The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gee Compass Academy
GEE Compass Academy is a very young and very small public charter district based in Ypsilanti, serving students across Michigan through a full-time online model. Publicly reported sources describe it as a tuition-free cyber school established in 2023, authorized by Grand Valley State University, and managed by Global Educational Excellence. It operates as an independent charter district with a single school and a statewide service area, which means it draws students from across Michigan rather than from a defined neighborhood. This is a district without a traditional geographic footprint, so there is no local housing market, commute pattern, or community setting tied to enrollment in the way a resident district would have.
The enrollment picture is unusual and worth understanding clearly. The district lists a kindergarten-through-twelfth grade span, but its students are concentrated almost entirely in the middle grades. The bulk of enrollment sits in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, with a few students in third and fourth, and only a scattering in ninth through eleventh. No students are reported in kindergarten, first, second, fifth, or twelfth grade. This means the school, despite its broad grade span, functions in practice as a middle-school-heavy program at this early stage. A family looking at it for elementary or high school should ask whether those grade levels are actually staffed and enrolling, or whether they exist on paper and have yet to fill.
Demographically, the student body is predominantly white, with the next largest group being Asian students, and a very small share of Black students and students of two or more races. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, and information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was also missing, so there is no clear picture of the economic or special-population makeup from the data provided.
Academic results from the 2024-25 state assessments are limited and low. No third, fourth, or fifth grade results are reported, which aligns with the fact that almost no students were enrolled in those grades to be tested. In the grades where students did test, proficiency rates were well below what most Washtenaw County districts produce. Seventh grade English language arts showed about a fifth of students reaching proficiency, and eighth grade ELA was similar. Math results were lower still, with seventh grade math proficiency in the single digits and eighth grade math showing no students proficient in the tested group. Science and social studies results in eighth grade were also at the bottom of the reporting range with no proficient students. Against the comparison set of Washtenaw County's districts, GEE Compass Academy's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile, near the floor of the county's range. These are early results for a new school with small tested groups, so a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how instruction is structured and what supports are in place for students working below grade level.
Graduation rate data was not available. Given that the school opened in 2023 and currently enrolls only a tiny number of high school students, a graduation rate would not yet be meaningful even if it existed. Chronic absenteeism and per-pupil spending figures were also not reported in the data provided. No information on discipline, course access, staffing, or attendance was available, so those dimensions of school life could not be assessed.
No locale brief or community economic context was provided for this district, which fits its nature as a statewide cyber academy rather than a place-based school. There is no town or neighborhood to describe, because enrollment is not tied to one.
What the data supports is a picture of a new, small, online charter district still finding its footing, currently serving mostly middle schoolers, with early test results that are low relative to its county peers. For a family considering it, the relevant questions are practical: how does the online model work day to day, what does live instruction look like, how are below-grade-level students supported, and is the grade level a family needs actually enrolling at scale. The school's newness means there is little track record to evaluate yet, and the data reflects that.
See more original research from School Decision →