Kalamazoo Public Schools students ranked 4th lowest countywide in college readiness for math in 2021-22 school year

MI Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael F. Rice 2023 | Michigan Department of Education

By Kalamazoo Times

Nov 20, 2023

There was a decrease in the number of Kalamazoo Public Schools students considered ready for math classes in college in the 2021-22 school year, according to the MI School Data. Based on their performance on the math portion of the SAT, 28.3% of the students were set for college during the school year.

In contrast, college-level math readiness in Kalamazoo Public Schools the year before was 45.8%.

Kalamazoo Public Schools ranked fourth lowest in college readiness for math this year, compared to other districts in Kalamazoo County. In the previous year, it was ranked second.

Overall, students in Michigan are still performing below pre-pandemic levels. According to the test results, their scores are on average 4.5% lower than the pre-pandemic levels.

A recent study in the state suggested this could be caused by remote schooling. Students who learned remotely experienced more learning loss compared to those who attended in-person classes during the pandemic.

"This is hurting kids in ways we can't even imagine, and not just academically," Senator Thomas Albert said during his time as the House Appropriations Chairman. "The disruption of sports and other extracurricular activities also takes a major toll. It's going to take years for some of these students to recover academically."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was criticized for trying to address these academic failures by using more tutors in the public school system.

"Relying only on the system that caused academic and mental health setbacks is not looking out for the best interest of children," Jamie A. Hope wrote in the Michigan Capitol Confidential.

Due to the suspension of state assessments, SAT data for the 2019-20 academic year are not available.

Kalamazoo Public Schools College Readiness Based on Math Performance Over 5 Years

Districts Ranked by Students' Math Average Score in SAT in 2021-22 School Year

Rank	District	Math average score overall
1	Portage Public Schools	517.7
2	Gull Lake Community Schools	503.8
3	Schoolcraft Community Schools	491
4	Vicksburg Community Schools	479.7
5	Parchment School District	465.2
6	Kalamazoo Public Schools	460
7	Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools	450.2
8	Comstock Public Schools	441.8
9	Climax-Scotts Community Schools	433.7