Allegan Public Schools

Allegan Public Schools serves roughly 2,035 students across eight schools in a mid-sized Michigan district, including four elementary campuses, one middle school, two high schools, and an online K-12 program, with a district ranking in the 49th percentile statewide.

For parents, the standout choice is West Ward Elementary School, which leads the district academically with a 64th percentile ranking and 3-star rating. Its 3rd-grade ELA proficiency (62.2%) and 5th-grade math (45.9%) far exceed state averages, and it achieves these results with relatively modest per-student spending ($14,835). In contrast, Dawson Elementary School shows volatile performance—after ranking in the 65th percentile in 2024-2025, it dropped to the 40th percentile, driven largely by a weak incoming 3rd-grade cohort rather than systemic decline. At the secondary level, Allegan High School is competitive in ELA (53.3% SAT EBRW), science, and social studies, but math remains a critical weakness at just 15.9% proficiency. Meanwhile, Allegan Online K12 is an efficiency champion—boasting a 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate with the district’s lowest spending ($8,157 per student), making it a strong option for self-paced learners.

The district’s biggest challenges are math proficiency, which declines from 25-55% in elementary grades to just 15.9% by high school, and chronic absenteeism, which hits 56.2% at North Ward Elementary School (a tiny PK-K campus with 29 students) and 35.1% at LE White Middle School. Notably, Allegan Alternative High School has a low 19.1% graduation rate, though its students who attend are engaged (13.2% absenteeism). For parents, West Ward and the online program offer the most promising models, while the district’s wide spending disparities—from $8,157 to $29,244 per student—show that outcomes depend more on school practices than funding alone.