LANSING, Mich. — Sixty-eight Michigan schools have improved enough in student performance to exit state support, according to the 2024–25 Michigan School Index results released by the Michigan Department of Education.
The schools — including 33 previously under district partnership agreements — no longer meet the criteria for additional state intervention, reflecting academic gains in areas such as English language arts, math and graduation rates.
Interim State Superintendent Dr. Sue C. Carnell said the progress reflects the collective work of educators, families, district leaders, community partners and MDE staff.
“With the release of today’s results, we see what’s possible when we work together,” Carnell said. “These 68 schools no longer require additional supports because of the hard work by local district and intermediate school district staff, children, parents, community members and MDE employees.”
New support agreements for 113 schools
While dozens of schools improved enough to exit state oversight, MDE will now enter into partnership agreements with 57 school districts to support 113 schools identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) — Michigan’s designation for the lowest-performing 5% of schools or those with a four-year graduation rate below 67%.
These schools will receive intensive support from MDE and their intermediate school districts to set 18-month benchmarks and 36-month outcome targets for academic improvement.
Alternative education and virtual schools in the bottom tier will receive tailored support through the Office of Educational Supports rather than full partnership agreements.
Michigan School Index: What it measures
The Michigan School Index is the state’s federally required accountability system, identifying schools needing assistance and measuring outcomes such as:
- Student proficiency in math and English language arts
- Graduation rates
- Student growth
- Attendance
- School quality indicators
- Statewide results showed slight gains across several measures compared with the prior year.
- Schools can exit CSI or Additional Targeted Support (ATS) status when they demonstrate improved performance over a two-year period.
Additional Targeted Support: 15 schools exit early
This is not an identification year for ATS schools, but MDE offered early exit opportunities. Fifteen ATS schools statewide met the criteria to leave that designation early.
Schools exiting state support
Of the 68 schools exiting support, many are located in Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw and other urban districts, while others represent charter, suburban and rural communities. Schools exiting CSI include:
- Academy for Business and Technology High School (Melvindale)
- Beecher High School
- Eisenhower School (Flint)
- Ottawa Hills High School (Grand Rapids)
- Arthur Eddy Academy and Jessie Loomis School (Saginaw Public Schools)
- Saginaw Preparatory Academy
- Multiple Detroit Public Schools Community District buildings, including Central High School, Burns Elementary-Middle School, Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School, and others
Schools exiting ATS include Burton Glen Charter Academy, Bow Elementary-Middle School, Holt Junior High School, Spain Elementary-Middle School and several others across southeast and mid-Michigan.
A complete list is available on MDE’s Michigan School Index webpage.
Looking ahead
Federal law requires MDE to publish the Michigan School Index annually under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). State officials say the results help direct support where it is most needed and recognize districts making progress.
More information, including historical index results and current school identification lists, is available at Michigan.gov/MDE.
