Original Research by School Decision on Shiawassee Resd College and Career Readiness Center
The Shiawassee RESD College and Career Readiness Center is a career and technical school in Vernon, Michigan, serving grades nine through twelve under the Shiawassee Regional Educational Service District. It opened in August 2023 after the former Nellie Reed Elementary was repurposed into a high school career training facility, a project made possible by a countywide CTE millage that Shiawassee County voters approved in August 2022. The center draws students from eight local districts across the county: Byron, Corunna, Durand, Laingsburg, Morrice, New Lothrop, Owosso, and Perry. Students likely attend the center for part of their day and remain enrolled at their home high schools, which is the standard model for intermediate school district career centers in Michigan. That structure explains why the reported enrollment here shows as zero: the students are counted at their home buildings, not at the CCRC.
Because of this shared-time setup, standard academic measures do not map cleanly onto this school. State assessment results were not available, and no graduation rate is reported for the center itself, since participating students graduate from their home districts. No proficiency index could be computed, and the center did not appear in the county comparison set for those metrics. A parent evaluating the CCRC should look instead at the specific programs it offers, the industry partnerships behind them, and how participation fits into a student's home high school plan. We looked for discipline, attendance, staffing, and course-access details and found none reported, so those are left out rather than guessed.
What is publicly reported paints a picture of a young, growing CTE operation. The 2022 millage had three stated goals: centralize career and technical education countywide, reduce CTE tuition for sending districts, and improve program access through student transportation. Tuition for local districts was reduced effective the 2022-2023 school year, and transportation assistance began in 2024-2025. A heavy equipment learning lab opened in November 2024 with support from two industry partners, Great Lakes Fusion and AIS Construction Equipment, enrolling students in that program. That kind of direct industry backing gives the center a practical, workforce-oriented identity from the start. A parent whose teenager is interested in skilled trades or equipment operation would want to ask which specific CTE pathways are currently offered and how they connect to certifications, apprenticeships, or postsecondary credit, since the available data did not include a full program catalog.
The setting is small-town and rural. Vernon sits on M-71 just off I-69, roughly equidistant between Flint and Lansing. It is a compact, primarily residential village with a downtown strip of shops and businesses along M-71, two large parks with athletic courts and pavilions, and the Shiawassee River running through its northwest edge. The local economy is modest, with retail trade, construction, and health care as the largest employing sectors, and no single dominant employer. Most residents commute to work by car, and the village is car-dependent despite its small footprint. Publicly reported sources describe Vernon's population as gradually declining, with median home values well below both state and national levels and a high homeownership rate. Housing here is affordable relative to much of Michigan, and home values have been rising modestly. No major new residential developments were indicated in available sources, and the village has no public transit system or library branch of its own.
For a family considering this center, the relevant questions are practical: which programs are available, how does the schedule work with the home high school, what industry credentials can a student earn, and what transportation is provided. The CCRC is best understood as a shared resource layered on top of a student's home district, not a standalone school. Its value lies in the career pathways it opens and the employer relationships it brings, rather than in the academic metrics that normally define a conventional high school. Since the center is new, a parent may want to look into how its programs are expanding and whether the early cohorts are moving into jobs or further training after participation. The data available so far does not yet speak to outcomes, so that conversation with the center or the home district would be the next step.
See more original research from School Decision →