Summary:
Zip code 49854, serving the Manistique, Michigan area, is home to three schools within the Manistique Area Schools district, which together educate roughly 700 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
For parents, the standout in this area is Manistique Middle and High School, which serves grades 6-12 and posts a strong 95% graduation rate, far exceeding state averages. While this school shows a notable "middle school slump" in 7th and 8th grade, particularly in math where proficiency sits around 14-20% versus the state's 33%, it demonstrates a strong recovery by high school. By 10th grade, PSAT English scores reach 67.5% proficiency, and 11th-grade SAT reading scores also beat the state average. In contrast, Emerald Elementary School (PK-5) is struggling, with proficiency rates in core subjects running 10 to 25 points below state averages. The school also saw sharp year-over-year declines in 4th grade, with ELA dropping from 47.4% to 19.6% and math falling to just 13.7%. Despite spending the most per student ($16,029) and having a lower student-teacher ratio, its academic ranking sits in the bottom 28th percentile. Jack Reque Alternative High School serves just 22 at-risk students and faces significant challenges, with a 55.5% graduation rate and a 33.3% dropout rate, though it offers a favorable 11:1 student-teacher ratio.
The most pressing issue across the district is mathematics, where proficiency gaps range from 12 to 26 points below state averages at nearly every grade level. Chronic absenteeism, however, is a positive note, with rates around 16-20% compared to the state's 28%, indicating students are showing up ready to learn. The district's overall ranking in the bottom 37% of Michigan schools masks the high school's success, suggesting that targeted math intervention and support for the 7th-grade transition and Emerald's 4th-grade cohort could yield significant improvements.
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