Lake County Schools & Education
Lake County, Michigan
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
45/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Midrange Signal
Graduation Rate
69.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
69.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 82.5%
Per-Pupil Spending
$10,369
National avg $13,239
State avg $7,394
School Score
45/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 35/100
State Score Position
#18
of 83 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Lake County
Measured School Summary
Lake County has midrange measured school signals (score: 45/100) with a graduation rate of 69.0%, which warrants review in official state and district records.
Funding Context
Lake County spends $10,369 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 29% above the Michigan average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 13.5 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 40% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Lake County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
3 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
45/100
Mixed county signal. Ranks #18 of 83 Michigan counties with school score data.
Completion
69.0%
13.5 pts below the state average
Funding context
$10,369
$2,975 above the state average
School coverage
3
1 district represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Lake County has 3 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Lake County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Small-system county
Lake County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.
State position
#18
of 83 Michigan counties with school score data. The county score is 10 points above the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Baldwin Community Schools
Elementary to high school visible
442 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Baldwin Community Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 3 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Lake County?
Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Lake County Graduation Rate Falls Below State and National Benchmarks
Education data brief for Lake County, Michigan.
The graduation rate in Lake County is 69.0%, a figure notably lower than the Michigan state average of 82.5% and the national average of 87.0%. Public education in the county is consolidated into a single district, Baldwin Community Schools, which manages three rural schools serving a total of 442 students. Despite the lower graduation figures, per-pupil expenditure in the county is $10,369, which is higher than the Michigan average of $7,394, though it remains below the national average of $13,000. Baldwin Elementary is the largest facility with 224 students, followed by the senior high school with 119 students. The county’s composite school score is 45.0, placing it above the state average of 35.1 but slightly below the national median of 50.0. All schools in the county are classified as rural by the NCES. Refer to the NCES Common Core of Data for specific school-level performance records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
3
in Lake County
Reported Enrollment
442
3 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in Lake County
Baldwin Community Schools
3 Public Schools in Lake County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 3 of 3 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin Elementary School | Record | Baldwin Community Schools | BALDWIN, 49304Rural: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 224 |
| Baldwin Senior High School | Record | Baldwin Community Schools | BALDWIN, 49304Rural: Remote | 9–12 | High | 119 |
| Baldwin Junior High School | Record | Baldwin Community Schools | BALDWIN, 49304Rural: Remote | 6–8 | Middle | 99 |
Baldwin Elementary School
Baldwin Community Schools
BALDWIN, 49304 / Rural: Remote
Baldwin Senior High School
Baldwin Community Schools
BALDWIN, 49304 / Rural: Remote
Baldwin Junior High School
Baldwin Community Schools
BALDWIN, 49304 / Rural: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$10,369
State avg $7,394
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Lake County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which Michigan counties have the highest graduation rates?
What is per-pupil spending like in Michigan?
How should I read the school score in Lake County?
What is the graduation rate in Lake County?
How much does Lake County spend per student?
Counties with Similar School Profile
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.