantly below state averages (21.1% and 20.0% respectively), and this challenge persists into 10th grade. While chronic absenteeism affects about one in four students, the school still manages to achieve excellent graduation outcomes. The small cohort sizes can cause year-to-year metric volatility, but the overall trajectory is positive, with dramatic improvements seen in 6th grade math proficiency, which jumped over 30 points in a single year. For parents, this school offers a tight-knit environment with strong literacy and science instruction, though they should be aware of the math achievement gap in the middle grades.
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