Michigan slipped again this year on college readiness, as measured by how its high school students perform on the SAT. Only a quarter of 11th graders in the state met the College Board's college-ready benchmark during the 2025-2026 school year, a slight dip from 26.6 percent last year. A decade ago, the figure stood at 35 percent.

The decline has arrived as the state continues to struggle on other academic performance measures, including low reading scores and an absenteeism rate that remains above 27 percent.

"It's true that SAT scores are only one predictor of college readiness," said Charlotte Pierce, senior policy analyst at EdTrust-Midwest, which released a report earlier this year about the need for more rigorous coursework. "However, these results align with other concerning opportunity gaps we see across Michigan schools, particularly those serving students with the greatest needs."

What the numbers show

The College Board says a student is college ready if they score above a certain level on the math test and on the reading and writing test. Statewide, 26.5 percent of students met the math benchmark during the 2025-2026 school year, while 52.1 percent met the reading and writing mark.

The College Board defines college ready as a 75 percent chance of earning at least a C in first-semester, credit-bearing college courses in specific subjects. For example, a student who is college ready in math has a 75 percent chance of earning at least a C in algebra, statistics, precalculus or calculus.

Over the last decade, Michigan students' college readiness has dropped from 34.9 percent to 25.3 percent, according to state data. During that time the test switched from paper to online, the pandemic disrupted schooling, and some colleges made submitting scores optional. Analysts are not certain what drove the decline.

Socioeconomic status has long correlated with test scores. Statewide, only 11.5 percent of students who are economically disadvantaged are considered college ready, compared with 36 percent of students who are not.

US News and World Report ranks Michigan 32nd for college readiness. Michigan is among only a handful of states that require juniors to take the SAT. Many other states use the ACT.

How the state and schools respond

High school principals acknowledged the low scores but cautioned that the SAT is only one metric.

"A student might not score college ready, but if they're hard workers and we've made them leaders and good individuals that work hard, they're going to be ready to go off to college," said Sarah Allen, principal at Grayling High School. "That one score doesn't necessarily determine if they are or are not. Although I understand we have to have a benchmark that we strive for."

Still, Michigan students are graduating at a record rate. The four-year graduation rate in 2025 reached 84 percent, and about 54.6 percent of graduates enroll in college within six months.

Emily McEvoy, director of data and assessment at the Anchor Bay School District, pointed to state data showing that more students earn college credit within one or four years of graduating than the share deemed college ready. She argued that college credit attainment may be a stronger indicator of preparation than a single test score.

Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, said a student who enrolls in college without being ready may need more support to pass entry-level courses. That can lengthen the time to graduate, and if a student drops out, it does not help the state reach its goal of 60 percent of working-age adults holding a college degree or skills certificate by 2030.

Steven Snead, supervisor of curriculum and assessment at Oakland Schools, said SAT results should be used by districts to review curricula and teacher coaching, and to listen to students. He urged continued investment in early literacy, science, technology, engineering and math opportunities, teachers, project-based learning, and equitable funding.

The state's broader picture

Bob Kefgen, associate director for government relations at the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals, said leaders should also consider how many students are close to meeting proficiency and how many are deemed college ready in one subject rather than both.

"I think we are, as a state, not doing perfectly, but doing far better than what people think of when they see a statistic of only 25 percent of students are college ready when they graduate. That statistic is misleading," Kefgen said.

The Michigan Department of Education pointed to several other measures of student achievement. State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko "has been very clear that Michigan needs to improve student achievement on assessments, however, there are other metrics besides SAT scores that need to be considered to tell the complete story," said MDE spokesperson Bob Wheaton.

Among those metrics are rising enrollment and performance on Advanced Placement tests, and participation in dual enrollment, early middle college and career technical education programs. The department said those programs produce thousands of credentialed, college-credit-earning students each year.

As Michigan leaders wrestle with how to measure the success of K-12 education for life after high school, other states are making their own changes to testing and accountability.