Summary:
ZIP code 49911 in Bessemer, Michigan, is served by two public schools within the Bessemer Area School District, which together educate roughly 343 students in a K-6 and 7-12 configuration.
For parents, the standout is AD Johnston JrSr High School, which posts a 90.4% graduation rate (well above the 84% state average) and an extraordinary 0.0% dropout rate. This high school also excels in 9th-grade ELA (75.8% proficiency vs. 60.2% statewide) and 10th-grade math (43.8% vs. 31.5%). However, its 11th-grade scores dropped sharply in 2025-2026, particularly in social studies (17.65%, down from 47.6%) and SAT reading (29.4%, down from 54.8%). Meanwhile, Washington School shows a "3rd-grade peak," with 55% ELA proficiency versus just 25% in 4th grade, suggesting a strong early elementary foundation that fades by upper elementary. Washington also improved 5th-grade science dramatically (from 19% to 41.9%) but saw 6th-grade ELA drop 16 points to 31.6%.
Both schools face challenges with chronic absenteeism (34.5% at Washington, 35.8% at AD Johnston, vs. 27.9% statewide) despite serving predominantly low-income populations (62-73% free/reduced lunch). Yet the district's cohesion—identical school and district scores—means targeted interventions reach every student. The favorable student-teacher ratios (11.5:1 at Washington, 13.2:1 at AD Johnston) support individualized attention. The key takeaway: this district keeps kids in school through graduation and builds strong literacy early, but math proficiency lags at the high school level, and year-to-year test volatility (likely due to small cohorts of 20-30 students per grade) makes single-year scores less reliable than multi-year trends.
Thank you for your feedback!