Public education in Michigan

K-12 education in Michigan

Education facts

State superintendent: Michael Rice

Number of students: 1,300,144

Number of teachers: 73,231

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:18

Number of school districts: 539

Number of schools: 2,959

Graduation rate: 81%

Per-pupil spending: $13,072

See also

Michigan Department of Education • List of school districts in Michigan • Michigan • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Michigan Glossary of education terms

Note: These statistics are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of October 2022.

The Michigan public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Michigan had 1,300,144 students enrolled in a total of 2,959 schools in 539 school districts. There were 73,231 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 18 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Michigan spent on average $13,072 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 81 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Michigan compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Michigan
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
Michigan	2,959	539	1,300,144	73,231	1:18	$13,072
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin), Michigan had the smallest share of students who scored at or above proficient in math and reading.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Michigan	37%	30%	31%	33%
Illinois	39%	36%	34%	36%
Indiana	52%	38%	38%	35%
Wisconsin	47%	40%	35%	36%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Michigan and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

Michigan schools reported a graduation rate of 77 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, lowest among its neighboring states.

In Michigan, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 19.9.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Michigan	77%	Fourth	19.9	100%	1,782	4%
Illinois	83.2%	Third	20.6	100%	1,807	5%
Indiana	87%	First	21.7	38%	1,470	70%
Wisconsin	88%	First	22.1	71%	1,771	4%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express," accessed May 28, 2015 ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Michigan was higher than the national average at 7.2 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 6.9 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Michigan

School choice options in Michigan included charter schools, inter-district and intra-district open enrollment policies, and online learning programs as of June 2015. In addition, about 8.05 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Michigan is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Michigan state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the state's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

Michigan spent approximately 27.2 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from state funds. Michigan spent the second highest percentage of its total budget on public education when compared to its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Michigan	27.2%	$10,948	9.4%	56.9%	33.7%
Illinois	13.3%	$12,288	7.9%	35.4%	56.8%
Indiana	30.8%	$9,566	8.2%	62.6%	29.2%
Wisconsin	16.2%	$11,071	7.7%	44.8%	47.5%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In Michigan, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding, at $9.9 billion. Although Michigan reported significantly less total revenue than Illinois, the two states reported relatively similar revenue from state sources during fiscal year 2013.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Michigan	$1,636,904	$9,882,361	$5,861,099	$17,380,364
Illinois	$2,311,235	$10,392,455	$16,688,203	$29,391,893
Indiana	$980,013	$7,503,451	$3,505,091	$11,988,555
Wisconsin	$827,432	$4,839,617	$5,134,855	$10,801,904
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in Michigan totaled approximately $19 billion in fiscal year 2012. This was the second highest reported total expenditures when compared to Michigan's neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
Michigan	$16,485,178	$1,376,616	$1,195,005	$19,056,799
Illinois	$25,012,915	$2,169,706	$1,014,430	$28,197,052
Indiana	$9,978,491	$943,637	$490,288	$11,412,416
Wisconsin	$9,704,932	$450,303	$453,800	$10,609,035
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Michigan, the average salary decreased by 8.2 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Michigan	$67,023	$61,867	$62,585	$61,560	-8.2%
Illinois	$63,527	$66,264	$58,595	$59,113	-6.9%
Indiana	$57,192	$53,357	$51,357	$51,456	-10%
Wisconsin	$56,239	$54,721	$54,687	$55,171	-1.9%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Michigan Department of Education

The mission statement of the Michigan Department of Education reads:

“

Through leadership, policy implementation, and light-of-day reporting, the Michigan Department of Education will increase full-time, full-access systems of education that support success for every student.

”

The Michigan Department of Education is led by the State Superintendent. The State Superintendent is appointed by the Michigan State Board of Education. Mike Flanagan was appointed to the position in 2005.

The State Board of Education is composed of eight members elected at large in partisan elections to eight-year terms of office.

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Michigan ranked 16th overall for union power and influence, or "strong," which was in the second of five tiers.

The main unions related to the Michigan school system are the Michigan Education Association (MEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), and AFT Michigan, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). MEA is the largest education association in the state. For the 2003 tax period MEA had $73.26 million in total revenue, $67.07 million in total expenses and $52.27 million in total assets. For the same period, AFT Michigan had $3.67 million in total revenue, $3.69 million in total expenses and $2.29 million in total assets.

List of local Michigan school unions:

• Michigan Education Association
• AFT Michigan
• Grand Rapids Education Association
• Utica Education Association
• Lansing Schools Education Association
• Livonia Education Association
• Plymouth Canton Education Association
• Walled Lake Education Association
• Farmington Education Association

Government sector lobbying

See also: Michigan government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organizations are the Michigan Association of School Boards and the Michigan Association of School Personnel Administrators.

Transparency

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonpartisan research and educational institute. MichiganTransparency.org, a project of the Mackinac Center, features revenue and spending data for Michigan public school districts as reported by the Michigan Department of Education, as well as categorical grant data and school checkbook registers.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: a numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Michigan received a score of 75.3, or a C average, in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 91.6, or an A- average. The lowest score was in "K-12 achievement" at 63.8, or a D average. Michigan had the 10th lowest score for K-12 achievement in the country. The chart below displays the scores of Michigan and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
Michigan	75.3 (C)	63.8 (D)	91.6 (A-)	74.8 (C)	74.9 (C)	82.1 (B-)
Illinois	80.2 (B-)	69.6 (C-)	91.0 (A-)	67.9 (D+)	76.8 (C+)	75.0 (C)
Indiana	77.3 (C+)	72.8 (C)	97.8 (A)	63.1 (D)	71.6 (C-)	89.3 (B+)
Wisconsin	82.4 (B-)	72.1 (C-)	75.2 (C)	79.1 (C+)	85.6 (B)	85.7 (B)
United States average	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014 A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Michigan contains two types of school districts. Local districts are traditional districts limited to a single community, such as a township or city. Intermediate districts operate at the county or multi-county level, and they primarily exist to provide specialized support services to local school districts.

School board composition

Michigan school board members for local school districts are elected by residents of the school district. Only four school boards for intermediate school districts are elected. All other intermediate school district boards are made up of representatives selected by local board members within the intermediate district. Michigan school board elections typically follow one of these two methods, or a mixture thereof:

• At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
• District: Only voters residing in a specific geographic area within the school district may vote on certain candidates, who must also reside in that specific geographic area.

School boards typically consist of seven members, although there are exceptions. School board members serve four-year or six-year terms, depending on the district.

Term limits

Michigan does not impose statewide term limits on school board members.

Elections

See also: Michigan school board elections, 2025

No Michigan school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2025.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in Michigan, a person must be:

• A citizen of the United States
• A registered voter in the school district at the time of the filing deadline

The process of running for office as a school board candidate begins with filing a nominating petition and affidavit with the school district filing official before the close of business on the 15th Tuesday preceding the election. The number of signatures required for the nominating petition is dependent on the population in the school district at the time of the most recent federal census. If the population is less than 10,000, the minimum number of signatures is six and the maximum is 20. If the population is 10,000 or greater, the minimum number of signatures is 40 and the maximum is 100. A candidate can also pay a nonrefundable $100 filing fee to the school district filing official to get on the ballot instead of filing nominating petitions. Candidates may withdraw from the ballot only if they sign and submit a written withdrawal notice to the school district filing official before the close of business on the third day after the candidacy filing deadline.

Local school board elections are held biennially on the first Tuesday that follows the first Monday in November on even-numbered years.

Campaign finance

Michigan requires all school board candidates running in districts with 2,401 or more students to file campaign finance reports. If a district contains 2,400 or fewer students, school board candidates are not required to file campaign finance reports unless they receive or spend more than $1,000 during the election cycle.

Candidates are prohibited from receiving contributions from corporations or labor organizations. Within 10 days of becoming a candidate, candidates must form a candidate committee. Following the creation of the committee, candidates have an additional 10 days to register the committee with the school district filing official by filing a statement of organization. A candidate committee that does not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000 during the election cycle is eligible to receive a reporting waiver, which allows that committee not to file pre-election, post-election and annual campaign statements without legal penalty.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Michigan state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Michigan ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Michigan Penal Fines for Libraries and Schools, Proposal 1 (1881)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Michigan education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Michigan - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in Michigan
• Michigan state budget and finances
• Michigan Department of Education
• List of school districts in Michigan
• School choice in Michigan
• Charter schools in Michigan
• Michigan
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Michigan Department of Education
  • Assessment and accountability
  • Districts and schools
  • Education Budget Office
  • School report card
  • Michigan charter schools
• Michigan State Board of Education
• Michigan Virtual School