Educational Institutions in Isabella County

Isabella County is a vibrant region, rich with resources and possessing tremendous potential, especially when it comes to its educational institutions, where high quality education is a top priority. Most of our K-12 schools consistently rank above state and national averages in standardized testing and graduation rates. Both special education and technical education programs have received state and national recognition.

K-12 Schools All K-12 districts participate in schools of choice agreements, which allow families to select the district they want to attend as long as there is space available. Each school has its own identity, unique to the students and community it serves, and work in partnership with the Gratiot-Isabella Regional Education Service District, as well as Central Michigan University and Mid Michigan Community College to provide the best possible options for every student and staff member.

Mt. Pleasant Area Technical Center (MPATC) provides hands-on technical and professional training for mid-Michigan high school students and adults. With a highly experienced staff, state-of-the-art facilities, and over 24 programs, career preparation is made easy. The Mt. Pleasant Area Technical Center serves Gratiot, Isabella, and surrounding county school districts.

Central Michigan University (CMU) is a primary asset to our community. Fully accredited, CMU offers its growing student population (over 19,400 on the main campus and over 8,500 at distance locations) a broad selection of more than 3,000 individual courses and a choice of 25 degrees and more than 170 programs at bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and specialist’s levels. Programs are delivered in such diverse fields as industrial engineering technologies, communication disorders, business administration, business intelligence and data mining, mathematics, sports medicine, education, physical therapy, psychology, and the entire range of arts and sciences programs. The Carnegie Foundation classified CMU as a doctoral/research-intensive institution; a classification granted only 2.9 percent of the 3,856 colleges nationwide.

Mid Michigan Community College (MMCC) has a campus both in Harrison (Clare County) and Mt. Pleasant (Isabella County) offering Academic Programs, Professional Development Programs, and a Personal Interest Series. All courses are for the recent high school graduates, in addition to students going back to school later in life.

Michigan Technical Education Center (M-Tec) operates through MMCC and is a real benefit to the Middle Michigan Region business community. The focus of training in the M-TEC center is the industrial and construction trades. Industrial training components include pneumatics, hydraulics, instrumentation, electrical controls, and plumbing and pipe fitting. In the construction trades, training is provided in carpentry, electrical, masonry, and plumbing. Industrial delivery is skill-based, open-entry / open exit, individualized, and self-paced. A key to the instructional delivery in the M-TEC is providing learners with a variety of instructional delivery systems. Units of instruction are developed that cover the skills specifically identified by business and industry as critical.

Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center Region 4 Office is affiliated with MMCC and provides services and support to the Michigan small business community in the areas of counseling, training and research.