Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy, Saginaw MI

Original Research by School Decision on Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy

Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy sits on the north side of a Rust Belt city that has spent decades working through the loss of its manufacturing backbone. The school serves grades six through twelve and is part of the Saginaw School District of the City of. In fall 2024, the district reshaped its school landscape by merging its two traditional high schools into a single new building, Saginaw United High School. The former Arthur Hill High building was repurposed to house SASA, and the old Saginaw High School building became Saginaw Middle School. That consolidation means families considering SASA are looking at a school that recently moved into a different building and is still settling into its new identity within a reorganized district.

The academic results here are genuinely strong. Across the tested middle school grades, proficiency rates in math range from roughly two-thirds to the higher end, with seventh grade standing out. English language arts results are even stronger, with seventh and eighth grade proficiency at or near the top of the scale. Eighth grade science and social studies proficiency are also well above what most schools post. When measured against districts in Saginaw County, SASA's overall proficiency sits in the top quartile, meaning it outperforms the typical district in the county by a wide margin. These are the kind of results that suggest a school with a serious academic culture and a student body that is engaged with the work. The school does not have high school grade state assessment data in the provided set, and a four-year graduation rate was not available, so families looking for those outcomes will want to ask the school directly. Participation rates for the state tests were also not reported.

Enrollment is modest for a school spanning seven grade levels, which translates to small grade cohorts and likely means students are known individually by staff. The student body is diverse in a way that roughly reflects the broader community. Just under half of students are white, about a quarter are Black, and a smaller but meaningful share are Asian, with a smaller Hispanic presence. Roughly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so the picture of special populations is incomplete here.

The surrounding city of Saginaw is a former lumber town that became a General Motors manufacturing center through the middle of the twentieth century. As that industry contracted, the city lost population and jobs, and it continues to shrink. Publicly reported development priorities now center on innovation, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. The downtown corridor along the Saginaw River holds civic and cultural venues, including the Castle Museum, the Temple Theatre, and the Dow Event Center. The city sits about fifteen miles inland from Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron, near a national wildlife refuge and within one of the largest freshwater wetland systems in the country. We looked for details on walkability and public transit but found little, so those are gaps a parent would need to explore on the ground.

Housing in the school's zip code is very inexpensive by both state and national standards, with home values well below the Michigan median and far below the national one. Rents are similarly low, and recent year-over-year appreciation has been modest. For a family relocating to the area, the cost of living near the school is likely to be a manageable factor rather than a barrier.

What the data does not tell you is as important as what it does. There is no information on course access, staffing ratios, attendance, discipline, or specific program offerings such as advanced placement, career pathways, or arts enrichment, despite the school's name suggesting an arts and sciences focus. A parent weighing SASA should ask the school directly what its curriculum looks like in the high school grades, how the recent building move has affected its programs, and what supports exist for students who need extra help. The proficiency numbers point to a school doing strong academic work with its middle schoolers. The rest requires a conversation.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 40 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 669%

School 69% · District 14% · ▲ 55 pts above district

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

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 19% · ▲ 61 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 13% · ▲ 59 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 670%

School 70% · District 20% · ▲ 51 pts above district

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

Grade 790%

School 90% · District 27% · ▲ 63 pts above district

▲ 56 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

Science

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 17% · ▲ 57 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 886%

School 86% · District 19% · ▲ 67 pts above district

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

This schoolSaginaw School District of the City of, 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 6Lower-income65%Higher-income73%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income76%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income89%41 pp gap