Summary:
Zip code 49657 is home to a single high school, McBain High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 in the rural community of McBain, Michigan, and is part of the McBain Rural Agricultural Schools district.
For parents considering this area, McBain High School stands out as a high-performing institution with a remarkable 98.5% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate, both far exceeding state averages. The school has earned a 4-star rating and has improved its state ranking for three consecutive years, now sitting in the 72nd percentile. Academically, the school shows particular strength in STEM subjects, with 11th-grade science proficiency at 45.8% (state: 35.2%) and SAT math at 33.9% (state: 26.5%). Students also outperform the state in 11th-grade social studies and SAT reading and writing. However, there is one notable area of concern: 10th-grade PSAT English Language Arts proficiency (53.1%) falls below the state average (58.0%), suggesting a potential dip in literacy skills during that year. The school also serves a diverse socioeconomic population, with 38.44% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and spends $14,952 per student.
One interesting paradox is the contrast between the school's stellar graduation rate and its chronic absenteeism rate of 24.0%. While this is better than the state average of 27.9%, it is nearly double the district's own rate of 12.5%, meaning a significant number of students are missing substantial school time yet still managing to graduate. The school has also shown impressive year-over-year improvement, with science proficiency jumping from 37.3% to 45.8% and SAT reading and writing scores increasing from 52% to 62.7% in just one year. Since McBain High School is the only high school in the district, its performance directly reflects the overall effectiveness of the McBain Rural Agricultural Schools system, making it a solid choice for families seeking a small, academically improving rural school with strong graduation outcomes.
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