Michigan · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best School Districts in Michigan

Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

50
Districts ranked
133,939
Students enrolled
43/100
Avg quality score
C-
Top grade

The ranking in one line

Capac Community Schools in Capac leads Michigan's districts with an average school quality score of 51.3/100 across 3 schools.

51.3/100
top district score (grade C-)
3
schools in Capac Community Schools
744
students in the top district
43/100
average across the top 50
# District GradeAvg Quality
1 Capac Community Schools Capac C- 51.3
2 Jenison Public Schools Jenison C- 50.2
3 Black River Public School Holland C- 50
4 Madison Academy Flint D 49.5
5 Birmingham Public Schools Beverly Hills D 49.2
6 Washtenaw Isd Ann Arbor D 48.7
7 Bullock Creek School District Midland D 48.2
8 Merrill Community Schools Merrill D 48
9 Jackson Isd Jackson D 47.3
10 New Buffalo Area Schools New Buffalo D 47
11 Northwest Education Services Traverse City D 46.3
12 Midland Public Schools Midland D 46
13 Ingham Isd Mason D 45.7
14 Genesee Isd Flint D 45.2
15 North Muskegon Public Schools Muskegon D 45
16 Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools Westphalia D 44.5
17 Harbor Springs School District Harbor Springs D 44.3
18 Ottawa Area Isd Holland D 44
19 Deckerville Community School District Deckerville D 44
20 Berrien Resa Berrien Springs D 43.7
21 Kalamazoo Public Schools Kalamazoo D 43
22 Trenton Public Schools Trenton D 42.5
23 Calhoun Intermediate School District Marshall D 42.5
24 Saline Area Schools Saline D 42.3
25 Leslie Public Schools Leslie D 42.3
26 Clarkston Community School District Clarkston D 42.1
27 Kalamazoo Resa Portage D 42
28 Kent Isd Grand Rapids D 41.7
29 Bridge Academy Hamtramck D 41.7
30 East Jordan Public Schools East Jordan D 41.7
31 Bloomfield Hills Schools Bloomfield Hills D 41.6
32 Grosse Pointe Public Schools Grosse Pointe Woods D 41.5
33 Martin Public Schools Martin D 40.5
34 Colon Community School District Colon D 40.3
35 Livonia Public Schools School District Livonia D 40.1
36 Saginaw Isd Saginaw D 40
37 Mattawan Consolidated School Mattawan F 39.8
38 Sparta Area Schools Sparta F 39.3
39 Harrison Community Schools Harrison F 39.3
40 Avondale School District Auburn Hills F 39.1
41 Mt. Pleasant City School District Mount Pleasant F 39.1
42 Frontier International Academy Detroit F 39
43 Climax-Scotts Community Schools Climax F 39
44 Boyne City Public Schools Boyne City F 38.8
45 Monroe Isd Monroe F 38.8
46 Van Buren Isd Lawrence F 38.7
47 Riverside Academy Dearborn F 38.5
48 Macomb Isd Clinton Township F 38.4
49 Bay City School District Bay City F 38.4
50 Allendale Public Schools Allendale F 38.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in Michigan?

The top-ranked district in Michigan is Capac Community Schools in Capac with 744 students across 3 schools. Average quality score: 51.3/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated?

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in Michigan?

Michigan has 50+ school districts serving 1,376,868 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 18.2:1.

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.