Summary:
Zip code 49799 is home to just one high school, Wolverine MiddleHigh School, a small rural school serving grades 6 through 12 with only 126 total students in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Wolverine MiddleHigh School shows a striking split between its middle school and high school performance. In the most recent testing year, 7th grade math proficiency hit 50% — well above the state average of 33.3% — and 8th grade PSAT English Language Arts reached 66.67%, also above the state norm. However, this academic strength fades dramatically once students enter the upper grades. By 10th grade, only 23.5% of students were proficient in PSAT ELA versus the state’s 58%, and 9th grade ELA proficiency lagged by nearly 22 points. SAT reading and writing scores for 11th graders improved to 42.1% from 26.3% the prior year, but still trail the state by 10 points. The school’s graduation rate of 81.2% is below the state’s 84.0%, and its dropout rate of 12.5% is nearly double the state average of 7.1%.
On a positive note, chronic absenteeism at 19.5% is significantly better than both the district (25.1%) and state (27.9%) averages, meaning students are showing up to class. The school also spends a healthy $15,434 per student with a 14:1 student-to-teacher ratio. However, with roughly 15-20 students per grade, test scores can swing wildly from year to year — for instance, 6th grade math dropped from 40% to 18.75% proficiency in just one year. The school serves a predominantly low-income population (67.46% free/reduced lunch), yet its strong middle school results show that economic challenges don’t have to dictate outcomes. The Wolverine Community School District currently ranks in the 34th percentile statewide, down from the 40th percentile a few years ago, suggesting the high school transition is the key area needing attention.
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