Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy, Manistee MI

Original Research by School Decision on Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy

Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy is a charter school operating as a full-time online academy, headquartered in Manistee but serving students from across the state. It offers a continuous pathway from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, entirely in a virtual format. The school's enrollment is large for a single charter entity in this region, drawing a student body that is racially diverse and predominantly low-income, with a very substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The majority of students identify as white, with the next largest group identifying as black, followed by Hispanic students and those of two or more races. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available, so those segments of the student body are not represented here.

Academic results from state testing tell a difficult story. Across mathematics, proficiency rates are consistently low in every tested grade, from third through eighth. The numbers hover in a narrow band well below what most schools in the state post, and the pattern holds whether students take the M-STEP in the elementary grades or the PSAT in eighth grade. English language arts results are somewhat stronger, with eighth grade standing out as a relative bright spot where nearly half of tested students reached proficiency. Elementary and middle-grade ELA rates are more modest but generally sit above the math figures. Science and social studies results fall in between, with science showing low proficiency and social studies posting somewhat higher rates in eighth grade than in fifth. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Manistee County, according to the county-based comparison set. A parent considering this school may want to ask how the academy supports students who arrive behind grade level and what intervention structures exist within the virtual model.

Manistee itself is a small city on an isthmus between Lake Michigan and Manistee Lake, with the Manistee River running through it. It began as a lumber boomtown and later built a diversified industrial base around salt, paper, and chemicals. The downtown is a National Register Historic District with Victorian-era brick buildings, locally owned retail, a Riverwalk along the river channel, and public beaches on Lake Michigan. Major employers include Packaging Corporation of America, Morton Salt, and Martin Marietta, all situated near Manistee Lake, along with a state prison and the Little River Casino Resort a few miles northeast of the city. The community is stable, with a population that has edged slightly downward over recent decades rather than growing rapidly. Tourism, fishing, and fruit agriculture round out the local economy.

Because Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy is an online school, the physical setting of Manistee matters differently than it would for a traditional campus school. Students attend from home, so the community context is most relevant for families who actually live in the Manistee area or are considering relocating. Housing values in the local zip code are modest, sitting close to the state benchmark and well below the national figure, with recent year-over-year appreciation that has been notably stronger than both the state and national rates. That suggests a local market that is relatively affordable but appreciating. For families elsewhere in Michigan, the housing picture where they actually live would apply instead.

The district brief search turned up no specific parent-relevant changes or strategic initiatives from recent months, so there is nothing to report on that front. This is a school where the academic data is thin in terms of positive proficiency outcomes but rich enough to give a parent a clear read. The virtual format is the defining characteristic, and families drawn to online schooling for flexibility, health reasons, or personal preference will need to weigh that convenience against proficiency results that trail most peer institutions in the county.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

57.0%Cohort of 387 students · Class of 2021

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,027 schools plotted. 80 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 33 pts below state median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 7%

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 21 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 26 pts below state median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 722%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 18 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 18 pts below state median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 18 pts below state median

This schoolMichigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income11%Higher-income21%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income33%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income38%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income28%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income31%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income67%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income8%Higher-income12%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income35%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income4%Higher-income17%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income4%Higher-income19%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income7%Higher-income17%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income5%Higher-income10%6 pp gap