Michigan leans on long-term substitutes as its schools struggle

Long-term substitute Kathleen Van Fossen

August 7, 2019

Mike Wilkinson (Email) & Ron French (Email)

Talent & Education

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One applied for jobs at a county road commission and as an office manager before unexpectedly being offered a teaching post.

Another was an assistant basketball coach before walking into an elementary school classroom.

A third was a wedding planner before teaching fifth-grade math and science.

None of them were certified teachers when they were assigned full-time teaching posts in Michigan classrooms. None majored in education in college.

About this project

A rising number of Michigan public schools are staffing classrooms with long-term substitutes with as little as 60 college credits and no formal education training. Bridge examines the implications of this practice for the state’s already-struggling schools.

Wednesday

Michigan leans on long-term subs as its schools struggle
How a wedding planner became an uncertified Michigan teacher for $15 an hour
An Up North charter is 44 percent subs. You can’t tell difference, supt. says.

Thursday

More than 2,500 Michigan classrooms were led by long-term substitutes who weren’t certified teachers in the 2018-19 school year – a stunning tenfold increase in just five years that threatens to hobble efforts to improve the state’s K-12 public education system, a Bridge Magazine analysis shows.

Students who need good teachers the most – low-income and academically struggling students – are the most likely to be stuck with long-term substitutes who aren’t required to have a four-year degree or any teacher training.

Check how many long-term substitutes are in your school district or charter

Interviews with more than three-dozen school officials, education leaders, teachers and long-term substitutes describe a well-intentioned, stopgap measure designed to fill a few slots during a statewide teacher shortage that has metastasized into a policy that has seen some schools staff more than half their classrooms with long-term substitutes.

The policy ‒ allowing people with as few as 60 college credits in any subject to teach a class for a full year ‒ is now viewed as a “necessity” by the Michigan Department of Education to plug holes in schools that didn’t exist a decade ago. School and state leaders say they hope the use of long-term substitutes to staff classrooms is a temporary fix until the state addresses its teacher shortage.

But with no statewide policy efforts on the horizon to address the shortage of teachers in urban and rural regions of the state, it’s not clear how temporary the fix will be.

Having more Michigan classrooms led by untrained teachers because of a teacher shortage is “putting a Band-Aid on a wound,” said Elizabeth Birr Moje, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Education. “It stops the bleeding, but doesn’t address the underlying problem.”

A traditional teacher certification in Michigan requires a bachelor’s degree in a teachable subject, completion of a teacher preparation program, student teaching experience and passing teacher certification tests that measure general and subject matter knowledge. There are also one-year, alternative certification programs for career professionals looking to move into education from other fields.

Michigan’s increased reliance on long-term substitutes who often have little or no education training is severe in some areas of the state. Several Detroit charter schools appear to have been staffed completely by long-term substitute teachers this past school year, according to a Bridge analysis of state data.

At Benton Harbor Area Schools, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has threatened to close the high school because of poor academic performance, 42 percent of classrooms were staffed by long-term substitutes during the past school year.

Yet long-term subs are rare in wealthy, suburban schools, the data show.

The state cannot have "expectations that are different based on the ZIP code you are coming from," said Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The district had 92 long-term subs last year, less than 3 percent of the 3,500-member teaching staff.

To have “more than 50 percent of your faculty being long-term subs, that's unacceptable,” Vitti said.

According to Bridge’s analysis:

Students attending low-income school districts and charters were three times more likely to have a classroom led by a long-term substitute than students in other districts.
Charter school students were four times more likely to have a long-term substitute than students in traditional public schools.
Students in the lowest academic-performing school districts and charters were more than three times more likely to have long-term substitutes instead of certified teachers.
Sixteen charter school districts have more than half of their classrooms staffed with long-term substitutes; 25 charters and the Benton Harbor schools have more than 40 percent long-term subs.

How many long-term subs in your district?

Use this tool to see how many subs are in a district and the percent of teaching slots held by long-term subs. You can put any part of a district’s name in the search box. Charter schools are denoted with an asterisk.

School (*charter schools)	Teachers			Long-term subs
School (*charter schools)	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19
Keys Grace Academy* 488 students 99% poor	25	29	25	0%	0%	0%
Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System* 644 students 93.5% poor	67	69	50	8.7%	7.5%	6.1%
Multicultural Academy* 171 students 92.4% poor	23	13	15	0%	8.7%	20%
Eaton Academy* 346 students 78.6% poor	28	23	21	13%	0%	61.9%
Midland Academy of Advanced and Creative Studies* 154 students 31.2% poor	16	19	14	31.6%	19.2%	59.3%
Francis Street Primary School* 32 students 100% poor	0	0	2	0%	0%	0%
Benton Harbor Area Schools 1,941 students 82.9% poor	124	118	97	32.3%	13.7%	42.3%
Waldron Area Schools 211 students 66.4% poor	20	24	21	12.3%	5%	38.2%
Powell Township Schools 35 students 62.9% poor	6	6	6	0%	0%	33.3%
Mid Peninsula School District 174 students 65.5% poor	13	11	12	0%	24%	32.6%
Big Bay De Noc School District 165 students 69.1% poor	19	15	16	20.3%	21.4%	31.4%
Outlook Academy* 53 students 81.1% poor	7	6	6	0%	0%	0%
Troy School District 13,150 students 15.4% poor	812	822	841	0%	0.1%	0%
South Lyon Community Schools 8,697 students 17.2% poor	496	521	510	0%	0%	0%
Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy* 769 students 12.5% poor	42	48	45	6.3%	0%	6.6%
Achieve Charter Academy* 763 students 14.3% poor	38	47	42	4.3%	7.8%	4.7%
Detroit Leadership Academy* 796 students 96.6% poor	28	27	37	25.9%	0%	52.1%
Beaver Island Community School 49 students 46.9% poor	11	9	10	0%	0%	0%
Colfax Township S/D #1F 19 students 68.4% poor	1	1	1	0%	0%	0%
Chandler Woods Charter Academy* 779 students 21.8% poor	42	43	44	0%	0%	2.3%
Rockford Public Schools 7,987 students 17% poor	464	470	483	0%	0%	0%
Rochester Community School District 15,451 students 11.4% poor	856	876	885	1.4%	0.7%	0.8%
Novi Community School District 6,698 students 9% poor	441	440	461	0%	0.2%	0%
Bloomfield Hills Schools 5,506 students 11.4% poor	433	443	438	0.2%	0%	0%
Byron Center Public Schools 4,157 students 26.4% poor	199	201	206	0%	0%	0%
Northville Public Schools 7,375 students 6.6% poor	444	441	438	0%	0%	0%
Inkster Preparatory Academy* 180 students 89.4% poor	7	8	8	25%	0%	50%
Saline Area Schools 5,296 students 12.8% poor	317	332	351	0.3%	0%	0%
Riverside Academy* 999 students 99% poor	65	68	66	7.4%	1.6%	37.9%
Forest Hills Public Schools 9,774 students 11.8% poor	576	586	566	0.5%	0.3%	0.4%
North Saginaw Charter Academy* 512 students 96.9% poor	44	46	37	4.3%	0%	35.2%
Ann Arbor Public Schools 18,055 students 25% poor	1,151	1,343	1,380	0.4%	0.3%	0.3%
St. Joseph Public Schools 3,003 students 31% poor	156	153	158	0.7%	0.6%	1.3%
Caledonia Community Schools 4,840 students 18.6% poor	260	280	288	0%	0.4%	0%
Haslett Public Schools 2,685 students 26% poor	165	174	178	0%	0%	0.6%
Okemos Public Schools 4,552 students 20.1% poor	276	279	291	0%	0.7%	0%
South Canton Scholars Charter Academy* 780 students 27.2% poor	49	52	53	1.9%	0%	3.8%
Houghton-Portage Township School District 1,409 students 30.1% poor	83	88	91	1.1%	0%	1.1%
Hudsonville Public School District 6,855 students 20.4% poor	379	389	411	0.5%	0%	0.2%
Birmingham Public Schools 8,072 students 8.8% poor	624	647	660	0.2%	0%	0.5%
Schoolcraft Community Schools 1,066 students 28.7% poor	59	70	65	0%	0%	0%
Dexter Community School District 3,661 students 11.3% poor	245	269	268	0%	2%	0.4%
Williamston Community Schools 1,879 students 22.4% poor	96	100	105	0%	2.1%	1%
Lakeshore School District (Berrien) 2,785 students 30.7% poor	169	174	174	0%	0%	1.2%
Brighton Area Schools 5,998 students 13.9% poor	329	343	358	9.3%	11.6%	9.2%
Bedford Public Schools 4,324 students 19.9% poor	237	240	236	0%	0.4%	0.4%
Saugatuck Public Schools 836 students 36% poor	52	53	52	0%	0%	0%
Lake Orion Community Schools 7,357 students 23.5% poor	447	432	445	0.2%	0%	0%
Merritt Academy* 552 students 50.4% poor	60	66	64	3.1%	1.7%	3.1%
East Grand Rapids Public Schools 2,886 students 6% poor	162	171	183	0%	0%	0%
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools 17,491 students 20.5% poor	942	910	1,008	0.8%	0.4%	0.3%
Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools 457 students 55.4% poor	32	36	40	0%	0%	0%
Jenison Public Schools 5,094 students 30.9% poor	300	318	336	0%	1%	0.6%
Grand Haven Area Public Schools 6,064 students 32% poor	384	381	387	1%	0.3%	0.3%
DeWitt Public Schools 3,197 students 18.5% poor	162	167	177	0%	0%	0%
Chelsea School District 2,443 students 14% poor	151	155	158	0.6%	0%	0%
Les Cheneaux Community Schools 224 students 46.9% poor	18	18	21	5.6%	5.6%	4.9%
Hartland Consolidated Schools 5,482 students 16.9% poor	283	305	318	0.3%	1.4%	2.5%
Berkley School District 4,377 students 18.1% poor	279	282	288	9.2%	3.9%	13.2%
Excel Charter Academy* 774 students 51.3% poor	43	49	49	0%	0%	0%
Vanguard Charter Academy* 778 students 52.8% poor	41	45	46	0%	0%	0%
Walker Charter Academy* 739 students 45.2% poor	43	43	43	2.3%	0%	2.3%
Lowell Area Schools 3,809 students 30.6% poor	209	200	212	0%	0.5%	0%
Hamilton Community Schools 2,729 students 27.1% poor	151	159	163	0%	0.7%	1.8%
Wayland Union Schools 3,057 students 38.8% poor	164	168	174	0%	1.2%	0%
Spring Lake Public Schools 2,468 students 17.7% poor	139	141	144	1.4%	0.7%	0%
Dundee Community Schools 1,663 students 37.6% poor	83	84	87	0%	2.4%	0%
Marysville Public Schools 2,770 students 31.6% poor	140	148	148	0%	0.7%	0%
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools 13,642 students 26.1% poor	765	768	768	0.4%	0.5%	0.9%
Portage Public Schools 8,804 students 25.4% poor	503	497	506	0%	0%	0%
ACE Academy (SDA)* 186 students 100% poor	16	12	6	0%	25%	31.7%
Mattawan Consolidated School 3,756 students 18% poor	207	228	235	1.3%	0.5%	1.3%
Pentwater Public School District 259 students 49.4% poor	18	18	18	0%	0%	0%
Grosse Ile Township Schools 1,819 students 10.9% poor	103	103	113	0%	0%	0%
Glen Lake Community Schools 660 students 28.2% poor	53	55	54	0%	1.9%	0%
Zeeland Public Schools 6,241 students 26.2% poor	346	352	374	0.3%	0.6%	0.5%
Grosse Pointe Public Schools 7,652 students 18.8% poor	554	533	545	0.8%	0.4%	0.6%
Allendale Public Schools 2,700 students 30.2% poor	154	153	165	0%	0%	0%
New Buffalo Area Schools 545 students 42% poor	58	55	55	0%	0%	0%
Hopkins Public Schools 1,657 students 38.5% poor	88	88	94	0%	0%	0%
Bridgman Public Schools 908 students 43.2% poor	71	70	72	0%	2.8%	0%
Rising Stars Academy* 125 students 93.6% poor	4	2	6	0%	0%	0%
Anchor Bay School District 5,938 students 25.1% poor	314	313	312	0%	0%	0%
Frankenmuth School District 1,319 students 20.5% poor	53	66	68	1.5%	0%	0%
Otsego Public Schools 2,330 students 40% poor	123	134	144	0%	0%	0%
Trenton Public Schools 2,557 students 23.4% poor	171	174	174	0%	0%	0%
Freeland Community School District 2,012 students 17.4% poor	94	107	110	0%	0%	0%
Linden Community Schools 2,713 students 27.1% poor	148	145	148	0%	0%	1.4%
Grandville Public Schools 5,666 students 21.8% poor	308	331	317	0%	0%	0.3%
Clarkston Community School District 7,334 students 21.3% poor	464	474	473	3.4%	0.4%	6.3%
The Dearborn Academy* 509 students 99.4% poor	50	49	43	30.7%	25.9%	30%
Edwardsburg Public Schools 2,742 students 31.5% poor	136	134	146	0%	1.5%	0.7%
Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools 676 students 19.8% poor	34	35	34	0%	0%	0%
Coopersville Area Public School District 2,655 students 41.4% poor	138	141	144	0%	0%	0.7%
Mason Public Schools (Ingham) 3,226 students 32.1% poor	184	187	192	0.5%	0.5%	0%
Grand Ledge Public Schools 5,328 students 28% poor	309	294	317	0.7%	1%	1.3%
East Lansing School District 3,607 students 33.9% poor	221	226	218	0%	0%	0.9%
Almont Community Schools 1,456 students 25.5% poor	75	77	81	1.3%	1.3%	1.2%
International Academy of Flint* 917 students 84.3% poor	63	50	54	24.2%	1.6%	27.5%
Midland Public Schools 7,642 students 33.2% poor	438	440	440	0.5%	0.2%	0.9%
Armada Area Schools 1,762 students 22% poor	89	94	90	0%	0%	0%
New Lothrop Area Public Schools 916 students 24.7% poor	52	46	46	0%	0%	4.3%
Bullock Creek School District 1,833 students 40% poor	111	108	118	0%	0%	0%
Vicksburg Community Schools 2,660 students 34.7% poor	155	155	160	0%	0%	0%
Yale Public Schools 1,912 students 41.1% poor	103	101	104	0%	0%	0%
Swan Valley School District 1,801 students 38.2% poor	94	98	101	1%	0%	0%
Mason Consolidated Schools (Monroe) 1,027 students 48.5% poor	69	66	65	0%	0%	0%
Oxford Community Schools 5,589 students 24.7% poor	312	316	337	0.9%	1.9%	0.9%
Harbor Springs School District 801 students 22.8% poor	58	57	59	0%	0%	0%
Public Schools of Petoskey 2,792 students 38.8% poor	155	153	158	0%	0%	0%
Crawford AuSable Schools 1,571 students 56.9% poor	106	107	108	0.9%	1.9%	1.9%
Keystone Academy* 779 students 37.4% poor	47	48	55	10.4%	2.1%	14.5%
Whiteford Agricultural School District of the Counties of Lenawee and Monroe 752 students 28.5% poor	39	44	45	0%	2.5%	6.6%
Plainwell Community Schools 2,780 students 29% poor	154	159	156	0%	0%	1.3%
North Muskegon Public Schools 1,047 students 26.9% poor	60	63	71	0%	1.7%	0%
Livonia Public Schools School District 14,184 students 33.8% poor	854	886	916	0.2%	0%	0.2%
Hancock Public Schools 701 students 47.6% poor	54	46	48	10.8%	1.9%	8.4%
Goodrich Area Schools 2,053 students 22.1% poor	99	108	111	0.9%	0%	0%
Chesaning Union Schools 1,447 students 52.4% poor	84	85	88	1.2%	0%	1.1%
Kingsley Area Schools 1,557 students 44.2% poor	77	78	81	1.3%	0%	0%
Chippewa Valley Schools 16,061 students 29.8% poor	850	836	855	1.2%	0.6%	0.9%
McBain Rural Agricultural Schools 1,028 students 47.8% poor	56	57	57	3.5%	1.8%	0%
St. Johns Public Schools 2,799 students 34.7% poor	160	154	157	0.7%	0.6%	0.6%
Elk Rapids Schools 1,264 students 36.9% poor	70	68	70	0%	0%	0%
Chatfield School* 486 students 26.1% poor	27	28	28	0%	0%	0%
Flagship Charter Academy* 698 students 98.1% poor	52	53	49	9.5%	1.9%	26.7%
Fowler Public Schools 480 students 27.1% poor	25	24	27	0%	0%	0%
Romeo Community Schools 5,042 students 24.7% poor	282	284	295	0.4%	0.7%	0.3%
Grand Traverse Academy* 896 students 25.8% poor	71	74	81	4%	0%	6.1%
Huron Valley Schools 8,987 students 27.3% poor	520	535	522	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%
Kingsbury Country Day School* 291 students 9.3% poor	19	19	25	10.5%	21.5%	4%
Royal Oak Schools 4,995 students 23.6% poor	320	328	353	0.3%	0.6%	0.6%
Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools 697 students 56.8% poor	40	41	42	0%	2.5%	0%
Sparta Area Schools 2,500 students 47.9% poor	141	144	146	2.1%	0%	0%
Honey Creek Community School* 242 students 9.1% poor	19	20	20	5.1%	0%	0%
Sigel Township S/D #4F 31 students 64.5% poor	1	1	2	0%	0%	0%
Lakewood Public Schools 1,778 students 45.7% poor	103	103	109	0%	0%	0%
Byron Center Charter School* 245 students 42.4% poor	23	19	21	0%	0%	0%
Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium & Keweenaw 1,519 students 54% poor	92	92	87	16.3%	1.1%	18.4%
Ovid-Elsie Area Schools 1,524 students 45.7% poor	74	76	84	0%	0%	0%
Farmington Public School District 9,539 students 26.2% poor	645	640	656	0.5%	0.3%	0.3%
Onekama Consolidated Schools 415 students 53.5% poor	23	27	25	11.2%	0%	24.1%
Michigan Educational Choice Center* 263 students 100% poor	72	40	8	90%	0%	125%
Utica Community Schools 26,894 students 38.1% poor	1,458	1,448	1,452	0.4%	0.2%	0.1%
Cass City Public Schools 968 students 51.7% poor	53	53	56	3.8%	0%	0%
Columbia School District 1,473 students 45.6% poor	81	83	82	0%	0%	0%
Black River Public School* 944 students 23.8% poor	74	73	73	0%	1.4%	0%
Verona Township S/D #1F 21 students 38.1% poor	1	2	1	0%	0%	0%
Linden Charter Academy* 791 students 98.1% poor	51	58	49	13.7%	7.9%	26.5%
Cadillac Area Public Schools 3,136 students 60.9% poor	161	164	165	0.6%	0.6%	0%
West Bloomfield School District 5,476 students 34.6% poor	322	335	361	0.3%	0.3%	0.6%
Traverse City Area Public Schools 9,433 students 36% poor	492	487	486	2.5%	2.2%	1.6%
Lakeview Public Schools (Macomb) 4,375 students 42.4% poor	225	227	236	0.4%	0%	1.3%
Boyne City Public Schools 1,349 students 49.4% poor	76	79	81	0%	0%	5%
Old Redford Academy* 1,784 students 75.9% poor	130	113	109	11.5%	3.1%	24%
Napoleon Community Schools 1,314 students 44.9% poor	68	71	72	0%	1.5%	0%
Hamtramck Academy* 537 students 98.3% poor	45	47	47	4.2%	2.2%	4.2%
Fairview Area School District 298 students 73.8% poor	18	18	22	0%	0%	4.6%
Birch Run Area Schools 1,871 students 51.6% poor	98	100	101	0%	0%	0%
Milan Area Schools 2,173 students 33.3% poor	130	126	130	0%	0%	0%
Davison Community Schools 5,723 students 44.3% poor	290	296	293	0%	0.3%	1%
Charlevoix Public Schools 872 students 43.9% poor	60	61	56	0%	0%	3.5%
Howell Public Schools 6,973 students 27.4% poor	404	402	385	0.2%	0.2%	0.8%
Vanderbilt Charter Academy* 463 students 73.9% poor	33	33	37	3%	0%	0%
West MI Academy of Arts and Academics* 439 students 39.9% poor	38	45	40	2.2%	5.3%	0%
Charlotte Public Schools 2,467 students 43.2% poor	154	139	149	0%	0.7%	0.7%
Whitehall District Schools 2,078 students 45.2% poor	165	165	171	2.4%	1.2%	0.6%
Stephenson Area Public Schools 490 students 55.3% poor	36	32	27	0%	0%	0%
Detroit Innovation Academy* 393 students 97.2% poor	15	13	17	23.1%	33.3%	23.5%
Bad Axe Public Schools 957 students 50.9% poor	55	55	54	0%	0%	0%
Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools 2,023 students 55.7% poor	126	134	142	3.7%	3.2%	2.8%
Thornapple Kellogg School District 3,157 students 33.9% poor	150	160	170	0.6%	0.7%	0%
Timbuktu Academy* 436 students 100% poor	17	14	11	21.4%	5.9%	100%
Marquette Area Public Schools 3,285 students 29.3% poor	206	206	225	0.5%	0%	0%
Blue Water Middle College* 391 students 19.2% poor	0	0	19	0%	0%	0%
Northview Public Schools 3,327 students 41.9% poor	239	232	223	0.4%	0%	0%
Ida Public School District 1,442 students 20.6% poor	80	74	76	0%	0%	0%
Breitung Township School District 1,893 students 43.1% poor	102	105	113	0.9%	1%	1.8%
Gull Lake Community Schools 3,231 students 23.8% poor	199	217	224	0%	0%	1.3%
Olivet Community Schools 1,413 students 37.1% poor	81	83	85	0%	0%	0%
Pathways Academy* 148 students 98.6% poor	4	4	5	0%	0%	100%
Mackinaw City Public Schools 153 students 47.1% poor	16	16	16	0%	0%	0%
Harbor Beach Community Schools 475 students 46.5% poor	32	31	34	0%	0%	0%
Triumph Academy* 728 students 54.9% poor	39	42	42	0%	0%	14.3%
Grand Blanc Community Schools 8,260 students 34.3% poor	444	451	486	0.2%	0.2%	0.8%
Nottawa Community School 116 students 31.9% poor	11	11	10	18.1%	0%	9.8%
Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy* 579 students 63% poor	55	52	58	1.9%	3.6%	12.1%
Madison School District (Lenawee) 1,652 students 57.8% poor	99	101	101	1%	1%	0%
Oakland Academy* 165 students 40.6% poor	22	18	11	0%	0%	0%
Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center* 272 students 45.2% poor	15	15	18	0%	0%	0%
Ludington Area School District 2,106 students 52.4% poor	115	120	119	0.8%	0.9%	0%
Grass Lake Community Schools 1,294 students 28.3% poor	78	76	80	0%	0%	1.3%
Gobles Public School District 772 students 58.3% poor	52	56	62	5.3%	5.8%	3.2%
West Branch-Rose City Area Schools 2,043 students 60.5% poor	122	122	129	0.8%	0.8%	6.2%
Portland Public Schools 2,119 students 32.7% poor	119	120	113	0%	0.8%	0%
North Dickinson County Schools 250 students 47.6% poor	16	19	17	10.8%	18.4%	5.8%
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker Schools 914 students 51% poor	53	54	56	9.3%	5.6%	5.4%
Cedar Springs Public Schools 3,516 students 41.2% poor	183	196	198	0%	0.5%	0%
East China School District 4,102 students 32.8% poor	237	237	245	1.3%	0.4%	0.4%
Universal Academy* 728 students 98.4% poor	43	41	33	56.3%	35.3%	91.1%
Negaunee Public Schools 1,583 students 33.2% poor	100	99	98	0%	0%	0%
South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy* 757 students 51.8% poor	51	54	54	3.7%	0%	16.6%
Concord Academy - Boyne* 158 students 44.3% poor	16	18	17	0%	0%	11.9%
Tawas Area Schools 1,248 students 52.1% poor	67	67	71	0%	0%	0%
Greenville Public Schools 3,729 students 56.7% poor	212	220	215	2.3%	2.8%	1.9%
NICE Community School District 1,197 students 35.9% poor	80	82	81	0%	0%	0%
West Ottawa Public School District 6,712 students 55% poor	421	419	419	0.5%	0.2%	0.5%
Chassell Township School District 263 students 35.7% poor	16	17	19	5.9%	12.5%	5.4%
Blissfield Community Schools 1,209 students 36.9% poor	61	63	72	0%	0%	0%
Greater Heights Academy* 262 students 97.3% poor	18	18	23	34.1%	22.3%	22.1%
Byron Area Schools 835 students 37.2% poor	51	48	44	0%	0%	2.3%
Muskegon Montessori Academy for Environmental Change* 148 students 74.3% poor	7	8	9	0%	0%	0%
Fraser Public Schools 4,978 students 45.4% poor	292	293	292	0%	0%	0.3%
Gaylord Community Schools 3,054 students 52.9% poor	162	161	168	0%	0.6%	0%
DeTour Arts and Technology Academy* 82 students 58.5% poor	6	12	16	0%	0%	0%
North Central Area Schools 336 students 56% poor	24	25	26	0%	0%	0%
Woodhaven-Brownstown School District 5,485 students 45.2% poor	320	343	325	0.3%	0%	0%
Avondale School District 3,779 students 45.1% poor	213	238	277	2.1%	1.4%	2.2%
Crossroads Charter Academy* 595 students 57.1% poor	46	44	45	6.8%	2.2%	4.4%
Detroit Edison Public School Academy* 1,287 students 66.5% poor	61	75	59	4%	4.9%	17.1%
Lapeer Community Schools 4,942 students 50.4% poor	283	267	273	0%	0%	0%
Western School District 2,952 students 36.9% poor	157	161	160	0%	0%	0%
Croswell-Lexington Community Schools 2,148 students 52.4% poor	115	111	111	0%	3.5%	2.7%
Bath Community Schools 1,155 students 45.7% poor	60	63	58	0%	0%	0%
River Valley School District 578 students 56.9% poor	46	48	53	2.1%	0%	1.9%
Lake Fenton Community Schools 2,078 students 28.9% poor	104	108	114	0%	1%	0.9%
Hanover-Horton School District 1,135 students 36.7% poor	54	55	56	0%	0%	1.8%
Fenton Area Public Schools 3,448 students 32.6% poor	191	195	197	0%	0%	0%
Bangor Township S/D #8 21 students 61.9% poor	2	2	2	0%	0%	0%
Flushing Community Schools 4,182 students 41.8% poor	228	227	225	0%	0%	0%
L'Anse Creuse Public Schools 10,392 students 41.9% poor	555	550	563	0.5%	0.2%	1.2%
Fortis Academy* 745 students 79.1% poor	51	46	47	0%	2%	12.6%
Algonac Community School District 1,475 students 45.8% poor	85	80	78	0%	0%	0%
Tecumseh Public Schools 2,784 students 34.1% poor	163	176	170	0.6%	0%	0%
Holly Area School District 3,307 students 42% poor	197	200	210	0%	0.5%	0%
Mona Shores Public School District 3,895 students 48.2% poor	219	220	221	0.5%	0%	0.5%
Buchanan Community Schools 1,573 students 53.3% poor	96	100	103	0%	0%	0%
Mt. Clemens Montessori Academy* 326 students 37.4% poor	26	25	21	4%	0%	4.7%
North Branch Area Schools 2,353 students 47.4% poor	133	126	129	0%	0.8%	3.1%
Stockbridge Community Schools 1,249 students 40.8% poor	82	92	92	0%	1.2%	3.3%
Memphis Community Schools 836 students 33.6% poor	51	57	56	0%	0%	0%
Clawson Public Schools 1,556 students 38% poor	115	124	118	0%	0.9%	0.8%
Martin Public Schools 613 students 54.3% poor	39	41	40	2.4%	2.5%	2.5%
Laingsburg Community Schools 1,125 students 27.4% poor	60	59	63	0%	3.3%	3.2%
Lake Linden-Hubbell School District 409 students 58.4% poor	37	35	34	5.7%	0%	0%
Ionia Public Schools 3,017 students 57.3% poor	169	166	159	0%	0%	0%
Lakeside Charter School - Kalamazoo* 244 students 99.6% poor	13	10	19	0%	0%	21.6%
Hastings Area School District 2,659 students 48.1% poor	144	149	140	0%	0.7%	0%
Leland Public School District 522 students 37% poor	36	41	48	0%	0%	0%
Ridge Park Charter Academy* 562 students 84.2% poor	45	47	42	0%	0%	0%
Light of the World Academy* 232 students 15.5% poor	10	13	17	0%	0%	0%
East Arbor Charter Academy* 694 students 53.2% poor	55	55	57	1.8%	3.7%	10.5%
Forest Park School District 440 students 53% poor	28	30	34	0%	0%	0%
Roscommon Area Public Schools 927 students 61.2% poor	65	69	66	1.5%	0%	0%
Kent City Community Schools 1,296 students 60.4% poor	73	84	87	0%	0%	0%
Paragon Charter Academy* 678 students 62.1% poor	42	42	41	7.2%	7.1%	2.4%
Bellaire Public Schools 356 students 44.7% poor	24	29	29	0%	0%	0%
Ubly Community Schools 651 students 45.9% poor	43	41	40	2.5%	0%	2.5%
Lighthouse Connections Academy* 274 students 73% poor	0	0	8	0%	0%	0%
Saginaw Township Community Schools 4,803 students 47.9% poor	272	275	281	0.4%	0%	0.7%
Manistique Area Schools 816 students 56.5% poor	50	48	52	4.2%	0%	3.9%
Reeths-Puffer Schools 3,710 students 45.7% poor	228	230	230	0%	0%	0.9%
Vista Meadows Academy* 100 students 100% poor	11	6	9	50%	0%	78.2%
St. Charles Community Schools 913 students 51.2% poor	47	63	62	0%	0%	0%
Holt Public Schools 5,532 students 43.6% poor	333	329	333	0%	0%	0%
Taylor Exemplar Academy* 792 students 71% poor	52	51	57	3.9%	1.9%	7%
Dansville Schools 730 students 31.2% poor	44	40	41	0%	2.3%	2.4%
Mt. Pleasant City School District 3,485 students 43.7% poor	270	264	268	0.8%	1.1%	0%
Clinton Community Schools 1,221 students 35% poor	65	61	73	0%	0%	1.4%
Knapp Charter Academy* 745 students 68.9% poor	44	43	50	2.3%	0%	4%
Hemlock Public School District 1,213 students 32.3% poor	70	69	67	4.4%	0%	4.5%
Kentwood Public Schools 9,284 students 72.7% poor	504	566	586	0%	0%	0.3%
Iron Mountain Public Schools 883 students 48.9% poor	45	46	50	6.5%	8.8%	6.1%
Central Academy* 605 students 90.4% poor	34	35	35	17.1%	14.6%	20.1%
Leslie Public Schools 1,233 students 51.2% poor	87	81	81	0%	1.1%	0%
Sand Creek Community Schools 842 students 44.9% poor	50	58	60	0%	0%	1.7%
Bangor Township Schools 2,541 students 58.3% poor	123	126	129	0%	0%	0%
Summerfield Schools 625 students 31.4% poor	38	35	38	0%	0%	0%
Posen Consolidated School District No. 9 213 students 59.6% poor	16	14	17	29%	19.4%	17.9%
Marshall Public Schools 2,793 students 44.6% poor	177	189	190	0%	0%	0%
Montrose Community Schools 1,472 students 60.3% poor	81	82	79	0%	1.2%	0%
Gladstone Area Schools 1,538 students 40.8% poor	78	78	83	0%	0%	0%
Three Rivers Community Schools 2,564 students 56.4% poor	152	157	156	0.6%	1.3%	1.3%
Creative Technologies Academy* 318 students 37.7% poor	22	22	22	4.6%	4.5%	4.5%
Durand Area Schools 1,316 students 54.9% poor	85	89	89	0%	0%	0%
Bessemer Area School District 408 students 59.1% poor	26	27	32	14.6%	3.8%	15.8%
Brown City Community Schools 778 students 58.1% poor	46	44	46	0%	0%	0%
Kenowa Hills Public Schools 3,137 students 49.4% poor	179	178	189	0%	0.6%	0%
Lawton Community School District 978 students 55.7% poor	62	63	62	0%	0%	0%
Concord Academy - Petoskey* 180 students 53.9% poor	15	16	17	12.6%	0%	5.8%
Berrien Springs Public Schools 3,832 students 68.3% poor	168	191	185	0.5%	0%	0%
Livingston Classical Academy* 210 students 13.8% poor	10	16	13	6.3%	20.2%	7.7%
Beal City Public Schools 684 students 29.4% poor	40	41	44	0%	0%	2.3%
Meridian Public Schools 1,306 students 47.4% poor	80	83	77	1.2%	0%	0%
Clare Public Schools 1,614 students 50.4% poor	91	87	86	0%	0%	1.2%
Garden City Public Schools 3,701 students 60.7% poor	274	286	309	0.3%	1.1%	3.6%
Four Corners Montessori Academy* 441 students 35.4% poor	24	27	25	0%	0%	8.1%
Richmond Community Schools 1,432 students 33.7% poor	82	89	86	0%	1.2%	0%
Ontonagon Area School District 275 students 52% poor	19	18	17	11.3%	5.4%	18.1%
ICademy Global* 204 students 33.8% poor	14	13	13	0%	0%	0%
Ann Arbor Learning Community* 209 students 77.5% poor	14	11	10	0%	13.9%	0%
Mar Lee School District 303 students 51.5% poor	21	20	24	0%	0%	4.2%
Clio Area School District 2,918 students 53.5% poor	152	152	157	0%	0%	1.3%
The Greenspire School* 134 students 39.6% poor	6	7	8	0%	0%	0%
Glenn Public School District 37 students 51.4% poor	3	4	5	0%	33.6%	0%
New Bedford Academy* 105 students 44.8% poor	9	9	6	0%	0%	0%
Michigan Connections Academy* 1,722 students 57.3% poor	68	72	74	1.4%	1.5%	2.7%
Cheboygan Area Schools 1,563 students 61.2% poor	96	97	97	0%	0%	1%
Marlette Community Schools 768 students 54.2% poor	48	49	52	0%	0%	0%
Fulton Schools 675 students 53% poor	49	48	49	0%	0%	0%
Allen Park Public Schools 3,829 students 38.2% poor	202	204	209	0.5%	0%	0%
Laurus Academy* 744 students 73.4% poor	50	51	47	11.7%	5.9%	12.7%
Ithaca Public Schools 1,085 students 44.6% poor	73	70	79	0%	0%	0%
Gladwin Community Schools 1,680 students 57.7% poor	86	91	87	0%	0%	1.1%
Standish-Sterling Community Schools 1,579 students 55.9% poor	74	74	72	0%	2.7%	0%
Brandon School District in the Counties of Oakland and Lapeer 2,380 students 38.3% poor	157	151	150	0%	0%	0.7%
Essexville-Hampton Public Schools 1,717 students 30.3% poor	81	87	90	1.2%	1.2%	1.1%
Alcona Community Schools 686 students 67.6% poor	39	40	42	0%	0%	9.6%
Menominee Area Public Schools 1,307 students 53.9% poor	85	89	91	0%	2.4%	5.5%
Gibraltar School District 3,678 students 31.2% poor	191	195	201	0.5%	0%	0%
Lake Shore Public Schools (Macomb) 3,493 students 48% poor	226	215	214	0%	0%	0.5%
Riverview Community School District 2,873 students 45.3% poor	138	140	148	0%	1.5%	0.7%
Jefferson Schools (Monroe) 1,593 students 41.2% poor	100	97	88	0%	0%	0%
Windemere Park Charter Academy* 637 students 74.9% poor	44	57	53	3.5%	4.5%	13.1%
Stanton Township Public Schools 172 students 64.5% poor	9	9	9	0%	0%	0%
Niles Community Schools 3,654 students 57.9% poor	216	206	217	3.4%	0.9%	8.7%
Britton Deerfield Schools 533 students 51.4% poor	44	37	33	0%	0%	9.1%
Flex High School of Michigan* 29 students 100% poor	0	0	3	0%	0%	0%
Imlay City Community Schools 2,018 students 55.9% poor	100	108	113	0%	0%	0%
Perry Public Schools 1,092 students 45.6% poor	74	64	71	0%	0%	1.4%
Fruitport Community Schools 2,718 students 55.8% poor	171	167	180	0%	0%	0%
Holland City School District 3,364 students 64.5% poor	271	263	257	0.8%	0.4%	0.8%
Pinckney Community Schools 2,602 students 20% poor	173	166	167	0%	0.6%	1.2%
Fowlerville Community Schools 2,802 students 38.8% poor	153	152	166	0.7%	0%	0.6%
Au Gres-Sims School District 399 students 62.7% poor	26	23	26	0%	0%	0%
Manton Consolidated Schools 952 students 58.7% poor	60	56	57	1.8%	0%	1.8%
Lakeview Sch. District (Calhoun) 4,075 students 54.9% poor	228	242	235	0%	0.4%	0.4%
Grand River Academy* 788 students 57.6% poor	53	57	54	8.8%	3.8%	18.4%
Pinconning Area Schools 1,267 students 53.7% poor	70	72	73	1.4%	1.4%	1.4%
Saranac Community Schools 920 students 42.6% poor	56	56	58	0%	1.8%	0%
Onsted Community Schools 1,294 students 37.7% poor	78	82	77	0%	0%	0%
Sodus Township S/D #5 73 students 83.6% poor	8	6	5	0%	0%	0%
Mancelona Public Schools 936 students 71.3% poor	56	57	53	8.8%	3.6%	5.7%
Big Rapids Public Schools 2,061 students 51.5% poor	97	95	98	0%	3.1%	1%
Buckley Community Schools 409 students 49.1% poor	27	33	32	12.2%	3.7%	6.3%
Centreville Public Schools 844 students 46.3% poor	48	54	49	0%	0%	2%
Shepherd Public Schools 1,811 students 47.2% poor	106	106	109	0%	0%	1.8%
Quincy Community Schools 1,215 students 49.9% poor	65	67	60	1.5%	3.1%	1.7%
Bronson Community School District 1,049 students 57.8% poor	54	56	57	1.8%	1.8%	0%
Kingston Community School District 595 students 56.6% poor	34	35	37	0%	0%	5.5%
Eaton Rapids Public Schools 2,296 students 55.3% poor	142	148	146	1.4%	0.7%	2%
Distinctive College Prep.* 465 students 89.7% poor	0	16	34	0%	0%	0%
Bark River-Harris School District 743 students 50.1% poor	39	40	41	0%	0%	0%
Norway-Vulcan Area Schools 686 students 45.9% poor	35	36	37	0%	0%	2.7%
Jackson Preparatory & Early College* 384 students 34.4% poor	19	17	19	5.8%	0%	0%
Detroit Service Learning Academy* 1,350 students 99.5% poor	85	74	61	16.2%	2.4%	76.6%
West Iron County Public Schools 831 students 69.3% poor	51	55	58	0%	0%	0%
Sandusky Community School District 1,017 students 50.6% poor	58	61	65	0%	0%	0%
Paw Paw Public School District 2,155 students 44.6% poor	126	126	119	0.8%	0%	0%
Tipton Academy* 508 students 69.9% poor	33	33	38	0%	0%	18.7%
Genesee School District 669 students 85.4% poor	39	38	38	0%	0%	2.6%
Hale Area Schools 342 students 74.6% poor	23	23	23	4.4%	4.4%	0%
Constantine Public School District 1,449 students 56.6% poor	71	76	89	2.6%	0%	1.1%
Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy* 64 students 54.7% poor	5	6	7	17.2%	0%	14.3%
Unionville-Sebewaing Area S.D. 715 students 42.9% poor	38	41	46	0%	0%	0%
Escanaba Area Public Schools 2,329 students 54.9% poor	127	132	136	0%	0%	0.7%
Branch Line School* 142 students 43.7% poor	11	10	14	0%	0%	7%
Waterford School District 8,542 students 59.5% poor	627	638	662	0.2%	0.6%	0%
Alma Public Schools 2,095 students 56.9% poor	128	126	135	0%	0.8%	0%
Superior Central School District 335 students 59.1% poor	21	25	28	0%	0%	0%
Parchment School District 1,603 students 54.1% poor	95	96	99	3.1%	0%	5%
St. Ignace Area Schools 511 students 53.2% poor	31	31	29	9.6%	3.2%	17.4%
Lamphere Public Schools 2,484 students 50.6% poor	184	185	182	2.2%	2.2%	1.6%
Swartz Creek Community Schools 3,636 students 53.7% poor	208	212	209	0%	0%	0.5%
New Paradigm College Prep* 83 students 100% poor	6	8	5	0%	0%	0%
Dearborn City School District 20,740 students 75.8% poor	1,369	1,509	1,548	3.6%	4.5%	6.7%
Chippewa Hills School District 1,959 students 60.3% poor	105	104	106	1%	0%	0.9%
Ellsworth Community School 256 students 54.3% poor	19	17	19	23.1%	15.8%	10.6%
Eagle's Nest Academy* 187 students 92.5% poor	16	18	9	0%	6.3%	66.7%
Crestwood School District 3,966 students 76.4% poor	217	224	241	0%	0%	0.4%
Benton Harbor Charter School Academy* 520 students 89.4% poor	28	29	26	10.3%	0%	62.3%
Caro Community Schools 1,677 students 58.4% poor	88	93	93	1.1%	0%	0%
Oakland International Academy* 852 students 99.2% poor	66	62	52	8.1%	1.5%	13.5%
New Haven Community Schools 1,260 students 52.1% poor	80	74	74	2.7%	1.2%	1.4%
Montague Area Public Schools 1,514 students 49.7% poor	90	89	95	1.1%	1.1%	3.2%
Metro Charter Academy* 726 students 74.8% poor	54	55	51	1.8%	3.7%	11.7%
Lawrence Public Schools 570 students 64.6% poor	33	36	36	11.1%	0%	5.6%
Bay City School District 7,504 students 52.5% poor	435	435	442	0.5%	0.2%	0.7%
South Arbor Charter Academy* 796 students 22.5% poor	43	53	53	1.9%	0%	3.7%
Ionia Township S/D #2 11 students 45.5% poor	1	1	1	0%	0%	0%
Huron School District 2,581 students 33.9% poor	157	153	166	1.3%	0%	0%
Creative Montessori Academy* 765 students 59.2% poor	38	36	40	2.8%	0%	2.5%
Warren Consolidated Schools 13,767 students 64.7% poor	815	810	784	1.6%	0.5%	0.5%
Potterville Public Schools 865 students 44.3% poor	61	57	53	0%	0%	0%
Manchester Community Schools 926 students 22.5% poor	57	59	58	0%	0%	0%
Joy Preparatory Academy* 356 students 99.7% poor	25	15	26	108.3%	43.2%	62.3%
Deckerville Community School District 614 students 65% poor	40	42	52	0%	0%	0%
Onaway Area Community School District 604 students 56.8% poor	35	34	35	0%	0%	8.6%
Rogers City Area Schools 528 students 56.4% poor	35	32	34	0%	0%	0%
Lakeview Community Schools (Montcalm) 1,123 students 54.9% poor	72	74	72	2.7%	0%	0%
Alpena Public Schools 3,753 students 58% poor	201	195	200	3.6%	1%	1.5%
Wyandotte, School District of the City of 4,792 students 57.9% poor	321	320	338	0%	0.3%	0.6%
Decatur Public Schools 740 students 67% poor	49	49	47	0%	0%	0%
Benzie County Central Schools 1,414 students 59.5% poor	84	88	82	0%	0%	4.9%
Augusta Academy* 32 students 59.4% poor	4	3	5	0%	0%	0%
Corunna Public Schools 1,811 students 53.8% poor	106	98	99	0%	0.9%	2%
Fremont Public School District 2,139 students 52.9% poor	119	115	119	0.9%	0%	0.8%
Allegan Public Schools 2,423 students 56.5% poor	150	144	151	0%	0%	0%
Pine River Area Schools 1,070 students 56.7% poor	62	62	60	0%	0%	0%
Airport Community Schools 2,633 students 52.9% poor	148	150	149	0%	0.7%	0%
Mason County Eastern Schools 437 students 76.7% poor	32	28	26	7.2%	3.2%	3.8%
Warren Woods Public Schools 3,244 students 58.3% poor	207	215	222	1.9%	0.5%	1.3%
Comstock Park Public Schools 1,890 students 57.5% poor	123	114	111	0.9%	0%	0%
Breckenridge Community Schools 668 students 54.6% poor	43	43	42	2.3%	2.3%	7.1%
Oakridge Public Schools 2,042 students 63.6% poor	123	121	133	0%	0%	2.3%
Grant Public School District 1,799 students 57.2% poor	95	94	94	5.3%	0%	3.2%
Akron-Fairgrove Schools 314 students 75.2% poor	21	18	20	5.7%	0%	5%
Millington Community Schools 1,197 students 57.6% poor	65	70	76	2.9%	1.5%	0%
Webberville Community Schools 524 students 54.4% poor	36	38	34	2.7%	2.8%	3%
Camden-Frontier School 504 students 58.7% poor	32	31	32	3.2%	0%	6.3%
Ewen-Trout Creek Consolidated School District 191 students 55.5% poor	16	17	16	12%	12.2%	12.4%
Woodland School* 214 students 15.9% poor	11	12	12	0%	0%	0%
L'Anse Area Schools 605 students 63.1% poor	47	44	46	0%	0%	4.4%
Pellston Public Schools 495 students 69.9% poor	32	30	36	0%	0%	8.4%
Dollar Bay-Tamarack City Area K-12 School 337 students 51.9% poor	21	20	22	5.1%	9.4%	18.5%
St. Louis Public Schools 1,043 students 68.1% poor	65	64	69	0%	0%	0%
Whitmore Lake Public School District 749 students 42.1% poor	63	63	55	0%	0%	0%
Harper Creek Community Schools 2,828 students 41% poor	162	166	167	0.6%	1.9%	2.4%
Munising Public Schools 657 students 54.5% poor	38	41	40	0%	0%	0%
Reese Public Schools 805 students 51.1% poor	46	45	44	0%	0%	4.6%
Coldwater Community Schools 2,799 students 59.6% poor	140	147	153	0.7%	0%	0%
Tahquamenon Area Schools 599 students 59.9% poor	38	41	39	12.3%	13.2%	12.7%
Brimley Area Schools 536 students 59.1% poor	34	35	40	14.4%	5.9%	5%
Ironwood Area Schools of Gogebic County 765 students 56.9% poor	52	54	54	3.7%	3.9%	9.3%
Vista Charter Academy* 702 students 93.7% poor	53	50	55	0%	0%	5.5%
Excelsior Township S/D #1 50 students 66% poor	4	3	3	0%	0%	0%
Bear Lake Schools 284 students 64.4% poor	15	14	14	7.2%	6.8%	0%
Farwell Area Schools 1,158 students 61.2% poor	71	64	65	0%	0%	3.1%
Capac Community Schools 889 students 51.9% poor	59	51	68	0%	0%	0%
Manistee Area Public Schools 1,399 students 54% poor	80	73	79	0%	0%	0%
Canton Charter Academy* 749 students 18.8% poor	39	41	42	2.4%	0%	9.6%
Morenci Area Schools 650 students 62.5% poor	45	47	46	4.3%	0%	4.3%
Northwest Community Schools 3,558 students 62.3% poor	183	191	200	0.5%	0.5%	2.5%
Holton Public Schools 837 students 70.6% poor	48	48	49	2.1%	4.1%	8.2%
Tri County Area Schools 1,906 students 58.6% poor	110	110	110	0%	0%	0%
Cross Creek Charter Academy* 781 students 32.5% poor	48	47	43	0%	2.1%	2.3%
Union City Community Schools 1,040 students 56.9% poor	68	63	61	0%	0%	1.6%
Ravenna Public Schools 1,048 students 49.3% poor	65	65	65	0%	0%	0%
South Haven Public Schools 1,987 students 61.3% poor	139	121	115	0.8%	0%	0.9%
DeTour Area Schools 96 students 53.1% poor	12	10	9	0%	0%	0%
Hanley International Academy* 647 students 94.6% poor	40	40	42	0%	0%	7.2%
Huron Academy* 620 students 61% poor	39	42	45	9.6%	2.6%	6.7%
Great Oaks Academy* 734 students 93.2% poor	46	50	47	6%	2.2%	12.8%
Suttons Bay Public Schools 612 students 57.2% poor	30	29	37	17.4%	6.8%	5.3%
Adams Township School District 480 students 51.5% poor	27	28	29	0%	3.7%	0%
Godwin Heights Public Schools 2,076 students 89.4% poor	147	143	133	0%	0.7%	0%
Waverly Community Schools 3,009 students 62.3% poor	170	189	192	1.1%	1.2%	0%
AuTrain-Onota Public Schools 38 students 63.2% poor	5	5	5	0%	20.8%	0%
Ferndale Public Schools 3,099 students 60.7% poor	184	178	180	0.6%	0%	0.6%
East Jordan Public Schools 861 students 53.3% poor	49	51	52	0%	0%	0%
Clarenceville School District 1,858 students 63.7% poor	113	114	124	1.8%	0%	0%
Maple Valley Schools 987 students 53.5% poor	63	63	64	0%	0%	0%
Southgate Community School District 3,526 students 51.7% poor	256	258	246	1.9%	2.7%	2%
Kearsley Community School District 2,898 students 70.2% poor	161	166	170	0%	0%	0%
University Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD)* 1,479 students 69.2% poor	101	103	104	6.8%	1%	9.6%
Michigan Center School District 1,400 students 50.6% poor	84	80	79	1.3%	0%	1.3%
Oscoda Area Schools 1,146 students 70% poor	71	73	81	0%	0%	1.2%
Newaygo Public School District 1,562 students 65.9% poor	80	87	80	0%	0%	0%
North Star Academy* 267 students 58.4% poor	25	25	23	0%	0%	8.9%
Colon Community School District 550 students 54.7% poor	38	41	40	2.5%	0%	5.1%
Vassar Public Schools 1,088 students 71.2% poor	63	60	62	3.3%	1.6%	1.6%
Delton Kellogg Schools 1,246 students 54% poor	66	63	65	0%	0%	0%
Adrian Public Schools 2,837 students 63.6% poor	179	175	176	1.1%	0%	0.6%
Rudyard Area Schools 614 students 71.5% poor	40	43	41	0%	4.9%	2.4%
Kalamazoo Public Schools 12,777 students 71.2% poor	808	824	816	0.8%	0.7%	1%
Mesick Consolidated Schools 654 students 70.5% poor	38	36	39	0%	0%	0%
Marcellus Community Schools 705 students 64.8% poor	39	39	42	2.5%	0%	0%
Morrice Area Schools 511 students 48.7% poor	39	32	36	6.3%	0%	0%
Concord Community Schools 667 students 58.8% poor	42	45	42	0%	0%	0%
The James and Grace Lee Boggs School* 137 students 75.2% poor	4	6	7	0%	0%	61.5%
Houghton Lake Community Schools 1,249 students 76.8% poor	97	108	103	0.9%	0%	1.9%
Engadine Consolidated Schools 359 students 69.9% poor	19	25	22	20%	10.4%	9%
Landmark Academy* 775 students 67.7% poor	56	57	60	17.6%	9%	11.6%
Boyne Falls Public School District 196 students 65.3% poor	16	16	17	0%	0%	0%
Reach Charter Academy* 652 students 91.3% poor	59	58	49	1.7%	0%	6.1%
Sturgis Public Schools 3,255 students 60.2% poor	181	183	186	2.7%	1.1%	0%
Mendon Community School District 510 students 52.5% poor	36	37	34	0%	2.8%	5.8%
Vestaburg Community Schools 717 students 57.2% poor	41	46	48	0%	0%	2.1%
Jonesville Community Schools 1,446 students 52.6% poor	84	84	83	0%	0%	4.8%
Pennfield Schools 2,083 students 50.1% poor	132	126	129	0%	0%	0%
Easton Township S/D #6 24 students 29.2% poor	2	2	4	0%	0%	0%
Mio-AuSable Schools 533 students 73.4% poor	34	31	34	6.4%	2.9%	5.9%
Cassopolis Public Schools 957 students 60.7% poor	54	53	50	7.6%	11.1%	6.1%
Addison Community Schools 830 students 55.8% poor	45	47	50	2.1%	2.2%	2%
Coleman Community Schools 675 students 63.6% poor	42	39	43	2.6%	0%	0%
North Huron School District 367 students 53.1% poor	31	28	25	0%	0%	0%
White Pigeon Community Schools 755 students 58.4% poor	46	50	52	0%	0%	1.9%
Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools 1,036 students 56.8% poor	64	62	77	0%	3.1%	0%
Reed City Area Public Schools 1,494 students 53.2% poor	96	95	88	0%	1%	0%
Flat Rock Community Schools 2,044 students 43.4% poor	101	106	114	0%	0%	0%
Eagle Crest Charter Academy* 723 students 50.5% poor	51	48	48	0%	2%	0%
Northridge Academy* 198 students 100% poor	27	26	17	7.8%	0%	6%
Wyoming Public Schools 4,152 students 80.6% poor	247	249	246	0%	0.8%	0.4%
Hart Public School District 1,353 students 71.7% poor	82	86	83	0%	0%	1.2%
Carsonville-Port Sanilac School District 348 students 61.5% poor	23	24	23	4.2%	0%	0%
Forest Area Community Schools 518 students 73.9% poor	38	37	32	2.7%	5.2%	0%
Harrison Community Schools 1,418 students 78.1% poor	76	78	79	0%	1.3%	2.5%
Athens Area Schools 552 students 46% poor	37	40	40	0%	0%	0%
Detroit Public Safety Academy* 286 students 95.1% poor	12	10	20	78.4%	41%	60%
Kalkaska Public Schools 1,472 students 65.1% poor	100	98	103	1%	1%	2.9%
Springport Public Schools 984 students 61.7% poor	60	59	61	0%	0%	0%
Belding Area School District 1,777 students 56.7% poor	102	100	98	0%	0%	0%
Monroe Public Schools 5,232 students 60.7% poor	302	291	302	1.7%	0.7%	1.3%
Baraga Area Schools 348 students 56% poor	31	28	33	7.2%	0%	3.1%
Morley Stanwood Community Schools 1,163 students 68.5% poor	62	72	66	1.4%	0%	0%
Peck Community School District 349 students 60.5% poor	19	20	17	0%	0%	11.5%
Beaverton Rural Schools 991 students 53.3% poor	65	64	63	0%	0%	0%
Northport Public School District 141 students 65.2% poor	19	22	24	4.6%	16%	8.5%
Marshall Academy* 272 students 57.7% poor	22	25	19	4.1%	18.5%	10.7%
Ishpeming Public School District No. 1 760 students 54.9% poor	49	50	54	0%	0%	1.9%
Madison District Public Schools 1,509 students 69.6% poor	95	93	86	0%	0%	0%
Brandywine Community Schools 1,334 students 63% poor	77	80	83	0%	1.3%	0%
Watervliet School District 1,502 students 63.9% poor	86	83	83	0%	0%	0%
Noor International Academy* 154 students 66.2% poor	15	17	11	5.8%	0%	18.2%
Mayville Community School District 596 students 73.5% poor	36	32	32	3.2%	2.8%	0%
Montabella Community Schools 765 students 59.7% poor	64	60	54	0%	1.6%	0%
Coloma Community Schools 1,341 students 73.9% poor	88	93	88	0%	0%	3.4%
South Lake Schools 1,619 students 66.8% poor	108	111	115	0.9%	1.8%	2.6%
Gwinn Area Community Schools 1,071 students 69% poor	75	72	72	1.4%	2.7%	0%
Kaleva Norman Dickson School District 516 students 75.8% poor	27	28	31	3.5%	7.3%	3.2%
Carson City-Crystal Area Schools 941 students 57.9% poor	55	53	54	0%	0%	1.9%
Wakefield-Marenisco School District 286 students 55.2% poor	20	21	21	0%	5.1%	4.7%
Warrendale Charter Academy* 753 students 98.3% poor	51	55	50	5.5%	5.9%	10.1%
Detroit Enterprise Academy* 738 students 96.1% poor	43	46	55	6.6%	6.9%	10.9%
LakeVille Community School District 1,149 students 58.2% poor	71	71	79	1.4%	0%	0%
Cornerstone Jefferson-Douglass Academy* 635 students 87.2% poor	0	18	16	0%	0%	0%
Madison Academy* 414 students 86% poor	71	72	77	6.9%	2.8%	3.9%
Mason County Central Schools 1,327 students 61.8% poor	61	66	67	0%	1.6%	0%
Dryden Community Schools 454 students 41% poor	32	32	29	0%	0%	0%
Hudson Area Schools 1,133 students 62.3% poor	56	58	59	1.7%	3.6%	0%
Owosso Public Schools 3,114 students 60.5% poor	170	179	172	0%	0.6%	0.6%
Southfield Public School District 5,768 students 56.4% poor	435	430	444	0.5%	0%	0%
Michigan Virtual Charter Academy* 2,919 students 79.1% poor	158	149	173	0.7%	0%	0%
Carrollton Public Schools 1,835 students 78.6% poor	150	155	163	6.5%	6.7%	6.8%
Comstock Public Schools 1,780 students 69% poor	122	122	136	0.8%	0%	0%
Pickford Public Schools 409 students 42.3% poor	30	24	26	0%	0%	0%
Port Huron Area School District 8,194 students 55.7% poor	536	530	533	0.6%	0.2%	0.2%
Wolverine Community School District 272 students 80.5% poor	18	16	18	12.5%	0%	0%
Merrill Community Schools 581 students 57% poor	37	40	36	0%	0%	2.8%
George Crockett Academy* 411 students 100% poor	26	21	24	37.9%	11.6%	54.4%
Climax-Scotts Community Schools 500 students 53.2% poor	35	37	36	0%	0%	0%
Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools 4,708 students 81.7% poor	251	259	281	0.4%	0.4%	0.7%
Carney-Nadeau Public Schools 287 students 64.1% poor	22	23	20	13.1%	8.9%	14.8%
Ojibwe Charter School* 100 students 82% poor	14	15	13	19.5%	14.3%	52.2%
Hillsdale Community Schools 1,353 students 58.9% poor	79	86	81	0%	0%	1.2%
Central Montcalm Public Schools 1,513 students 67.3% poor	101	99	98	1%	0%	1%
Lake City Area School District 1,166 students 65.7% poor	69	67	69	1.5%	0%	2.9%
Lincoln Consolidated School District 3,691 students 46.7% poor	221	234	241	0%	0.9%	0%
Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools 747 students 85.7% poor	49	48	48	2.1%	6.1%	2.1%
Pembroke Academy* 244 students 93% poor	0	0	24	0%	0%	0%
Atlanta Community Schools 239 students 65.7% poor	16	15	16	0%	0%	0%
Forest Academy* 167 students 73.7% poor	21	17	15	0%	0%	0%
David Ellis Academy West* 743 students 69.2% poor	50	48	45	8.4%	2%	15.5%
AGBU Alex-Marie Manoogian School* 399 students 55.4% poor	28	28	28	7.2%	7.2%	7.2%
Saginaw Learn to Earn Academy* 140 students 98.6% poor	8	6	8	50%	13.3%	50%
Saginaw, School District of the City of 5,452 students 80.5% poor	374	375	374	1.6%	0%	5.1%
Bois Blanc Pines School District 2 students 50% poor	1	1	1	0%	0%	0%
Holly Academy* 645 students 20.5% poor	52	49	50	0%	0%	0%
Moran Township School District 86 students 60.5% poor	5	7	7	0%	0%	0%
Voyageur Academy* 1,149 students 95.7% poor	53	67	59	7.4%	22.7%	49.2%
Island City Academy* 204 students 27.9% poor	14	13	14	8%	0%	14%
American Montessori Academy* 486 students 65.4% poor	32	31	30	13.1%	9.3%	6.8%
Tekonsha Community Schools 243 students 61.3% poor	16	15	17	0%	0%	0%
Academy for Business and Technology* 519 students 88.8% poor	46	39	37	46.5%	8.7%	48.5%
White Pine Academy* 75 students 50.7% poor	7	11	7	0%	0%	14.3%
Uplift Michigan Academy* 123 students 48.8% poor	0	0	56	0%	0%	0%
Highland Park Public School Academy System* 372 students 93.8% poor	26	16	27	98.2%	11.5%	48%
Roseville Community Schools 4,631 students 61.7% poor	289	286	277	0%	0%	0.4%
Fennville Public Schools 1,305 students 73.1% poor	84	81	85	0%	0%	0%
Center Line Public Schools 2,553 students 74.3% poor	151	169	174	0%	0%	0%
Van Buren Public Schools 4,603 students 57.6% poor	282	292	292	0%	0%	0.7%
Baldwin Community Schools 515 students 95.3% poor	41	40	46	5%	2.4%	4.4%
Melvindale-North Allen Park Schools 3,135 students 86.7% poor	151	148	177	1.4%	2.7%	0.6%
Fitzgerald Public Schools 2,546 students 69% poor	159	176	192	0.6%	1.3%	1%
Republic-Michigamme Schools 110 students 60.9% poor	14	13	12	0%	0%	0%
Caniff Liberty Academy* 481 students 99% poor	30	30	29	3.3%	0%	10.3%
Walton Charter Academy* 815 students 93.6% poor	52	54	51	1.9%	1.9%	3.9%
Three Lakes Academy* 116 students 72.4% poor	12	12	13	26%	24.5%	47.8%
Shelby Public Schools 1,265 students 71.7% poor	77	73	78	1.4%	1.3%	3.8%
Universal Learning Academy* 615 students 82.6% poor	47	42	40	51.8%	40.1%	47.2%
Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy* 195 students 100% poor	12	13	13	0%	8.3%	45.8%
Burt Township School District 33 students 72.7% poor	7	6	6	16.8%	0%	15.7%
Cole Academy* 252 students 52.8% poor	11	10	15	0%	0%	0%
Evart Public Schools 898 students 71.9% poor	48	49	51	4.1%	4.2%	2%
Ashley Community Schools 259 students 71.4% poor	23	20	23	0%	0%	8.7%
Covert Public Schools 366 students 99.2% poor	17	22	22	0%	0%	0%
Prevail Academy* 589 students 89.1% poor	44	49	45	0%	0%	2.2%
South Redford School District 3,238 students 67.2% poor	179	178	189	23%	18.5%	13.3%
Walden Green Montessori* 245 students 38.8% poor	14	14	16	0%	0%	12.6%
Dowagiac Union School District 2,188 students 74.5% poor	131	134	137	0%	0%	0.7%
Vandercook Lake Public Schools 958 students 77.1% poor	71	73	63	0%	0%	0%
Dearborn Heights School District #7 2,507 students 76.7% poor	139	153	150	0.7%	0%	0.7%
Hillman Community Schools 411 students 67.4% poor	30	27	29	18.7%	0%	10.5%
Hagar Township S/D #6 81 students 81.5% poor	6	5	6	0%	0%	0%
Bloomingdale Public School District 1,164 students 81% poor	72	69	70	0%	0%	1.4%
Endeavor Charter Academy* 679 students 84.2% poor	39	47	45	2.1%	0%	6.7%
Rapid River Public Schools 328 students 46.3% poor	19	19	20	0%	0%	0%
Homer Community School District 1,025 students 54.5% poor	65	64	61	0%	0%	1.6%
East Shore Leadership Academy* 205 students 94.1% poor	15	19	17	0%	0%	0%
White Cloud Public Schools 957 students 75.5% poor	53	53	52	1.9%	0%	0%
Arbor Academy* 214 students 86.4% poor	22	20	13	0%	0%	0%
Hartford Public Schools 1,365 students 84.5% poor	75	75	83	1.3%	1.3%	1.2%
University Preparatory Academy (PSAD)* 1,940 students 82.8% poor	144	153	159	6.5%	4.2%	11.9%
Bellevue Community Schools 600 students 62.5% poor	36	37	46	0%	0%	2.2%
Charlton Heston Academy* 685 students 78.5% poor	43	38	45	23.6%	11.6%	44.4%
Burr Oak Community School District 287 students 73.9% poor	19	20	18	10.1%	5.1%	5.5%
Central Lake Public Schools 291 students 71.1% poor	24	20	19	15.3%	8.5%	0%
Inland Lakes Schools 689 students 59.1% poor	43	42	41	0%	0%	0%
Reading Community Schools 733 students 55.7% poor	46	40	42	0%	0%	0%
Macomb Montessori Academy* 201 students 86.6% poor	11	12	15	0%	9.1%	39.7%
Gateway To Success Academy* 122 students 82.8% poor	15	6	7	16.7%	0%	13.5%
Grand Rapids Public Schools 16,006 students 73.7% poor	1,214	1,213	1,147	2.8%	2.5%	2.7%
Michigan Online School* 431 students 69.1% poor	0	0	28	0%	0%	0%
Lansing Charter Academy* 546 students 89.9% poor	61	59	52	5.1%	3.3%	17.4%
Clintondale Community Schools 2,725 students 79.5% poor	136	144	125	0.7%	2.2%	2.4%
Romulus Community Schools 2,577 students 75.7% poor	180	186	181	0%	1.7%	2.2%
Orchard View Schools 2,268 students 75.5% poor	156	162	144	0%	0%	0%
Bendle Public Schools 1,185 students 96.8% poor	68	71	81	1.4%	0%	0%
GEE Edmonson Academy* 232 students 100% poor	18	17	13	12.1%	17.1%	38.5%
River City Scholars Charter Academy* 477 students 92.9% poor	50	48	41	0%	2%	4.8%
Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy* 2,857 students 77.4% poor	116	135	166	1.5%	0%	0%
American International Academy* 709 students 90.4% poor	25	22	16	8.9%	0%	38%
Paramount Charter Academy* 451 students 92.7% poor	34	42	43	4.7%	11.8%	13.9%
West MI Academy of Environmental Science* 822 students 60.6% poor	57	58	50	0%	0%	0%
Lincoln Park, School District of the City of 4,804 students 72.7% poor	312	333	346	0%	0%	0.6%
Hesperia Community Schools 899 students 72.6% poor	57	56	58	3.6%	0%	1.7%
Bentley Community School District 836 students 67.9% poor	46	46	60	2.2%	0%	1.7%
Charyl Stockwell Academy* 1,118 students 16.2% poor	64	66	65	3%	1.6%	6.2%
University Yes Academy* 554 students 79.4% poor	22	31	22	9.8%	0%	0%
Bridge Academy* 773 students 99.5% poor	42	45	43	11.1%	4.8%	37.2%
Jackson Public Schools 4,770 students 71% poor	311	292	267	1%	1%	1.9%
Detroit Community Schools* 672 students 99.9% poor	52	43	36	23.1%	11.5%	36.3%
Rutherford Winans Academy* 179 students 93.3% poor	11	11	9	19%	9.1%	0%
Renaissance Public School Academy* 431 students 58.5% poor	27	26	29	7.8%	0%	3.4%
Taylor School District 6,217 students 62.3% poor	436	434	432	1.4%	2.1%	2.5%
Dr. Joseph F. Pollack Academic Center of Excellence* 835 students 82.2% poor	45	51	51	3.9%	4.4%	5.9%
Marion Public Schools 421 students 66.3% poor	32	30	26	3.4%	0%	3.9%
International Academy of Saginaw* 194 students 74.7% poor	22	15	15	20%	23.3%	34.5%
Madison-Carver Academy* 686 students 90.7% poor	32	37	31	0%	3.1%	0%
Kensington Woods Schools* 128 students 25.8% poor	17	16	13	6.2%	6%	0%
Washington-Parks Academy* 1,624 students 90.2% poor	84	83	65	0%	0%	0%
Trillium Academy* 594 students 71.2% poor	54	50	44	4%	1.8%	13.6%
The New Standard Academy* 581 students 96% poor	41	37	35	0%	2.5%	2.9%
Innocademy Allegan Campus* 113 students 77.9% poor	9	8	11	12.2%	0%	0%
Wayne-Westland Community School District 10,898 students 53.2% poor	798	793	778	0.1%	0.3%	0%
North Adams-Jerome Public Schools 283 students 76.3% poor	19	20	19	0%	0%	0%
Alanson Public Schools 219 students 63.9% poor	18	16	18	6.3%	5.6%	5.6%
Will Carleton Charter School Academy* 251 students 26.7% poor	23	23	18	26%	4.3%	34.1%
Watersmeet Township School District 134 students 78.4% poor	17	18	18	5.6%	5.9%	5.7%
Pittsford Area Schools 453 students 60.5% poor	29	28	28	0%	0%	3.6%
Ypsilanti Community Schools 3,840 students 65.3% poor	333	330	298	0.9%	0%	1.3%
Bangor Public Schools (Van Buren) 1,118 students 76.1% poor	71	76	77	0%	0%	2.6%
Escuela Avancemos* 301 students 98.3% poor	17	17	20	5.9%	0%	15.4%
Star International Academy* 1,562 students 93.5% poor	98	90	86	29.8%	14.3%	33.9%
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools 1,840 students 95.4% poor	127	128	118	0.8%	0%	0.8%
Waterford Montessori Academy* 309 students 31.1% poor	13	14	19	36.3%	0%	32.3%
Faxon Language Immersion Academy* 67 students 43.3% poor	11	5	5	88.9%	9.1%	0%
Quest Charter Academy* 769 students 75.4% poor	58	53	55	1.9%	1.7%	12.7%
Francis Reh PSA* 455 students 97.8% poor	28	22	29	27.8%	0%	31.1%
Atherton Community Schools 852 students 81.9% poor	45	50	52	0%	4.5%	0%
Caseville Public Schools 268 students 70.1% poor	22	20	21	10.1%	4.6%	0%
Owendale-Gagetown Area School District 148 students 65.5% poor	11	10	10	0%	0%	0%
Harper Woods, The School District of the City of 2,349 students 76.1% poor	98	109	133	0.9%	0%	5.3%
Kelloggsville Public Schools 2,418 students 87.9% poor	143	148	167	0%	0%	0%
Advanced Technology Academy* 1,296 students 92.7% poor	104	91	90	2.2%	2.9%	5.6%
Global Heights Academy* 261 students 100% poor	20	24	19	0%	0%	5.3%
Eau Claire Public Schools 754 students 90.6% poor	61	65	50	1.5%	0%	0%
Lansing Public School District 10,652 students 71.5% poor	797	774	762	2.7%	2.1%	4.6%
Battle Creek Montessori Academy* 180 students 72.2% poor	9	8	9	12.5%	11.1%	10.7%
Evergreen Academy* 54 students 68.5% poor	10	10	8	0%	0%	0%
Hamtramck, School District of the City of 3,300 students 94.4% poor	186	196	221	1%	0%	0.5%
Southwest Detroit Community School* 386 students 93.8% poor	23	31	31	12.9%	13%	6.5%
Walkerville Public Schools 263 students 82.9% poor	22	21	22	0%	0%	4.5%
Great Lakes Cyber Academy* 1,061 students 58.2% poor	30	37	43	5.4%	3.3%	0%
Sarah J. Webber Media Arts Academy* 219 students 88.6% poor	10	9	7	0%	0%	30.8%
Hope of Detroit Academy* 957 students 95.8% poor	49	58	63	12.1%	6.1%	30.4%
Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies (PSAD)* 1,286 students 82.3% poor	90	87	92	3.4%	1.1%	8.7%
Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan* 837 students 74.7% poor	9	24	34	4.1%	0%	0%
Van Dyke Public Schools 2,355 students 88.3% poor	172	173	160	1.7%	0%	0.6%
Summit Academy North* 1,842 students 66.3% poor	104	101	101	4%	2.9%	4%
Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools 1,827 students 82.7% poor	133	127	139	0%	0%	0.7%
St. Clair County Intervention Academy* 55 students 100% poor	6	6	5	0%	0%	0%
Global Tech Academy* 181 students 94.5% poor	14	12	13	0%	7.4%	0%
East Jackson Community Schools 940 students 64.7% poor	56	59	57	3.4%	1.8%	3.5%
Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy* 186 students 88.2% poor	24	23	26	8.7%	4.2%	11.5%
Hillsdale Preparatory School* 132 students 50% poor	13	13	10	7.7%	0%	30%
Dove Academy of Detroit* 469 students 88.1% poor	30	33	35	3.1%	3.4%	16.9%
Muskegon, Public Schools of the City of 3,589 students 87.6% poor	263	273	272	3.3%	4.2%	4.4%
WAY Michigan* 195 students 80% poor	5	9	10	0%	0%	0%
The Woodley Leadership Academy* 182 students 90.7% poor	0	0	10	0%	0%	0%
LifeTech Academy* 161 students 51.6% poor	5	7	7	0%	0%	28.8%
Momentum Academy* 216 students 89.4% poor	13	11	22	9.5%	8%	4.5%
Eastpointe Community Schools 2,691 students 79% poor	235	217	208	3.7%	0%	7.2%
Hazel Park, School District of the City of 3,271 students 66.4% poor	220	254	221	0%	0%	0.5%
New Branches Charter Academy* 350 students 82.6% poor	23	22	23	4.5%	0%	0%
George Washington Carver Academy* 537 students 99.6% poor	32	25	33	16%	0%	27.5%
Chandler Park Academy* 2,199 students 92.4% poor	124	118	118	10.2%	4%	16.9%
Westwood Heights Schools 1,510 students 92.2% poor	73	83	81	0%	0%	3.7%
Litchfield Community Schools 256 students 71.1% poor	16	18	16	0%	6.3%	0%
Flat River Academy* 146 students 78.8% poor	14	11	18	26.4%	7.1%	27.4%
West Village Academy* 353 students 70.8% poor	27	28	32	10.7%	11.1%	18.8%
Redford Union Schools, District No. 1 2,392 students 76.3% poor	184	212	209	2.4%	1.6%	3.4%
Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School District 1,565 students 84.2% poor	91	89	88	2.2%	2.2%	1.1%
Whitefish Township Schools 47 students 63.8% poor	8	9	8	0%	0%	0%
Da Vinci Institute* 446 students 74.7% poor	32	29	26	0%	3.2%	3.8%
Detroit Achievement Academy* 286 students 73.4% poor	9	17	21	0%	0%	0%
GEE White Academy* 374 students 99.7% poor	31	30	26	13.5%	6.6%	26.7%
Battle Creek Public Schools 3,911 students 83.7% poor	311	307	313	2%	1%	7%
Mount Clemens Community School District 1,041 students 79.7% poor	73	71	74	0%	0%	0%
Countryside Academy* 756 students 88% poor	45	40	46	2.5%	2.2%	13.2%
Crescent Academy* 962 students 88.9% poor	72	64	57	17.2%	16.7%	26.2%
Woodland Park Academy* 386 students 80.6% poor	32	33	34	0%	3.1%	6%
Timberland Academy* 729 students 96.7% poor	50	57	57	8.7%	0%	1.8%
Hope Academy* 534 students 87.6% poor	28	30	31	0%	0%	12.9%
Pontiac City School District 4,180 students 79.6% poor	286	268	259	0.4%	0.4%	0%
David Ellis Academy* 304 students 92.8% poor	27	23	22	4.3%	3.7%	9.2%
Oak Park, School District of the City of 4,368 students 81.4% poor	263	279	286	1.1%	0%	2.1%
Legacy Charter Academy* 747 students 97.9% poor	56	52	54	1.9%	3.6%	26.1%
River Rouge, School District of the City of 2,279 students 79.4% poor	99	101	114	11.8%	6.1%	9.6%
Weston Preparatory Academy* 297 students 90.6% poor	20	16	16	18.8%	4.9%	25%
MacDowell Preparatory Academy* 366 students 98.6% poor	16	20	23	14.7%	24.9%	13.2%
Richfield Public School Academy* 670 students 95.7% poor	57	53	48	1.9%	1.8%	0%
Three Oaks Public School Academy* 350 students 100% poor	24	27	24	0%	4.1%	24.5%
Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences* 1,045 students 93.3% poor	37	37	42	0%	10.8%	0%
Beecher Community School District 755 students 93% poor	53	52	49	1.9%	1.9%	8.2%
Vanderbilt Area Schools 80 students 81.3% poor	12	10	14	10.4%	17.2%	0%
Genesee STEM Academy* 308 students 94.5% poor	16	19	16	21.1%	0%	0%
Global Preparatory Academy* 107 students 84.1% poor	10	11	10	0%	0%	0%
Summit Academy* 261 students 73.2% poor	25	27	20	3.6%	0%	0%
Detroit Premier Academy* 770 students 95.7% poor	59	62	50	12.9%	3.4%	23.9%
Martin Luther King, Jr. Education Center Academy* 397 students 85.6% poor	24	22	21	13.6%	16.7%	23.8%
Commonwealth Community Development Academy* 193 students 91.2% poor	9	7	10	0%	0%	0%
Pontiac Academy for Excellence* 774 students 75.3% poor	77	74	55	5.4%	6.5%	5.5%
Marvin L. Winans Academy of Performing Arts* 520 students 93.5% poor	29	33	22	6%	6.9%	9.2%
Ecorse Public Schools 1,055 students 81.7% poor	68	59	71	0%	0%	4.2%
Detroit Public Schools Community District 50,176 students 85.9% poor	3,022	3,439	3,507	1.6%	0.6%	2.6%
Cesar Chavez Academy* 2,291 students 97.5% poor	149	150	157	12.6%	8%	23.5%
Saginaw Preparatory Academy* 308 students 97.1% poor	27	19	23	15.7%	0%	8.6%
Pansophia Academy* 419 students 81.6% poor	26	28	27	0%	3.8%	7.3%
Bay City Academy* 365 students 76.2% poor	34	30	26	23.4%	14.7%	23.1%
Frontier International Academy* 640 students 98.9% poor	27	29	35	6.8%	3.8%	23%
Hamilton Academy* 207 students 89.9% poor	20	22	17	0%	5.1%	0%
Bradford Academy* 1,416 students 83.2% poor	99	105	104	5.7%	4%	5.8%
Plymouth Educational Center Charter School* 507 students 84.2% poor	33	32	21	15.9%	9.1%	9.5%
Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac* 843 students 76.6% poor	35	36	22	19.4%	20%	22.7%
Burton Glen Charter Academy* 599 students 97.2% poor	52	50	41	2%	0%	9.6%
Flextech High School Shepherd* 35 students 60% poor	0	0	4	0%	0%	0%
Conner Creek Academy East* 932 students 92.8% poor	56	56	55	9%	3.5%	14.4%
Westwood Community School District 1,661 students 84.9% poor	124	119	115	0%	0%	0%
Michigan International Prep School* 449 students 67% poor	0	3	9	0%	0%	0%
W-A-Y Academy* 352 students 93.2% poor	26	17	14	0%	0%	0%
WAY Academy - Flint* 132 students 92.4% poor	17	11	7	0%	0%	0%
Great Lakes Academy* 151 students 91.4% poor	13	14	11	14.3%	7.7%	9.5%
State Street Academy* 120 students 82.5% poor	17	14	9	7.1%	0%	22.2%
Hope Academy of West Michigan* 371 students 92.5% poor	26	34	34	3%	0%	5.8%
Michigan Mathematics and Science Academy* 817 students 99.8% poor	40	51	58	19.6%	10%	22.2%
Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy* 238 students 98.7% poor	29	26	21	11.5%	10.3%	14.3%
Alba Public Schools 123 students 81.3% poor	14	11	12	0%	0%	0%
Detroit Merit Charter Academy* 737 students 92.3% poor	51	57	55	8.8%	3.9%	21.9%
Clara B. Ford Academy (SDA)* 131 students 99.2% poor	15	15	17	13.7%	0%	6%
William C. Abney Academy* 352 students 97.2% poor	41	32	34	0%	2.4%	0%
Flint, School District of the City of 4,245 students 90.4% poor	355	301	275	0%	0%	8%
Insight School of Michigan* 769 students 74% poor	41	38	41	0%	0%	4.9%
Academy of Warren* 678 students 95.7% poor	46	35	40	20%	15.2%	17.5%
Lighthouse Academy* 353 students 95.2% poor	29	39	43	0%	20.8%	16.3%
Oakside Scholars Charter Academy* 739 students 92.8% poor	53	56	50	3.6%	0%	21.8%
Macomb Academy* 74 students 27% poor	9	8	5	0%	0%	0%
Grand Blanc Academy* 384 students 88% poor	32	31	28	6.4%	3.1%	21.4%
Regent Park Scholars Charter Academy* 749 students 98.1% poor	56	55	57	1.8%	3.6%	21%
Presque Isle Academy* 18 students 100% poor	2	2	1	0%	0%	0%
Old Mission Peninsula School* 134 students 19.4% poor	0	0	14	0%	0%	0%
Elm River Township School District 4 students 100% poor	1	1	1	0%	0%	0%
Kalamazoo Covenant Academy* 184 students 99.5% poor	0	10	7	0%	0%	0%
Muskegon Covenant Academy* 235 students 99.1% poor	8	7	7	0%	0%	0%
Capstone Academy Charter School (SDA)* 185 students 98.9% poor	8	8	6	0%	0%	15.5%
New Paradigm Glazer-Loving Academy* 341 students 99.4% poor	18	19	14	0%	0%	20.8%
Covenant House Academy Detroit* 501 students 96.2% poor	31	25	25	0%	0%	12%
Alternative Educational Academy of Ogemaw County* 118 students 92.4% poor	4	4	4	0%	0%	0%
Covenant House Academy Grand Rapids* 306 students 90.8% poor	13	15	20	6.7%	7.7%	0%
Casman Alternative Academy* 75 students 90.7% poor	5	5	8	20%	19.8%	12.2%
El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz Academy* 260 students 100% poor	12	14	10	21.4%	0%	0%
Cornerstone Health and Technology School* 556 students 88.8% poor	28	35	28	0%	0%	3.6%
Life Skills Center of Pontiac* 122 students 87.7% poor	6	6	3	0%	18.2%	0%
Alternative Educational Academy of Iosco County* 156 students 84.6% poor	4	7	7	0%	0%	0%
WSC Academy* 62 students 83.9% poor	4	5	4	20.8%	0%	0%
Battle Creek Area Learning Center* 167 students 83.8% poor	8	9	11	0%	0%	0%
Church School District 22 students 81.8% poor	1	2	1	0%	0%	0%
Blended Learning Academies Credit Recovery High School* 100 students 80% poor	4	4	5	0%	0%	0%
Academic and Career Education Academy* 108 students 78.7% poor	6	6	7	0%	0%	15.4%
Big Jackson School District 25 students 76% poor	1	2	2	0%	0%	0%
Berlin Township S/D #3 8 students 75% poor	1	1	1	0%	0%	0%
Windover High School* 184 students 73.9% poor	4	7	5	0%	0%	0%
Bay-Arenac Community High School* 172 students 72.7% poor	7	6	8	0%	0%	12.5%
Success Virtual Learning Centers of Michigan* 1,237 students 72.4% poor	0	13	21	0%	0%	0%
Wells Township School District 10 students 70% poor	2	3	4	0%	0%	0%
Arvon Township School District 10 students 70% poor	2	2	2	0%	0%	0%
Youth Advancement Academy* 19 students 68.4% poor	5	4	2	0%	0%	0%
Jalen Rose Leadership Academy* 413 students 90.3% poor	23	24	26	20.4%	12.8%	15.4%
Taylor Preparatory High School* 433 students 64.9% poor	23	26	29	7.7%	0%	3.5%
Virtual Learning Academy of St. Clair County* 132 students 63.6% poor	9	9	7	0%	0%	0%
Relevant Academy of Eaton County* 69 students 62.3% poor	5	5	6	0%	0%	0%
Grand River Preparatory High School* 625 students 60.2% poor	39	42	44	0%	0%	0%
Wellspring Preparatory High School* 430 students 59.8% poor	29	33	40	0%	0%	0%
Arts Academy in the Woods* 352 students 56.5% poor	23	28	29	0%	0%	3.5%
Henry Ford Academy* 515 students 54.2% poor	28	28	32	0%	0%	3.2%
Lake Superior Academy* 66 students 51.5% poor	1	2	2	0%	0%	0%
NexTech High School* 133 students 66.2% poor	9	17	16	35.9%	0%	6.3%
Arbor Preparatory High School* 313 students 45.4% poor	27	31	27	6.6%	0%	0%
Oneida Township S/D #3 24 students 37.5% poor	2	2	2	0%	0%	0%
NexTech High School of Lansing* 169 students 46.7% poor	12	11	10	27.9%	8.3%	9.9%
FlexTech High School* 238 students 35.3% poor	17	18	17	11.3%	5.9%	0%
Sigel Township S/D #3F 20 students 30% poor	2	2	2	0%	0%	0%
Canton Preparatory High School* 402 students 29.4% poor	31	31	33	0%	0%	0%
Washtenaw Technical Middle College* 754 students 27.5% poor	20	20	23	0%	0%	0%
West Michigan Aviation Academy* 611 students 26.5% poor	37	42	39	2.4%	5.4%	17.8%
FlexTech High School - Novi* 186 students 31.2% poor	7	7	9	0%	0%	0%
Mackinac Island Public Schools 67 students 14.9% poor	10	10	10	0%	0%	0%
Grant Township S/D #2 4 students 0% poor	1	1	1	0%	0%	0%
Charlevoix Montessori Academy for the Arts* 42 students 76.2% poor	5	6	10	33.1%	0%	20.7%
Innocademy* 340 students 30.3% poor	21	20	30	35.2%	19.3%	20.1%
New School High* 82 students 12.2% poor	7	12	10	0%	0%	10.2%
Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona ESD - District created from ISD 218 students 77.5% poor	19	22	25	0%	0%	0%
Barry ISD - District created from ISD 170 students 58.2% poor	29	25	25	0%	0%	0%
Bay-Arenac ISD - District created from ISD 851 students 61.6% poor	150	148	153	0.7%	0%	0%
Charlevoix-Emmet ISD - District created from ISD 392 students 42.9% poor	62	63	64	0%	0%	0%
Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD - District created from ISD 189 students 50.8% poor	48	47	45	0%	2.1%	0%
Dickinson-Iron ISD - District created from ISD 210 students 65.7% poor	37	36	35	2.8%	0%	0%
Eaton RESA - District created from ISD 359 students 72.7% poor	92	109	94	0%	1.1%	0%
Traverse Bay Area ISD - District created from ISD 1,077 students 58.4% poor	276	276	278	0%	0%	0%
Gratiot-Isabella RESD - District created from ISD 221 students 74.2% poor	78	75	76	1.3%	1.3%	0%
Hillsdale ISD - District created from ISD 374 students 69.5% poor	44	45	46	2.2%	0%	0%
Copper Country ISD - District created from ISD 248 students 74.2% poor	38	40	41	12.5%	7.9%	12.3%
Huron ISD - District created from ISD 204 students 59.8% poor	50	51	52	0%	0%	0%
Ionia ISD - District created from ISD 490 students 49.4% poor	125	112	116	0%	0%	0%
Iosco RESA - District created from ISD 232 students 71.6% poor	22	19	23	0%	0%	0%
Lewis Cass ISD - District created from ISD 284 students 64.4% poor	47	44	38	4.5%	0%	7.8%
Kalamazoo RESA - District created from ISD 2,084 students 52.3% poor	162	177	167	7.9%	5.6%	6.6%
Sanilac ISD - District created from ISD 317 students 69.1% poor	33	34	36	0%	0%	5.6%
Gogebic-Ontonagon ISD - District created from ISD 117 students 51.3% poor	21	20	18	4.9%	14.3%	5.4%
Lapeer ISD - District created from ISD 294 students 60.5% poor	57	56	59	0%	1.7%	0%
Livingston ESA - District created from ISD 619 students 46% poor	144	165	165	0%	0%	0%
Midland County Educational Service Agency - District created from ISD 1,775 students 66.4% poor	62	66	65	0%	1.6%	4.6%
Macomb ISD - District created from ISD 3,651 students 58.9% poor	350	355	359	0%	0%	0%
C.O.O.R. ISD - District created from ISD 318 students 71.4% poor	22	21	26	0%	4.5%	3.8%
Manistee ISD - District created from ISD 73 students 82.2% poor	27	28	27	0%	3.7%	3.7%
Mecosta-Osceola ISD - District created from ISD 530 students 55.5% poor	99	92	94	0%	0%	0%
Menominee ISD - District created from ISD 107 students 72% poor	16	18	19	0%	0%	0%
Monroe ISD - District created from ISD 1,279 students 56.1% poor	169	170	179	0%	2.4%	0%
St. Joseph County ISD - District created from ISD 474 students 55.7% poor	65	64	66	3.1%	1.5%	3%
Muskegon Area ISD - District created from ISD 1,535 students 65.6% poor	73	83	88	7.2%	4.1%	0%
Montcalm Area ISD - District created from ISD 525 students 51.8% poor	99	102	105	2%	0%	2.9%
Oakland Schools - District created from ISD 2,768 students 69.3% poor	140	132	137	0%	0%	0%
Kent ISD - District created from ISD 2,918 students 57.3% poor	564	594	583	0%	0%	0.2%
Lenawee ISD - District created from ISD 596 students 57.7% poor	140	139	131	0.7%	1.4%	2.3%
Shiawassee Regional ESD - District created from ISD 598 students 62.7% poor	87	85	91	1.2%	1.2%	2.2%
Cheb-Otsego-Presque Isle ESD - District created from ISD 307 students 51.1% poor	39	46	50	2.2%	0%	2%
Clare-Gladwin Regional Education Service District - District created from ISD 379 students 61.5% poor	51	49	49	4%	0%	2%
Wexford-Missaukee ISD - District created from ISD 421 students 48.2% poor	76	76	78	0%	0%	0%
Delta-Schoolcraft ISD - District created from ISD 321 students 81.9% poor	45	44	41	0%	0%	0%
Ottawa Area ISD - District created from ISD 1,426 students 50.1% poor	148	151	162	3.3%	3.4%	1.9%
Calhoun Intermediate School District - District created from ISD 1,208 students 60.3% poor	202	200	192	2%	0.5%	1.6%
Marquette-Alger RESA - District created from ISD 124 students 62.9% poor	20	21	21	0%	0%	0%
Newaygo County RESA - District created from ISD 465 students 55.7% poor	65	66	66	1.5%	0%	1.5%
Allegan Area Educational Service Agency - District created from ISD 426 students 48.6% poor	88	81	81	1.2%	1.1%	1.2%
Branch ISD - District created from ISD 551 students 58.3% poor	80	81	81	0%	1.3%	1.2%
Saginaw ISD - District created from ISD 837 students 63.7% poor	189	172	170	1.2%	1.1%	1.2%
St. Clair County RESA - District created from ISD 600 students 69.5% poor	77	81	93	1.2%	2.6%	1.1%
Van Buren ISD - District created from ISD 641 students 40.7% poor	212	195	192	0%	1.4%	0%
Washtenaw ISD - District created from ISD 1,275 students 60.4% poor	137	159	188	0.6%	0%	0%
Berrien RESA - District created from ISD 800 students 64.4% poor	122	119	136	0%	0.8%	0.7%
Ingham ISD - District created from ISD 1,365 students 60.9% poor	158	157	163	0%	1.9%	0.6%
Tuscola ISD - District created from ISD 550 students 74.7% poor	95	95	96	0%	0%	0%
Jackson ISD - District created from ISD 1,215 students 64% poor	222	219	228	0%	0%	0.4%
West Shore Educational Service District - District created from ISD 417 students 71.5% poor	82	80	77	0%	0%	0%
Genesee ISD - District created from ISD 3,744 students 65.9% poor	243	254	399	2%	1.6%	0.3%
Clinton County RESA - District created from ISD 349 students 40.4% poor	62	65	63	0%	0%	0%

Source: Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Educator Excellence

Note: Poor indicates the percentage of students who are considered economically disadvantaged. The majority of those are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch because of their family income.

The increase in long-term substitutes is an open secret among school leaders across the state, but may not be well known to the public. Schools aren’t required to inform parents when their children are taught by teachers with no education background (though some told Bridge they do), and several organizations including the Michigan Department of Education downplayed the significance of the trend.

Still, the growth in untrained teachers appears to run counter to calls to improve academic achievement in the states’ struggling public education system.

Indeed, Michigan legislators lowered state standards for substitute permits in 2018, from requiring 90 hours of college credit to requiring 60 hours – the equivalent of two years of college – or an associate’s degree.

No education groups objected.

In response to a written question on whether long-term substitutes impact learning in Michigan classrooms, Leah Breen, director of MDE’s Office of Educator Excellence, responded: “Yes, we think that the use of long-term substitute teachers are an important piece of solving educator shortages in some of our hardest-to-staff districts, and in lieu of being able to fill these placements with certified teachers, are the next best option for students.”

Dan Quisenberry, executive director of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, which advocates for the state’s charter school industry, also downplayed the impact of long-term substitutes, pointing to a Brookings Institution study that found no connection between teacher certification and student learning (though other studies show mixed results).

But Lou Ann Vidmar, a former art teacher who now represents union teachers in Cass and Berrien counties in southwest Michigan, said she’s seen the negative impact of long-term subs on students, especially those from high-poverty schools where scores are typically well below state averages.

“It’s a wasted year,” for those students, she said. “It's just wasted time because usually that sub has not been trained in that subject matter.

“You are setting yourself up for failure,” Vidmar said.

Moje, of U-M, said the impact on students being taught by untrained teachers could be devastating.

“Having an effective teacher throughout one’s learning life is the single most important factor in a child’s academic success,” Moje said. “When it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, a teacher is estimated to have two to three times the impact of any other school factors, including services, facilities, and even leadership.

A Stanford study found that students in classrooms led by certified teachers had higher academic achievement than students in classrooms of uncertified teachers are less effective.

Not the substitutes of yesteryear

Students and parents are familiar with short-term substitute teachers who pinch-hit in classrooms for teachers who are sick.

By contrast, long-term substitutes are hired by schools to be the full-time teacher in a classroom, often for a full school year.

A long-term substitute in Michigan can range from a certified teacher who is teaching a class in a subject they are not certified to teach, to someone with an associate’s degree in any subject whatsoever, to someone who attended two years of college without finishing and has no teacher education training.

Bridge analyzed data received from the Office of Educator Excellence through a Freedom of Information Act request. Bridge combined three categories of substitute permits that districts request from MDE – full-year basic, full-year shortage and extended daily – to provide a more complete representation of the number of classrooms headed by substitutes for an extended period of time. That methodology was endorsed by Craig Thiel of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, a nonpartisan public policy research organization.

Absent from that count are people hired as expert substitutes – mechanics for an auto mechanics vocational tech program, for example – and people who work as short-term substitutes, by filling in for sick or absent teachers on a day-to-day basis.

To students and parents, long-term subs are virtually indistinguishable from certified teachers – they are full-time teachers reporting to the same classroom every day. Their pay can range from the same as first-year certified teachers in some school districts (typically in the low $30,000s) to less than $100 per school day in other districts and charters.

As recently as the 2014-15 school year, there were only 235 long-term substitutes teaching in Michigan public schools, which include traditional school districts and charter schools. By 2018-19, that number had exploded to 2,538.

Last school year, 1 in 27 teachers in the state’s traditional and charter public schools (3.4 percent) was a long-term substitute, according to Bridge’s analysis.

Hundreds of districts had few to no long-term subs. But others, typically higher-poverty, lower-performing schools, they were far more common.

“I don’t want to sound like the sky is falling,” said Chris Wigent, executive director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents and School Administrators. “But having a quality teacher in front of children makes a big difference, and we’re not seeing that right now.”

‘A necessity’

The genesis for Michigan’s long-term substitute explosion is a growing teacher shortage in some geographic areas of the state.

Enrollment in teacher prep programs at Michigan universities dropped 66 percent over seven years between 2009 and 2016. While overall, there are enough students graduating from Michigan’s university-based teaching programs to replace teachers who retire and quit, they are not evenly distributed geographically or by teaching specialty, according to a report by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

Teacher shortages tend to hit hardest where classrooms are more challenging and pay is the lowest; often that leaves urban and rural schools scrambling to find certified teachers, said former Benton Harbor Superintendent Robert Herrera, who recently left the impoverished, urban district to become superintendent in Farmington, a middle-class Detroit suburb.

“If I’m in Farmington, I don’t have a teacher shortage,” Herrera said. “I posted a Spanish teacher opening, had 12 applicants. In [Benton Harbor] I’d get no applications.”

Farmington, in Oakland County, had two long-term subs among its 656 teaching slots.

Many students will never see a long-term substitute. They are rare at the state’s wealthiest districts, such as Troy, Bloomfield Hills, East Grand Rapids, Rockford, Saline and Dexter. Of the 16 districts with at least 100 teachers and low poverty (fewer than 20 percent of students), there were two long-term subs last year among their 5,200 teachers and 82,300 students.

Other children can’t avoid them.

In 83 districts – 77 charters and six traditional public districts – long-term subs accounted for at least one in five teaching positions. Overall, long-term subs equaled 35 percent of the teaching slots in those districts, which enrolled 41,700 kids last year. Nearly half of those districts, 39, were in Wayne County.

Among them is Voyageur Academy in Detroit, one of the city’s larger charters with over 1,100 students. Voyageur Superintendent Vergil Smith said he would love to have all certified teachers at his school, but last year, Voyageur had 29 long-term subs – nearly half of a teaching staff of 59. The school’s teaching staff went from 7 percent long-term substitutes in 2017-18, to 49 percent a year later.

Smith said that while some of the subs had bachelor’s degrees, the “vast majority do not have four-year degrees. Some have associate [degrees].”

Smith argued that some long-term subs are the equal of a certified teacher; and not all certified teachers are good in the classroom. But he said he’d prefer to hire people who have gotten professional certifications.

“Generally the certified teacher does a better job, they’re more competent, they’ve been trained, they have a toolbox of strategies to use. But that doesn’t guarantee success,” he said.

Finding certified teachers “is one of my biggest challenges because that’s going to impact the trajectory of the entire school year. It impacts the culture, the scores, the staff relationships,” Smith said.

Because charter schools tend to pay teachers less they’ve been hit by the teacher shortage both first and hardest.

Charter leader Quisenberry said the long-term sub problem was “not a charter school problem” but one of supply and demand: There aren’t enough teachers in the state.

He defended charters and their increasing reliance on long-term subs, and pointed out that districts such as Detroit are able to hire away certified teachers from charters because of better pay and benefits packages.

Unions represent most traditional public school teachers in the state and school districts must publicize their collective bargaining agreements which delineate teacher pay. Most charters do not have unions and they are not required to divulge how much each teacher is paid.

Last year, Detroit district superintendent Vitti lured certified teachers to fill hundreds of open DPS positions with $3,000 hiring bonuses. Many came from area charter schools and helped the district dramatically shrink the number of classes taught by long-term subs.

“That success came at the expense of smaller districts” such as charters, said Paula Simmons, president of human resources for Elite School Management, which handles hiring for the Detroit Service Learning Academy, which pulled 47 long-term sub permits to help cover 61 teaching slots last year.

Charters have few options, Quisenberry said, when certified staff leave for other opportunities and have to have someone in the classroom. “A permit is better than nobody,” he said and suggested that research shows that teacher certification is not a guarantor of success.

Quisenberry admitted that hiring certified teachers remains a challenge.

“I would never agree that charters aren't competitive, but it's widely known that [Detroit Public Schools] offers bonuses and increased pay. And if you're looking at a brand-new teacher, a relatively young teacher in their profession, and they're willing to teach in an urban environment, they're likely to choose a district that's throwing cash like that,” he said.

Officials from authorizers that oversee charters told Bridge they are aware of the hiring struggles and said they are working with charter operators to increase the number of qualified teachers.

Janelle Brzezinski, a spokeswoman for Central Michigan University’s charter school office, which oversees more than 50 charters, said the school makes sure its charters follow state rules regarding certification and long-term permits.

If CMU sees that a charter has numerous teacher vacancies, it requires a plan to “remedy” the situation “by having full-time teachers,” Brzezinski said. Sixteen of the CMU’s more than 50 charters had long-term subs equal to 20 percent or more of teaching slots last year.

Some rural traditional school districts have also turned to long-term substitutes. In tiny Mid-Peninsula School District, covering 350 square miles around Hiawatha National Forest, four of the 12 teachers – a third – are long-term substitutes. Hiring teachers who aren’t certified, or not certified in the subject areas they are teaching, is sometimes a necessity when the district can’t find qualified teachers to move to the rural Upper Peninsula, officials said.

“We posted for high school science and high school math (positions) twice and couldn’t find anyone,” said Mid-Peninsula Superintendent Eric VanDamme. “I searched high and low for these folks. Our applicant pool is narrower every year.”

VanDamme was able to hire long-term substitutes who he said are qualified (one was certified to teach in Florida, VanDamme said), but he acknowledged the problem isn’t going away soon.

“One of our biggest problems is our lack of ability to offer competitive wage scales compared to other professions,” VanDamme said. “I can be a plumber in rural northern Michigan who makes $65,000 plus benefits, or go to school for four years (to be a teacher) and make $30,000 and have $80,000 in student loans. That’s easy math.”

At Charlton Heston Academy charter school in Northern Michigan’s Roscommon County, 44 percent of teachers were long-term substitutes in 2018-19. Charlton Heston Superintendent David Patterson said the school has had trouble attracting certified teachers, but also said he believes the school’s long-term subs are doing a great job.

The growth in long-term substitutes is too recent for an analysis on the impact on learning. But students attending schools with low student achievement on Michigan’s M-STEP tests are more likely to be in a district with more long-term subs than the state average.

For example, Charlton Heston charter school has the highest share of long-term substitutes in the four-county Crawford Oscoda Ogemaw Roscommon Intermediate School District, and also has the lowest student achievement. Similarly, Benton Harbor Area Schools has the lowest student achievement in Berrien County and the second-highest share of long-term substitutes in 2018-19, many of whom did not have a college degree, according to former superintendent Herrera.

Herrera told Bridge the district, which is under pressure from the state to improve test scores, was on track to have more than 60 percent long-term subs next school year.

Vidmar, the former art teacher, is skeptical Benton Harbor can meet the improvements mandated by the state when the number of long-term subs is only going to increasethis upcoming school year.

“How can you do that (improve) with long-term subs?”

Parents often unaware

Detroit’s Vitti said he doubts most parents even know whether their child’s teacher is certified. In poorer districts like Detroit, he said many parents just assume their child has a certified teacher.

The state doesn't require school districts to inform parents if their child is being taught by a long-term substitute, though Charlton Heston Academy and others told Bridge they do alert parents. Parents can look up the certification status of their children’s teachers here.

In fact, some Detroit charters with the highest percentages of long-term brag about the high quality of their teachers. For example:

The Detroit Service Learning Academy said its academy’s teachers are “highly qualified and highly motivated.”Last year it used 47 long-term subs to cover 61 teaching slots.
The Timbuktu Academy in Detroit said it offers “certified teachers.” State records show it had 11 long-term subs and 11 teaching slots in 2018-19.
The Universal Academy on the west side of Detroit said its mission is to “employ professional, certified staff who are experienced, qualified, and committed to their students”. Last year, 30 of its 33 teaching slots were covered by long-term subs.

State Rep. Donna Lasinski, D-Ann Arbor, said the state should require districts to alert parents when a non-certified teacher is hired.

“A well-run school has an obligation to tell parents who is at the front of classrooms,” she said.

“Pretty much any adult with two years of community college can be a warm body in a classroom,” said Sheryl Kennedy, a former teacher and school administrator who is now a Democratic state representative. “It’s terrifying.”

From the point of view of the Michigan Department of Education, though, skyrocketing use of long-term substitutes as full-time teachers is a solution to teacher shortages.

“The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has been working diligently with Michigan schools to utilize long-term substitute permits,” wrote MDE’s Breen. School districts and charters are “taking advantage of a variety of flexible placements, residency programs, and ‘grow-your-own’ programs, when a certified teacher is not available.”

Breen pointed out that long-term substitutes must receive positive evaluations to keep their jobs, have a mentor teacher and, in core subject areas such as math or science, must have “subject-area expertise.”

“Long-term sub permits allow teachers to expand their endorsements (allowing them to teach more subjects or grade levels) for greater flexibility and knowledge. They allow paraprofessionals who are in the process of becoming a teacher, and have already demonstrated a commitment to the profession, to teach while they are earning their degree. They allow scientists and mechanics to fill very important roles in the school setting based on content expertise.”

When asked if long-term subs represent a diminution of teacher quality, Breen wrote, “The Michigan Department of Education perceives it as a necessity, rather than a diminution.”

Kennedy, D-Davison, called the trend “a travesty.”

“I’m super-concerned about it,” Kennedy said. “But it’s a reality. Often, superintendents have to make choices between putting certified teachers in special ed classrooms or regular classrooms .... because there’s such a shortage of certified teachers.”

No quick fix

Education experts say that the quality of the teaching staff is the biggest in-school determinant of student success. "The research shows that kids who have two, three, four strong teachers in a row will eventually excel, no matter what their background, while kids who have even two weak teachers in a row will never recover," wrote Kati Haycock, founder of The Education Trust,a nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based group that works to cut achievement gaps in students.

Teaching involves more than knowing a course’s subject matter. An engineer may know the ins and outs of algebra, but might not know how best to demonstrate that knowledge to fidgeting middle-schoolers. Experts say that strategies taught in university teacher prep programs are generally critical to learning effective classroom skills.

Numerous education and political leaders acknowledge that the mass use of long-term substitutes threatens to hobble the state’s drive to improve education, but that they see few quick fixes.

“We (the Legislature) talk about the teacher shortage, and MDE says we need to stop talking down about teachers,” said Kennedy, the teacher-turned-lawmaker. “It’s such a basic thing to say.

“But we also need to pay teachers appropriately so young people who want to be teachers can pay their $80,000 in student loans,” Kennedy said.

Brad Paquette, R-Berrien Springs, was a teacher in Niles before joining the Legislature. He said he saw a lot of colleagues leave the profession because of pay, and because classroom teaching bears little resemblance to the theoretical lessons learned in university education programs.

Paquette has his own story about being a substitute. He had just graduated from college and he applied to be a substitute teacher in Benton Harbor to earn a few dollars, Paquette said. “They saw I’d worked at Taco Bell in high school and said I was the new nutrition teacher,” Paquette said.

Later, when school officials learned he had minored in Spanish in college, he was named the Spanish teacher.

“That lasted about a week,” Paquette said with a laugh, “until MDE found out.”

Today, with teacher shortages more severe and long-term substitutes more accepted, MDE might not have stepped in to stop Paquette from taking those posts.

But Paquette said Michigan’s education problems go far beyond long-term substitutes.

“Maybe we need to rethink what an education system is,” Paquette said. “Our public schools are nothing like the real world.”

MDE’s Breen said the state needs to find a way to incentivize teachers to live and work in urban and rural areas of the state. That could involve paying teachers more in hard-to-staff areas; student loan forgiveness, housing stipends and child care subsidies.

Those things take money. A statement from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office in response to a query about the growth in long-term substitutes referred to the Democratic governor’s plan to offer more funding for students with greater needs, such as low-income students and English-language learners.

The increase in long-term substitutes ‒- particularly among students who need the most help ‒ should be ringing alarm bells across the state, said Peter Haines, superintendent of Ottawa Intermediate School District.

“This is systemic discrimination,” Haines said. “Parents are bringing their children to our schools with hope.

“The least we can do is meet them at the door with a qualified teacher."

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