LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In August 2020, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) had a goal to make this state top 10 in the country in terms of education.

Five years and $101.2 billion later, the results are in.

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In 2025, the U.S. News & World Report ranked the state No. 39 overall in the country in Pre-K through 12 education. Michigan received low grades because of data showing 60% of its third grade students were not deemed proficient in reading in 2023-24 according to the M-STEP.

Yet, public school officials and local school administrators have given themselves and teachers high marks. And students, despite the difficulty in learning, are passing classes and graduating at very high rates.

The state’s four-year graduation rate was 82.83% in 2023-24, the highest since at least 2006-07, which is as far back as online records go.

The state just released data that despite the struggles on standardized tests, Michigan students were passing their courses at an 87.3% rate. And school districts found a glitch in the report that underreported the percentage of courses passed, so the state average would be even higher.

And the quality of educators in Michigan couldn’t be better, at least according to the reviews of teachers and administrators done by each local school district.

Overall, 43% of Michigan’s public school teachers and 46% of the state’s public school administrators were ratings of “highly effective, the highest rating of four categories in 2023-24.

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While student achievement lags, students are still graduating and passing courses at high rates while teachers and administrators are rewarded.