These are the facts about education in Michigan today
71%
of Michigan school districts do worse than similar school districts nationally at graduating students from high school. [1]
87%
of Michigan schools do worse than similar schools nationally on math scores. [2]
Over the past 27 years
Michigan has fallen from 16th in fourth grade reading scores to 44th despite ranking 18th, above the national average, in spending per student and spending nearly $1 billion on literacy efforts over the last decade. [3]
One out of every four students in Michigan is chronically absent. [4]
THE IMPACT?
Michigan household income has fallen from 9th nationally in 1999 to 35th today.
Our state now ranks last in the nation in income growth.
Source: American Community Survey
43 other states do a better job of teaching their students to read than Michigan.
THE IMPACT?
73% of parents polled said they see these problems in their own family’s school.
7 in 10 Michigan voters say that education should be the state’s top priority.
Source: Glengariff, Jan. 2026
We all share one goal:
Every Michigan child should have the chance to learn, grow and thrive.
Education is the engine of opportunity and freedom.
It raises incomes and provides stability. We need to meet this goal together.
[1] Launch Michigan, “K–12 Dashboard,” (Launch Michigan, 2025).
[2] Launch Michigan, “K–12 Dashboard,” (Launch Michigan, 2025).
[3] National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), “State Profile: Michigan—The Nation’s Report Card,” (NAEP, 2024); Michigan spent big to fix schools. The result: Worse scores and plenty of blame, Bridge Michigan, July 21, 2025; Michigan falls short of reading goal despite $1 billion in spending, Detroit News, Feb. 9, 2026.
[4] MI School Data, “Student Attendance,” (MI School Data, n.d.), https://www.mischooldata.org/student-attendance/