Livingston Classical Academy, Whitmore Lake MI

Original Research by School Decision on Livingston Classical Academy

Livingston Classical Academy is a public charter academy in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade under a classical education model. It operates as its own charter district, a single-school entity rather than part of a larger traditional district. The school sits on Main Street in a community that functions primarily as a residential lakeside settlement between Ann Arbor and Brighton, both a short drive away. Whitmore Lake centers on an all-sports lake of the same name, with a small commercial corridor along Main Street and a car-dependent layout shaped by US 23 running along its western edge. The area has a lake-oriented civic identity, with annual events like an Independence Day celebration, a Harvest Festival, and the Michigan Pond Hockey Classic held on the frozen lake.

The school is small for a K-through-12 operation, with an enrollment that thins considerably in the upper grades. The high school grades together enroll only a fraction of the total student body, which means families considering this school for a high schooler should ask directly about what programming, electives, and social opportunities exist for older students at that scale. The elementary and middle grades make up the bulk of the population and have a fairly even distribution across those bands.

The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of students identifying as Hispanic or multiracial, and very few students in other categories. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a modest share relative to many public schools. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so a parent whose child receives those services would want to contact the school directly about what support is available.

Academically, the most recent state assessment results paint a strong picture. Across math, English language arts, science, and social studies, proficiency rates are generally well above what is typical for Michigan schools, with several grades showing a large majority of students meeting or exceeding standards. Middle-grade performance stands out, particularly in eighth-grade math, eighth-grade social studies, and fifth-grade science, where most tested students reached proficiency. Third-grade math and English language arts results are the relative soft spots, with proficiency rates closer to the midpoint, though still comparable to or above state averages. A parent may want to look into early-grade literacy and math support with the school if those are areas of concern. When measured against other districts in Washtenaw County, the school's overall proficiency lands in the top quartile, which is a strong standing in a county that includes several well-regarded districts.

Some expected data points are absent. No graduation rate was available in the provided data, which is a common gap for small charter schools where graduating classes are very small and reporting may be suppressed or delayed. No chronic absenteeism figure was reported either. The school does not appear to publish course access, staffing, or discipline data in the sources reviewed, so families looking for details on Advanced Placement offerings, dual enrollment, arts, or athletics should reach out to the school. Given the small high school enrollment, the breadth of upper-level programming is a question worth asking.

The housing market in the Whitmore Lake zip code sits near the national benchmark and above the state benchmark, reflecting the broader appeal of the Ann Arbor-adjacent corridor. Rents are moderate. The community itself is unincorporated, spanning parts of Green Oak Township in Livingston County and Northfield Township in Washtenaw County, with a mixed residential character of lakefront properties and suburban subdivisions. Publicly reported sources describe a community that grew substantially in prior decades and has stabilized in recent years, with median incomes above the national median.

Livingston Classical Academy fits a family looking for a small, classical-model charter school with solid academic outcomes in a quiet lakeside setting. The trade-offs are the limited scale of the high school and the gaps in publicly available data on specialized services and upper-grade programming.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=50%Cohort of 9 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

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 351%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 10 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 769%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Science

Grade 578%

School 78% · District 78%

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 79%

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

This schoolLivingston Classical 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.