Michigan Schools & Education

Public school metrics and education data for all 83 counties.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Avg Graduation Rate

82.5%

Avg Per-Pupil Spending

$7,394

Avg School Score

35/100

Total Schools

3,506

890 districts

State Overview

About Schools in Michigan

This summary is generated from the NCES metrics shown on this page and reviewed against the source data by the Data Editor. It is not school advice.

Michigan Lags National Averages in Spending and Graduation

Michigan’s 82.5% average graduation rate trails the national benchmark of 87.0%. The state also spends significantly less per pupil at $7,394, nearly 43% below the national average of $13,000.

Upper Peninsula Counties Lead State Performance

Keweenaw, Alger, and Iron counties secure the top three spots, with Alger boasting a stellar 95.0% graduation rate. These leaders benefit from localized investment and strong outcomes, even though specific graduation data for Keweenaw remains unavailable.

State Score Context

How Michigan Counties Are Distributed

83 of 83 counties have enough NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data to receive a county school score. Use this distribution to understand whether the state has a concentrated cluster of high, midrange, or lower measured signals.

Scored county coverage

Counties with complete enough data for the composite score

100%

Higher measured signal

Score range 70-100

Midrange measured signal

Score range 40-69

Lower measured signal

Score range 0-39

Scores are comparative signals from available federal data, not ratings of individual schools.

Best school counties

Best Counties for Public School Research in Michigan

For a first-pass answer to parent searches about where the best schools are in Michigan, start with county-level evidence, then open individual school and district records. SchoolsByCounty ranks counties by public education signals, not by private opinions or paid school ratings.

Short answer for Michigan

Keweenaw County is the strongest county-level starting point in Michigan by the current SchoolsByCounty score, with a measured school signal of 99/100. This is a county comparison signal, not a promise that every school in the county is the best fit for every family.

Ranking methodology

83 of 83 counties have enough federal education data for a county school score. The ranking favors counties with stronger available graduation-rate and school-finance signals, then asks parents to verify individual school fit locally. The table below should help parents choose what to compare next; it should not replace attendance-boundary checks, program eligibility, commute, services, or direct district confirmation.

State average per-pupil spending in this dataset: $7,394.

Top measured county school signals

Ranked by the county school score where enough federal data is available.

1Keweenaw CountyGraduation not reported · Spending $18,00099/100 2Alger CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $8,33178/100 3Presque Isle CountyGraduation 94.2% · Spending $8,03074/100 4Iron CountyGraduation 93.1% · Spending $8,34773/100 5Alcona CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $7,74273/100 6Schoolcraft CountyGraduation 95.0% · Spending $7,12764/100 7Ottawa CountyGraduation 91.8% · Spending $7,74661/100

Graduation-focused starting point

Alger County

95.0%

Alger County has the strongest reported county graduation-rate signal in Michigan. Use this as a broad county context, then review individual high-school records.

Funding context to inspect

Keweenaw County

$18,000

Keweenaw County reports the highest per-pupil spending among counties with available data. Higher spending is context, not a guarantee of student fit.

Counties to research carefully

Manistee County

4/100

Manistee County has one of the lowest measured county school signals in Michigan. Review missing data, district context, and individual school records before drawing conclusions.

District research

Compare Michigan public school districts before narrowing by address

Michigan has 890 public school district records and 3,506 school records in the NCES file. Use the district hub to sort large district systems by enrollment, school count, county context, and generated district-guide coverage.

View District Rankings

All Michigan Counties

County-level school score, graduation rate, and per-pupil spending for Michigan.
County	School Score	Graduation Rate	Per-Pupil Spending
Keweenaw County Graduation — Per pupil $18,000	99/100	—	$18,000
Alger County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $8,331	78/100	95.0%	$8,331
Presque Isle County Graduation 94.2% Per pupil $8,030	74/100	94.2%	$8,030
Iron County Graduation 93.1% Per pupil $8,347	73/100	93.1%	$8,347
Alcona County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $7,742	73/100	95.0%	$7,742
Schoolcraft County Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $7,127	64/100	95.0%	$7,127
Ottawa County Graduation 91.8% Per pupil $7,746	61/100	91.8%	$7,746
Ontonagon County Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $8,002	57/100	90.0%	$8,002
Livingston County Graduation 90.7% Per pupil $7,629	55/100	90.7%	$7,629
Washtenaw County Graduation 87.8% Per pupil $7,930	50/100	87.8%	$7,930
Huron County Graduation 88.7% Per pupil $7,703	50/100	88.7%	$7,703
Oakland County Graduation 86.9% Per pupil $8,114	49/100	86.9%	$8,114
Marquette County Graduation 88.1% Per pupil $7,675	48/100	88.1%	$7,675
Leelanau County Graduation 78.3% Per pupil $9,877	47/100	78.3%	$9,877
Baraga County Graduation 85.8% Per pupil $8,092	46/100	85.8%	$8,092
Cheboygan County Graduation 89.0% Per pupil $7,304	46/100	89.0%	$7,304
Charlevoix County Graduation 83.5% Per pupil $8,544	46/100	83.5%	$8,544
Lake County Graduation 69.0% Per pupil $10,369	45/100	69.0%	$10,369
Emmet County Graduation 81.0% Per pupil $8,832	44/100	81.0%	$8,832
Shiawassee County Graduation 88.9% Per pupil $7,181	43/100	88.9%	$7,181
Grand Traverse County Graduation 89.9% Per pupil $6,962	43/100	89.9%	$6,962
Otsego County Graduation 84.9% Per pupil $7,890	42/100	84.9%	$7,890
Macomb County Graduation 86.4% Per pupil $7,582	42/100	86.4%	$7,582
Antrim County Graduation 88.2% Per pupil $7,119	41/100	88.2%	$7,119
Osceola County Graduation 87.2% Per pupil $7,174	40/100	87.2%	$7,174
Luce County Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $7,715	39/100	84.0%	$7,715
Mackinac County Graduation 71.4% Per pupil $8,775	39/100	71.4%	$8,775
Benzie County Graduation 85.4% Per pupil $7,495	39/100	85.4%	$7,495
Kent County Graduation 86.2% Per pupil $7,345	39/100	86.2%	$7,345
Newaygo County Graduation 84.5% Per pupil $7,619	39/100	84.5%	$7,619
Chippewa County Graduation 80.9% Per pupil $8,031	38/100	80.9%	$8,031
Oscoda County Graduation 78.4% Per pupil $8,224	38/100	78.4%	$8,224
Hillsdale County Graduation 87.2% Per pupil $7,038	38/100	87.2%	$7,038
Midland County Graduation 85.5% Per pupil $7,369	37/100	85.5%	$7,369
Oceana County Graduation 84.6% Per pupil $7,504	37/100	84.6%	$7,504
Gladwin County Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $7,055	37/100	87.0%	$7,055
Lenawee County Graduation 84.9% Per pupil $7,277	35/100	84.9%	$7,277
Arenac County Graduation 87.6% Per pupil $6,734	34/100	87.6%	$6,734
Gogebic County Graduation 83.8% Per pupil $7,372	34/100	83.8%	$7,372
Allegan County Graduation 85.4% Per pupil $7,077	33/100	85.4%	$7,077
Missaukee County Graduation 86.3% Per pupil $6,933	33/100	86.3%	$6,933
Lapeer County Graduation 87.4% Per pupil $6,605	32/100	87.4%	$6,605
Mason County Graduation 84.6% Per pupil $7,131	32/100	84.6%	$7,131
Sanilac County Graduation 86.9% Per pupil $6,792	32/100	86.9%	$6,792
Tuscola County Graduation 84.9% Per pupil $7,059	32/100	84.9%	$7,059
Monroe County Graduation 88.4% Per pupil $6,276	31/100	88.4%	$6,276
Kalkaska County Graduation 72.6% Per pupil $7,800	31/100	72.6%	$7,800
Wayne County Graduation 81.7% Per pupil $7,351	31/100	81.7%	$7,351
Barry County Graduation 84.3% Per pupil $6,967	30/100	84.3%	$6,967
St. Clair County Graduation 84.7% Per pupil $6,848	29/100	84.7%	$6,848
Calhoun County Graduation 79.7% Per pupil $7,286	28/100	79.7%	$7,286
St. Joseph County Graduation 83.8% Per pupil $6,936	28/100	83.8%	$6,936
Isabella County Graduation 78.9% Per pupil $7,280	28/100	78.9%	$7,280
Delta County Graduation 84.8% Per pupil $6,745	27/100	84.8%	$6,745
Dickinson County Graduation 85.8% Per pupil $6,519	27/100	85.8%	$6,519
Crawford County Graduation 82.0% Per pupil $6,952	26/100	82.0%	$6,952
Houghton County Graduation 81.3% Per pupil $7,015	26/100	81.3%	$7,015
Mecosta County Graduation 76.8% Per pupil $7,230	26/100	76.8%	$7,230
Kalamazoo County Graduation 77.8% Per pupil $7,163	25/100	77.8%	$7,163
Ingham County Graduation 79.2% Per pupil $7,071	25/100	79.2%	$7,071
Branch County Graduation 83.7% Per pupil $6,648	24/100	83.7%	$6,648
Cass County Graduation 84.3% Per pupil $6,523	24/100	84.3%	$6,523
Clare County Graduation 78.8% Per pupil $7,010	24/100	78.8%	$7,010
Gratiot County Graduation 81.2% Per pupil $6,868	24/100	81.2%	$6,868
Muskegon County Graduation 80.4% Per pupil $6,907	23/100	80.4%	$6,907
Saginaw County Graduation 78.8% Per pupil $6,957	23/100	78.8%	$6,957
Jackson County Graduation 78.0% Per pupil $6,966	23/100	78.0%	$6,966
Eaton County Graduation 81.0% Per pupil $6,813	23/100	81.0%	$6,813
Menominee County Graduation 80.5% Per pupil $6,828	22/100	80.5%	$6,828
Bay County Graduation 79.5% Per pupil $6,861	22/100	79.5%	$6,861
Genesee County Graduation 80.6% Per pupil $6,777	22/100	80.6%	$6,777
Alpena County Graduation 83.0% Per pupil $6,471	21/100	83.0%	$6,471
Ionia County Graduation 80.7% Per pupil $6,560	19/100	80.7%	$6,560
Berrien County Graduation 63.4% Per pupil $6,912	18/100	63.4%	$6,912
Roscommon County Graduation 74.1% Per pupil $6,813	18/100	74.1%	$6,813
Clinton County Graduation 81.8% Per pupil $6,285	17/100	81.8%	$6,285
Iosco County Graduation 74.6% Per pupil $6,651	16/100	74.6%	$6,651
Van Buren County Graduation 70.9% Per pupil $6,677	16/100	70.9%	$6,677
Wexford County Graduation 76.2% Per pupil $6,112	12/100	76.2%	$6,112
Montmorency County Graduation 74.7% Per pupil $6,243	11/100	74.7%	$6,243
Ogemaw County Graduation 73.6% Per pupil $6,102	10/100	73.6%	$6,102
Montcalm County Graduation 49.7% Per pupil $6,201	9/100	49.7%	$6,201
Manistee County Graduation 58.9% Per pupil $5,655	4/100	58.9%	$5,655

— = data not available for this county.

Compare county school profiles in Michigan

Use the comparison tool to review school scores, graduation rates, and spending side by side.

Compare Counties

Frequently Asked Questions About Michigan Schools

Which Michigan counties have the highest graduation rates?

Alcona County (95.0%), Alger County (95.0%), and Schoolcraft County (95.0%) currently lead Michigan among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Michigan?

Across Michigan counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,394. The highest current county values are Keweenaw County ($18,000), Lake County ($10,369), and Leelanau County ($9,877). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

What are the best school counties in Michigan?

Keweenaw County, Alger County, Presque Isle County have the strongest measured county-level school signals in Michigan, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data. These are county context rankings, not individual school ratings.

Which Michigan county has the strongest measured school score?

Keweenaw County has the highest school score in Michigan with a score of 99/100, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data.

What is the average graduation rate in Michigan?

The average high school graduation rate across Michigan counties is 82.5%, based on NCES data.

Which county in Michigan has the lowest school score?

Manistee County has the lowest school score in Michigan with a score of 4/100. School scores reflect available graduation-rate and per-pupil spending signals.

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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