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These Michigan Counties Have the Best Public Schools in the State

Moving to a county with good schools is an important goal for many families with children. Here in Michigan, we’re fortunate to have some highly rated public school districts throughout…

(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Moving to a county with good schools is an important goal for many families with children. Here in Michigan, we're fortunate to have some highly rated public school districts throughout the state, whether you're in the Mitten or Upper Peninsula.

So, if you're looking to live in a county with the highest-rated public schools in Michigan, where should you turn? The staff at Niche.com has put together a study to answer that question and help families find the best public education in their area.

"The 'Counties with the Best Public Schools' ranking provides a comprehensive overall assessment of the public education available at the county level," the Niche.com crew states in the study. "This ranking takes into account the grades of all the public schools of the district(s) that serve an area and weighs each school’s score by the number of students the school serves. The same methodology is used to produce the Public Schools Grade for each ranked county as well as additional places. Statistics are primarily obtained from the U.S. Census and represent the most recent data available."

For the study, they didn't just go by numbers, either. They also asked actual residents for their thoughts on public schools throughout the state. "First, we carefully selected each ranking’s factors to represent a healthy balance between statistical rigor and practical relevance in the ranking," they explain.

Read on for the full list of the 50 Michigan counties with the best public schools in the state. The county in which I grew up is in here, which makes me happy, because I had a great experience at my public school. My parents actually taught at my school, too, but that's a whole different story. No matter where you live, changes are you'll find a county near you with a great educational rating. The list begins with the best Michigan county for public schools and descends.

Washtenaw County

Public schools grade: A+

Ottawa County

Public schools grade: A+

Oakland County

Public schools grade: A

Dickinson County

Public schools grade: A

Grand Traverse County

Public schools grade: A

Kent County

Public schools grade: A

Crawford County

Public schools grade: A-

Leelanau County

Public schools grade: A-

Kalamazoo County

Public schools grade: A-

Ingham County

Public schools grade: A-

Benzie County

Public schools grade: A-

Livingston County

Public schools grade: A-

Houghton County

Public schools grade: A-

Midland County

Public schools grade: B+

Macomb County

Public schools grade: B+

Clinton County

Public schools grade: B+

Charlevoix County

Public schools grade: B+

Emmet County

Public schools grade: B+

Baraga County

Public schools grade: B+

Saginaw County

Public schools grade: B

Ostego County

Public schools grade: B

Huron County

Public schools grade: B

Ionia County

Public schools grade: B

Eaton County

Public schools grade: B

Barry County

Public schools grade: B

Monroe County

Public schools grade: B

Wexford County

Public schools grade: B

Muskegon County

Public schools grade: B

Bay County

Public schools grade: B-

Allegan County

Public schools grade: B-

St. Clair County

Public schools grade: B-

Berrien County

Public schools grade: B-

Genesee County

Public schools grade: B-

Sanilac County

Public schools grade: B-

Alpena County

Public schools grade: B-

Chippewa County

Public schools grade: B-

Delta County

Public schools grade: B-

Marquette County

Public schools grade: B-

Isabella County

Public schools grade: B-

Menominee County

Public schools grade: B-

Antrim County

Public schools grade: B-

Lapeer County

Public schools grade: B-

Jackson County

Public schools grade: B-

Calhoun County

Public schools grade: B-

Oscoda County

Public schools grade: B-

St. Joseph County

Public schools grade: B-

Presque Isle County

Public schools grade: B-

Gratiot County

Public schools grade: B-

Iosco Cuonty

Public schools grade: B-

Lenawee County

Public schools grade: B-

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.