Holland Reporter

Saugatuck Public Schools district ranked the 62nd highest in college readiness statewide, based on its students’ performance on the 2022-23 SAT, according to the MI School Data.

Scores show that 42.6% of the 54 students assessed in the district were set for college at the time.

In the previous school year, 44.2% of 52 students tested hit the benchmarks.

Saugatuck Public Schools district reported that 42.6% of their students were proficient in the math section of the SAT, while 79.6% fared well in the evidence-based reading and writing portion.

Overall, students in Michigan are still performing below pre-pandemic levels. According to NAEP results, their scores dropped an average of 6.5 points, and ethnic achievement gaps widened. Black students had a performance decline of 11 points between 2019 and 2022.

A recent study in the state suggested this could be caused by remote schooling. Students who learned remotely experienced more learning loss compared to those who attended in-person classes during the pandemic.

"This is hurting kids in ways we can't even imagine, and not just academically," Senator Thomas Albert said during his time as the House Appropriations Chairman. "The disruption of sports and other extracurricular activities also takes a major toll. It's going to take years for some of these students to recover academically."

Rank	District	College Readiness
1	Saugatuck Public Schools	42.6%
2	Hamilton Community Schools	37.7%
3	Plainwell Community Schools	35.6%
4	Otsego Public Schools	32.7%
5	Hopkins Public Schools	31.6%
6	Wayland Union Schools	26.2%
7	Martin Public Schools	19.5%
8	Allegan Public Schools	16%
9	Fennville Public Schools	12.1%