Can I use Otsego County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Otsego County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Otsego County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Otsego County?

Start with the 8 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Otsego County Schools & Education

Name: Otsego County, Michigan Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Otsego County, Michigan

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

School Score

42/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

84.9%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

84.9%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 82.5%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,890

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,394

School Score

42/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 35/100

State Score Position

#22

of 83 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Otsego County

Measured School Summary

Otsego County has midrange measured school signals (score: 42/100) with a graduation rate of 84.9%, which warrants review in official state and district records.

Funding Context

At $7,890 per pupil, Otsego County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 21% above the Michigan average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 2.4 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 7% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Otsego 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

8 public schools and 3 districts 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

42/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #22 of 83 Michigan counties with school score data.

Completion

84.9%

2.4 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,890

$496 above the state average

School coverage

3 districts 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

Otsego County has 8 public schools across 3 districts, 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.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Otsego 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.

Dominant-district county

Gaylord Community Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 5 of 8 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

#22

of 83 Michigan counties with school score data. The county score is 7 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.

Gaylord Community Schools

Elementary to high school visible

2,793 students

Elementary 2Middle 2High 1Other 0

5 listed schools in this county slice.

Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools

Elementary and high visible

564 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

Vanderbilt Area Schools

Other grade structure

98 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 0Other 1

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Gaylord Community Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 5 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 Otsego County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Otsego County district systems?

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

Otsego County Education Score Exceeds Michigan State Average

Education data brief for Otsego County, Michigan.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:School score

Otsego County earns a composite school score of 42.4, outpacing the Michigan state average of 35.1 while remaining below the national median of 50.0. The county serves 3,455 students across eight schools, the majority of which are rural. Gaylord Community Schools is the largest district, enrolling 2,793 students and operating Gaylord High School, the county's largest campus with 961 students. The county’s graduation rate is 84.9%, which is higher than the state average of 82.5% but below the national average of 87.0%. Per-pupil expenditure is $7,890, exceeding the state average of $7,394. None of the schools in the county are charter institutions. Average school enrollment stands at 432 students. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Otsego County

Reported Enrollment

3,455

8 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle2

High2

Other1

3 School Districts in Otsego County

Gaylord Community Schools

5 schools

2,793 students

Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools

3 schools

717 students

Vanderbilt Area Schools

1 school

98 students

8 Public Schools in Otsego County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

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

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 8 of 8 matching schools

Public schools in Otsego County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Gaylord High SchoolVoc Bldg	Profile	Gaylord Community Schools	GAYLORD, 49735Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	961
Gaylord Intermediate School	Record	Gaylord Community Schools	GAYLORD, 49735Rural: Fringe	4–6	Middle	610
Gaylord Middle School	Record	Gaylord Community Schools	GAYLORD, 49735Rural: Fringe	7–8	Middle	428
South Maple Elementary School	Record	Gaylord Community Schools	GAYLORD, 49735Rural: Fringe	PK–3	Primary	425
North Ohio Elementary School	Record	Gaylord Community Schools	GAYLORD, 49735Town: Remote	PK–3	Primary	369
JohannesburgLewiston ElementaryMiddle School	Record	Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools	Johannesburg, 49751Rural: Distant	KG–8	Primary	346
JohannesburgLewiston High School	Record	Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools	Johannesburg, 49751Rural: Distant	9–12	High	218
Vanderbilt Area School	Record	Vanderbilt Area Schools	VANDERBILT, 49795Rural: Distant	KG–12	Other	98

Gaylord High SchoolVoc Bldg

Gaylord Community Schools

GAYLORD, 49735 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High961 students

Gaylord Intermediate School

Gaylord Community Schools

GAYLORD, 49735 / Rural: Fringe

Record4–6Middle610 students

Gaylord Middle School

Gaylord Community Schools

GAYLORD, 49735 / Rural: Fringe

Record7–8Middle428 students

South Maple Elementary School

Gaylord Community Schools

GAYLORD, 49735 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–3Primary425 students

North Ohio Elementary School

Gaylord Community Schools

GAYLORD, 49735 / Town: Remote

RecordPK–3Primary369 students

JohannesburgLewiston ElementaryMiddle School

Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools

Johannesburg, 49751 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–8Primary346 students

JohannesburgLewiston High School

Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools

Johannesburg, 49751 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High218 students

Vanderbilt Area School

Vanderbilt Area Schools

VANDERBILT, 49795 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–12Other98 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,890

State avg $7,394

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Otsego County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

How should I read the school score in Otsego County?

Otsego County has a school score of 42/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Otsego County?

The high school graduation rate in Otsego County is 84.9%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Otsego County spend per student?

Otsego County spends $7,890 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Macomb County

Michigan

-0 pts

42/100

School score

Grand Traverse County

Michigan

+1 pts

43/100

School score

Shiawassee County

Michigan

+1 pts

43/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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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