Highest SAT Scores in Northern Michigan Can Be Found at These Charter Schools

When you start looking at academic performance data in Northern Michigan, what jumps out is that charter schools dominate throughout the rankings.

The Northwest Education Services (NES) intermediate school district covers the Northern Michigan counties of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau. MAPSA took time analyzing the most recent set of data from NES that came out in late August – M-STEP and SAT scores from the most recent school year.

What we found is that charter schools dominate all the important categories.

In third-grade English Language Arts, considered the benchmark predictor of future academic success, the highest-scoring school in Northern Michigan is a charter school, the Old Mission Peninsula School.

The scores showed that 62.5% of third-graders at Old Mission Peninsula School were proficient in ELA, well above the state average of 38.9%. Old Mission Peninsula School also has the highest fourth-grade ELA scores, with 70.8% of students scoring proficient.

At the other end of each school. high school juniors take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) every year, which assesses their readiness for college success.

This year’s scores from the Northwest Education Services counties shows that the top two highest-scoring schools are both charter schools.

Grand Traverse Academy, a K-12 charter school in Traverse City, saw its students score an average of 1,073.1 on the SAT, far above the state average of 965.

In second place in the NES area is another Traverse City school, the Greenspire School, whose students averaged 1,069.2 on the SAT.

“When you put this together, this is pretty strong evidence that charter schools are the academic leaders in Northern Michigan,” said MAPSA President Dan Quisenberry. “Charter schools don’t have all the answers, but they have a lot of them. When you start to look at what works and what doesn’t, your first stop is always to look at the schools that are doing the best. In that part of the state, charter schools are the leaders.”

The staff and administration at Grand Traverse Academy said that a laser-focus on their mission along with a lot of hard work on the part of students and staff, led them to achieving the high SAT scores in Northern Michigan.

“We are so proud of this accomplishment because it reflects the kind of learning environment we have built for the last 25 years at Grand Traverse Academy,” said Superintendent Michelle Floering. “Our smaller class sizes allow teachers to truly know their students and our Choice Theory and Character Education programs give students the foundation that they need to succeed. When students feel connected and supported, they thrive - and our SAT results are just one reflection of that. We are preparing students for life! I am so proud of our students, teachers and all of our GTA staff!”

Principal Stephanie Patrzik said the school’s program and focus is preparing students for success in college and beyond.

“Grand Traverse Academy is a college-preparatory school at our core,” Patrzik said. “Our rigorous academics prepare every student for success in college and in life. While some students choose to serve our country in the military or head directly into the workforce after graduation, it is our mission that GTA graduates have the skills and know-how to succeed in college, if they choose.

“GTA students and faculty work together to find the delicate balance between college-prep curriculum and supporting student success. Hearing that our students have earned the highest SAT average in our region is an excellent example of our mission in action. I could not be prouder of our GTA community! This provides energy and validation to propel GTA into the next twenty-five years as a successful school for students to build a solid foundation for their future.”