Is Sault Area High School a good school?

Sault Area High School ranks 380 th of 743 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sault Area High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 734 students attended Sault Area High School.

What is the racial makeup of Sault Area High School?

Students at Sault Area High School are 57% White, 37% American Indian, 2% African American, 1% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Sault Area High School?

Sault Area High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Lincoln School Elementary : Washington Elementary School Middle : Sault Area Middle School

Sault Area High School

Summary:

Sault Area High School is a public magnet high school serving grades 8-12 in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, with a student population of 716. This school stands out for its unique racial diversity, strong academic performance, and exceptional support for special education and low-income students.

Sault Area High School has a significant Native American student population, making up 38.83% of the student body in 2022-2023, which is much higher than the state average. The school has earned a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past two years, and its students generally outperform their peers in the Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools district and across Michigan on standardized tests. Additionally, Sault Area High School maintains a high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 90.4% to 93.7% over the past five years, and a relatively low dropout rate.

In comparison to the nearby Malcolm High School, also part of the Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools district, Sault Area High School's performance is notably stronger, with higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, and better academic outcomes. However, Sault Area High School has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 20.2% in 2019-2020 to 44.8% in 2021-2022, which is an area the school and district should address.

Detail:

Public, Magnet 8-12

904 Marquette Ave
Sault Sainte Marie, MI 49783-3301

(906) 635-6605

District: Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
380^th of 743 Michigan High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,094

Feeder schools for Sault Area High School:

Elementary:	Lincoln School
	Washington Elementary School
Middle:	Sault Area Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 27.4

Number of students: 734

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.4%

American Indian:

37.1%

African American:

1.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 38%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Sault Area High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sault Area High School ranks worse than 51.1% of high schools in Michigan. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 44.97. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Sault Area High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Sault Area High School has the largest high school student body size in the Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools District. Racial makeup is: White (57.4%), American Indian (37.1%), African American (1.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 38% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sault Area High School is 27.4, which is the highest among 3 high schools in the Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Sault Area High School employs 26.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sault Area High School is $12,094. 1 high schools in the Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sault Area High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Sault Area High School 380^th of 743 Michigan public high schools. (See Sault Area High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Native American students:

White students:

Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools 283^rd of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Sault Area High School?

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Rank History for Sault Area High School

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Rank History for all students at Sault Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2006	57.10	371^st	705	47.4%
2007	59.74	377^th	767	50.8%
2008	71.39	254^th	750	66.1%
2009	65.51	326^th	754	56.8%
2010	70.48	275^th	765	64.1%
2011	73.72	228^th	784	70.9%
2012	60.85	339^th	773	56.1%
2013	71.45	222^nd	805	72.4%
2014	62.31	303^rd	799	62.1%
2015	68.98	257^th	832	69.1%
2016	75.65	175^th	852	79.5%
2017	74.04	169^th	835	79.8%
2018	68.83	236^th	824	71.4%
2019	66.80	208^th	666	68.8%
2021	54.43	219^th	561	61.0%
2022	73.96	135^th	531	74.6%
2023	72.67	168^th	735	77.1%
2024	44.97	380^th	743	48.9%

See the entire list of Michigan High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sault Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	64.25	58^th	315	81.6%
2023	84.79	11^th	116	90.5%
2024	61.40	41^st	130	68.5%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sault Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	61.76	254^th	755	66.4%
2019	55.46	221^st	532	58.5%
2021	48.17	214^th	417	48.7%
2022	92.55	18^th	369	95.1%
2023	88.71	43^rd	614	93.0%
2024	46.91	310^th	654	52.6%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sault Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	51.61	328^th	710	53.8%
2019	46.36	299^th	554	46.0%
2021	53.09	193^rd	462	58.2%
2022	83.54	68^th	416	83.7%
2023	58.02	230^th	611	62.4%
2024	26.49	460^th	619	25.7%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sault Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	76.00	142^nd	707	79.9%
2019	77.42	108^th	543	80.1%
2021	45.85	245^th	472	48.1%
2022	47.09	246^th	440	44.1%
2023	75.44	126^th	611	79.4%
2024	54.80	258^th	633	59.2%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Sault Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	60.38	5^th	7	28.6%
2019	61.38	1^st	2	50.0%
2021	51.65	2^nd	3	33.3%
2022	84.13	1^st	2	50.0%
2023	65.60	1^st	4	75.0%
2024	35.61	6^th	6	0.0%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Sault Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	67.04	205^th	708	71.0%
2019	66.78	163^rd	582	72.0%
2021	54.18	201^st	516	61.0%
2022	68.84	150^th	492	69.5%
2023	65.60	184^th	647	71.6%
2024	42.31	364^th	638	42.9%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sault Area High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	729	3	0	0	209	n/a	n/a	-2	939
1989	729	0	0	4	195	n/a	n/a	0	928
1990	720	6	0	0	186	n/a	n/a	-1	911
1991	714	5	0	2	171	n/a	n/a	0	892
1992	682	5	2	2	193	n/a	n/a	0	884
1993	694	4	2	3	221	n/a	n/a	0	924
1994	723	1	2	2	201	n/a	n/a	0	929
1995	645	1	0	0	223	n/a	n/a	0	869
1996	645	1	0	0	223	n/a	n/a	0	869
1997	635	5	1	0	219	n/a	n/a	2	862
1998	649	4	0	2	219	n/a	n/a	2	876
1999	647	1	1	2	280	n/a	n/a	0	931
2000	686	2	2	0	288	n/a	n/a	8	986
2001	629	0	2	1	321	n/a	n/a	0	953
2002	652	8	4	8	344	n/a	n/a	0	1016
2003	652	8	4	8	344	n/a	n/a	0	1016
2004	612	8	5	7	335	n/a	n/a	0	967
2005	629	8	7	6	326	n/a	n/a	2	978
2006	630	7	6	4	300	n/a	n/a	2	949
2007	625	7	9	5	311	n/a	n/a	0	957
2008	582	5	9	4	318	n/a	n/a	0	918
2009	578	5	9	5	307	n/a	n/a	0	904
2010	544	6	9	8	317	n/a	n/a	0	884
2011	528	9	15	5	307	0	1	0	865
2012	572	11	15	9	287	1	2	0	897
2013	546	10	7	8	288	4	2	0	865
2014	536	8	5	7	281	4	0	0	841
2015	504	6	5	6	252	6	1	0	780
2016	458	2	3	7	271	2	0	0	743
2017	464	2	4	9	272	2	0	0	753
2018	453	2	7	6	255	3	2	0	728
2019	446	5	8	10	257	3	5	0	734
2020	413	8	6	8	272	5	5	0	717
2021	430	6	5	6	282	5	5	0	739
2022	427	8	5	7	304	3	4	0	758
2023	407	7	7	9	278	2	6	0	716
2024	421	14	6	8	272	3	10	0	734

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sault Area High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	939	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	928	n/a	n/a	12.2
1990	911	64.0	14.2	11.9
1991	892	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	884	n/a	n/a	n/a
1993	924	n/a	0.0	26.4
1994	929	49.6	18.7	12.8
1995	869	49.6	17.5	13.2
1996	869	49.6	17.5	13.2
1997	862	52.0	16.6	12.6
1998	876	51.0	17.2	18.2
1999	931	51.0	18.3	15.1
2000	986	52.8	18.5	24.2
2001	953	54.2	17.6	25.8
2002	1016	52.5	19.4	27.4
2003	1016	52.5	19.4	27.4
2004	967	56.9	17.0	32
2005	978	56.6	17.3	29.5
2006	949	55.5	17.1	30.1
2007	957	51.2	18.7	23.5
2008	918	49.2	18.7	31.5
2009	904	48.6	18.6	36.7
2010	884	39.6	22.3	34.5
2011	865	38.0	22.7	39.8
2012	897	39.0	23.0	35.6
2013	865	38.2	22.6	31.3
2014	841	35.3	23.8	33.3
2015	780	35.0	22.2	32.2
2016	743	32.0	23.2	32.2
2017	753	30.1	24.9	40.1
2018	728	29.2	24.8	44.6
2019	734	30.0	24.4	48.4
2020	717	27.5	26.0	48.1
2021	739	31.6	23.3	43.8
2022	758	27.8	27.2	33.8
2023	716	27.5	25.9	39.5
2024	734	26.7	27.4	38

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sault Area High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	939	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	928	n/a	n/a	12.2
1990	911	64.0	14.2	11.9
1991	892	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	884	n/a	n/a	n/a
1993	924	n/a	0.0	26.4
1994	929	49.6	18.7	12.8
1995	869	49.6	17.5	13.2
1996	869	49.6	17.5	13.2
1997	862	52.0	16.6	12.6
1998	876	51.0	17.2	18.2
1999	931	51.0	18.3	15.1
2000	986	52.8	18.5	24.2
2001	953	54.2	17.6	25.8
2002	1016	52.5	19.4	27.4
2003	1016	52.5	19.4	27.4
2004	967	56.9	17.0	32
2005	978	56.6	17.3	29.5
2006	949	55.5	17.1	30.1
2007	957	51.2	18.7	23.5
2008	918	49.2	18.7	31.5
2009	904	48.6	18.6	36.7
2010	884	39.6	22.3	34.5
2011	865	38.0	22.7	39.8
2012	897	39.0	23.0	35.6
2013	865	38.2	22.6	31.3
2014	841	35.3	23.8	33.3
2015	780	35.0	22.2	32.2
2016	743	32.0	23.2	32.2
2017	753	30.1	24.9	40.1
2018	728	29.2	24.8	44.6
2019	734	30.0	24.4	48.4
2020	717	27.5	26.0	48.1
2021	739	31.6	23.3	43.8
2022	758	27.8	27.2	33.8
2023	716	27.5	25.9	39.5
2024	734	26.7	27.4	38

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sault Area High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$692 (6.6%)	$9,780 (93.4%)	$10,472
2020	$707 (7.2%)	$9,124 (92.8%)	$9,831
2021	$1,236 (11.5%)	$9,521 (88.5%)	$10,758
2022	$2,062 (20.2%)	$8,160 (79.8%)	$10,223
2023	$828 (6.8%)	$11,266 (93.2%)	$12,094

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sault Area High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 208^th of 666 High schools	Ranks 168^th of 735 High schools	8.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade Social Studies (Sault Area High School)	61.5	49.4	12.1%
11th Grade Social Studies (Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools)	53	44.6	8.4%
11th Grade Social Studies (Michigan)	46.6	36.1	10.5%
11th Grade Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Sault Area High School)	60	65.1	5.1%
11th Grade Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools)	50.9	58.6	7.7%
11th Grade Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Michigan)	55.3	52.2	3.1%
11th Grade Mathematics (Sault Area High School)	34.1	37.7	3.6%
11th Grade Mathematics (Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools)	27.9	33.3	5.4%
11th Grade Mathematics (Michigan)	36.3	29.9	6.4%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	734	716	2.5%
African American	5	7	40%
American Indian	257	278	8.2%
Asian	8	7	12.5%
Hispanic	10	9	10%
Pacific Islander	3	2	33.3%
White	446	407	8.7%
Two or More Races	5	6	20%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	48.4%	39.5%	8.8%

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2024)	SAT Mathematics (2024)	M-Step Science (2024)	M-Step Social Studies (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sault Area High School	Public, Magnet	8-12	904 Marquette Ave	Sault Sainte Marie	49783	Chippewa County	Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(906) 635-6605	734	27	27.4	38.0%	421 (57.4%)	14 (1.9%)	8 (1.1%)	6 (0.8%)	272 (37.1%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.4%)	45	380^th of 743 public high schools	48.9%		72.7	168^th of 735 public high schools	77.1%	212	61.3	25.0	21.7	30.6	$12,094	$828	$11,266
Sault Area Career Center	Public	9-12	904 Marquette Ave	Sault Sainte Marie	49783	Chippewa County	Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(906) 635-3839	0	10	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
EUPISD Project Search	Public	12	500 Osborn Blvd	Sault Sainte Marie	49783	Chippewa County	Eastern Upper Peninsula Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(906) 632-3373	5	1	5.0		4 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Malcolm High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	5788 S M 129	Sault Sainte Marie	49783	Chippewa County	Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(906) 635-6638	89	7	13.1	59.6%	37 (41.6%)	1 (1.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (55.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)								(n/a)				13.8	$15,218	$2,429	$12,790
Kinross Correctional Facility	Public	9-12	16770 S Water Tower Dr	Kincheloe	49788	Chippewa County	Michigan Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(906) 495-2282	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Consolidated Community School Services	Public	5-12	4900 W Davis Ct	Kincheloe	49788	Chippewa County	Engadine Consolidated Schools	No	No	No	No	(906) 495-7305	88	6	14.2	76.1%	43 (48.9%)	5 (5.7%)	2 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.7%)								(n/a)					$7,385	$331	$7,055
Chippewa Correctional Facility	Public	9-12	4269 W M 80	Kincheloe	49788	Chippewa County	Michigan Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(906) 495-2275	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Sault Area High School

Sault Area High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Sault Area High School

Rank History for all students at Sault Area High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Sault Area High School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sault Area High School

Rank History for Female students at Sault Area High School

Rank History for Male students at Sault Area High School

Rank History for Native American students at Sault Area High School

Rank History for White students at Sault Area High School

Enrollment information for Sault Area High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sault Area High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Sault Area High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sault Area High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Sault Area High School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Sault Area High School