Summary:
Zip code 49622 is home to just one school, Central Lake Public Schools, a small, rural PK-12 district in Central Lake, MI, serving 223 students across all grade levels in a single facility.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that this is a high-poverty, tightly-knit school community with significant strengths and challenges. The school spends a substantial $26,248 per student and maintains an excellent 9.9:1 student-teacher ratio, meaning your child would receive a great deal of individualized attention. However, nearly 75% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and this economic need appears to drive many of the school's struggles. Chronic absenteeism is a critical issue, with 40.4% of students missing significant school time (compared to 27.9% statewide), and the graduation rate of 72.2% lags well behind the state's 84.0%, while the dropout rate of 16.6% is more than double the state average.
Academically, the school shows a clear split between strong English Language Arts skills and weaker math performance. The standout achievement is in 10th grade PSAT ELA, where 81.25% of students are proficient—an extraordinary 23 points above the state average—and 8th grade PSAT ELA also exceeds state norms. Yet math proficiency is consistently below average, with only 17.65% of 4th graders proficient in math versus 39.4% statewide. There are bright spots, including 8th grade social studies (66.67% proficient vs. 50.3% statewide) and 5th grade math (45% vs. 32.2%). Because grade-level cohorts are tiny (roughly 17 students per grade), year-to-year scores can swing dramatically, so a single strong or weak class can shift results significantly. Overall, Central Lake Public Schools offers a caring, resource-rich environment where literacy thrives, but families should be aware of the attendance challenges and math gaps that need attention.
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