It's never been a secret to the 8,500 people who live here: Tecumseh is the sweetest town around. But the word went national in July when our city made the headlines in Money magazine as one of the top 100 small towns in America. Read more here!

School of Choices

Lifelong learning begins with our own Lenawee’s Child, an interactive learning experience between parent and child from birth to kindergarten. Tecumseh’s pre-school for three-and four-year olds is based on early learning success and is recognized as a model program by the state. Both the Young Five’s program and kindergarten are full-day, every day, and we have a before and after school child care at one of our elementary buildings.

Elementary students receive 120-180 minutes of art, music, and physical education each week taught by teachers certified in those areas. Reading specialists are located in every elementary building to assist students in achieving early success. Eighty-six percent of Tecumseh first graders scored at or above grade level in reading. Each school uses the Response to Intervention process to recognize and act on each child’s learning needs.

Tecumseh Middle School features a team teaching approach that meets the unique needs of middle school students by forming smaller schools within the school. They focus on the mental, physical, social, and emotional aspects to help each child develop into a whole person. Career awareness and preparation starts early in Tecumseh. All eighth graders create an Educational Development Plan to identify career goals, interests and skills that lead them to six career pathways. Throughout high school, they can fine tune their plans allowing for changes in career goals.

Academic excellence continues at the high school with college prep/honors classes beginning in the ninth grade and continuing with rigorous Advanced Placement classes. Besides offering the most Advanced Placement classes in the area, Tecumseh also boasts the highest ACT scores in the county. The high school eight-block schedule allows students to maximize course selections to both meet core requirements and take electives of their choice. In an attempt to reach all learners at all levels, Tecumseh offers credit recovery, summer programs, and Options–an alternative learning environment.

Four Part Harmony (Art, Choir, Band, Orchestra):

State-of-the-art facilities in the high school art department are the end result of the intensive art program that begins at the elementary schools with certified art teachers. The elementary art teachers introduce the fundamentals that are built on in the following years. Consequently, the goals attained by high school students in the art department are much higher than in other schools.

Since scientific research shows that music helps young minds develop, Tecumseh’s music program provides musical classes and experiences that boost motivation and self-esteem, build healthy social development and academic achievement, and generate an outlet for creativity. At all levels, Tecumseh’s band, orchestra, and choral programs have consistently received top ratings at state festivals.

The Power of Technology

Interactive technology begins in kindergarten and continues through high school. There are multiple computer labs in every building, and technology is fully integrated in the district’s curriculum. Students have access to over 1,300 computers in the district, including wireless classroom labs and classrooms equipped with Smart Boards. Experiences in video production, Auto Cad, website design, and many other advanced technology applications are offered to students at all levels. Tecumseh Public Schools is committed to preparing students to use various technology applications in order to be successful in the 21st century workforce.

Art Students love to play with clay and learn the basics at Tecumseh

Learning is Not Limited by Classroom Walls

The students of Tecumseh experience a number of learning activities outside the classroom walls.

The Tecumseh Acres outdoor classroom project provides integration of classroom studies through an interactive outdoor facility.

Tecumseh Schools partners with our own Communities in Schools of the Tecumseh Area, whose mission is to surround the students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Programs include mentors, ALLY (high school students tutoring younger students), pen pals, pay back for education, after school programs, and many more.

Highlighting the completion of their curriculum studies, eighth grade students are given the opportunity to travel to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to understand the Civil War experience.

Team building is fostered through the sixth grade camp outing each fall.

Tecumseh's strong marching band, the "Shooting Stars", derived their name from Chief Tecumseh.

After school activities encompass all age groups. Parents are offered opportunities through the “Building Healthy Life Styles” series, PTOs, parent advisory committees, booster clubs, etc. Extracurricular activities for students are available at all levels. Foreign language classes, LEGO clubs, and math pentathlons are offered at elementary schools. The Middle School Builders club is the largest club in the state of Michigan, and focuses on providing community service activities for our students. Quiz Bowl, Equations, and Science Olympiad are just a few of the academic clubs at the high school, with Equations also meeting at the Middle School. “I would be surprised if not every student were not involved in something extracurricular, because there are just so many things to do during and after school.” -Mike McAran, Superintendent

Tecumseh Public Schools offers a variety of sports as well. A state-of-the-art athletic facility is home to the football, boys and girls track & field, boys and girls' soccer, and boys and girls' lacrosse teams. We offer 27 different sports for both male and female athletes at the middle and high school levels.

Lights, camera, action! The Tecumseh Center for the Arts provides a venue for Tecumseh middle and high school students to obtain a theater experience through the Tecumseh Youth Theatre productions. Several musical and dramatic productions are staged each year. This provides experience for budding actors, musicians, stage hands and technicians.

Futures Started Here

We’ve told you a lot about our school district, but let’s hear from former students:

“As a graduate of Tecumseh Schools, and as current educator in the Tecumseh school system, I feel I have a unique perspective on what it’s like to grow up in Tecumseh as well as what it takes to choose Tecumseh as an adult and as a mother. Tecumseh Schools prepared me for a rigorous university experience and developed within me a sense of community, independence, and a great work ethic. I look forward to my children being raised here and attending school here.
-Kelly Winkler Gnodtke, Class of 1995, currently a Middle School teacher in Tecumseh.

“Dedication. Commitment. Responsibility. A desire to repay society. The education I received in Tecumseh prepared me not only for college but also for numerous job opportunities after that. After teaching in three other communities in our state, it was obvious to my wife and me that only Tecumseh could provide the college prep education we were looking for in a public school setting for our children!! We are blessed that this opportunity allows us to give back to a community we love dearly!”
-Jason Mensing, Class of 1996, currently a phys ed teacher, head football coach, and track and field coach at Tecumseh High School

All thumbs up! Tecumseh is the place to be!

“My family members are multi-generational products of Tecumseh and of Tecumseh Schools. Our daughters graduated from Tecumseh, and today our grandchildren attend Tecumseh Elementary Schools. We are proud to be part of our community and very proud to be part of Tecumseh Schools. For me, one of the joys of teaching is helping a student and seeing their eyes light up, and they say ‘I get it!’ I don’t work, I teach.”
-Garner Naugle, graduate of Tecumseh High School, currently a Middle School teacher in Tecumseh.

“I started my college education at CMU in business administration and later switched to education, realizing I had loved the THS experience of working with younger students through one of the programs offered, and my Tecumseh teachers were great mentors to me, both during school and after graduation. I just wanted to be a teacher.”
-Carrie Bagby Barden, Class of 1997, currently a teacher at Tecumseh Acres Elementary School.

Many Visit . . . The Lucky Ones Stay!