Ann Arbor Open at Mack School, Ann Arbor MI

Original Research by School Decision on Ann Arbor Open at Mack School

Ann Arbor Open at Mack School is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade public school in the Ann Arbor Public Schools district, sitting on Miller Avenue on the city's west side. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it carries the word "Open" in its name, which within Ann Arbor Public Schools signals a specific pedagogical approach that families typically choose deliberately rather than landing in by default. The school draws from a community where the University of Michigan looms large, both as an employer and as a cultural force, and where a high-tech economy of startups and research-driven companies shapes the local character. The campus intermingles with a walkable downtown, and the surrounding area has an abundance of parks, bookstores, and sidewalk dining. Housing here is expensive relative to the state and the nation, and the price-to-income ratio sits well above what most American communities see, which shapes who can realistically live in the attendance zone.

The student body is moderate in size for a K-8 building, and it skews toward families with fewer economic needs than the typical public school. A small fraction of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is predominantly white, with a multiracial segment that is the next largest group, followed by smaller Hispanic, Asian, and Black populations. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those profiles remain unknown here.

On state assessments, the school posts consistently strong results, and its overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Washtenaw County. English language arts is where the school shines brightest. Proficiency rates climb steeply in the upper elementary and middle grades, reaching very high levels by fifth and eighth grade. Science and social studies results are also solid, with fifth-grade science particularly strong and eighth-grade social studies standing out as well. Mathematics is the one area where results are more mixed. Third-grade math proficiency is the lowest mark in the school's profile, and while results strengthen in fourth and fifth grade, they settle into a middling-to-strong range through the middle grades rather than reaching the heights the school sees in English. A parent weighing the school for a child who may need math support may want to look into this further with the school.

Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. That gap is a function of the grade band, not a missing result. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available for this school.

The broader district context matters for families thinking ahead. Ann Arbor Public Schools has been navigating real financial pressure, with publicly reported budget reductions for the current year and additional cuts anticipated. At the same time, voters recently renewed an operating millage that provides a key funding stream for day-to-day operations, and the district is working through a long-range bond program that funds a new elementary school, classroom renovations, and facility improvements. The district has also been exploring a project-based New Tech high school program, which could add a pathway option for students once they move beyond Mack. These tensions between investment and constraint are part of the backdrop for any family committing to the district.

For families drawn to the open-school model and living in or near Ann Arbor, Mack offers a distinctive K-8 pathway with strong academic results, particularly in literacy, set in a community where education is culturally prioritized and where the housing market reflects that demand. The math results are the one academic area where a closer conversation with the school would serve parents well.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 60% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 63% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 60% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 665%

School 65% · District 52% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 55% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 52% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 56%

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

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 61% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 587%

School 87% · District 64% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 682%

School 82% · District 58% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 59% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 891%

School 91% · District 81% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 585%

School 85% · District 62% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 61% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 52% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 883%

School 83% · District 66% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

This schoolAnn Arbor Public Schools, 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 7Lower-income50%Higher-income73%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income70%20 pp gap