Michigan

A profile of its children

Understanding the facts about children in Michigan illustrates why smart, proven investments in Michigan’s children and youth are critical to protecting Michigan’s competitive edge in a global marketplace.

Children in Michigan[i]

  • 2,245,201 children (under the age of 18) live in the state;
  • 524,000 children (24%) live in poverty (about $23,624 or less for a family of four);
  • 255,000 children (12%) live in extreme poverty (about $11,812 or less for a family of four);
  • 36 percent of children live in a household with only one parent.

Early Childhood[ii]

  • Approximately 30,324 children participate in the federally-funded Head Start program; However;
  • Only 14 percent of 3-year-olds and 36 percent of 4-year-olds were enrolled in state-funded pre-kindergarten, Head Start or a special education preschool program;
  • 66 percent of children under the age of 6 have both or their only parent in the workforce.[iii]

School Readiness[iv]

  • Math:
  • 63 percent of fourth graders are below grade level in math;
  • 70 percent of eighth graders are below grade level in math.
  • Reading:
  • 69 percent of fourth graders are reading below grade level;
  • 68 percent of eighth graders are reading below grade level.

Graduation Rates[v]

  • 24 percent of high school students do not graduate on time with a high school diploma,
  • These rates are worse for youth of color:
  • 40 percent of African-Americans do not graduate on time;
  • 36 percent of Latinos do not graduate on time.
  • Only 22 percent of high school graduates met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in all four core areas: English, Reading, Mathematics, and Science.[vi]

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[i] Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2014). KIDS COUNT data center. Baltimore, MD: Author. Retrieved on July 21, 2014, Retrieved from:

[ii] Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E., Fitzgerald, J., & Squires, J.H. (2013). The state of preschool- 2013. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University for Early Education Research; Retrieved from

[iii] Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2014). KIDS COUNT data center. Baltimore, MD: Author. Retrieved from:

[iv] National Center on Education Statistics (2013). The Nation’s Report Card. National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from: http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/math_2013/ and http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_2013/

[v] U.S. Department of Education (2014, April). Public high school four-year on time graduation rates and event dropout rates: School years 2010–11 and 2011–12. NCES 2014-391. National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved from: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014391.pdf

[vi] ACT Inc. (2014). 2014 Condition of College and Career Readiness. Iowa City, IA: Author. Retrieved from: One hundred percent of Michigan’s graduating class took the ACT in 2014.