Summary:
LE White Middle School is the sole middle school in Allegan Public Schools, serving grades 6-8 with 427 students in Allegan, Michigan, a district where nearly two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
This school faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 35.1%—well above both the district (25.3%) and state (27.9%) averages. Academic performance has declined across most subjects between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, with the school dropping from the 56th percentile (3 stars) to the 45th percentile (2 stars) in state rankings. The most striking pattern is a wide gap between English Language Arts and math: while 8th grade PSAT ELA scores (67.9%) exceed the state average (64.8%), PSAT math proficiency sits at just 25.0% versus the state's 33.2%. M-Step results show the same trend, with math proficiency (17-19%) running roughly half of ELA proficiency (27-30%). The school does show relative strength in 8th grade science, nearly matching the state average (39.0% vs. 39.2%), and social studies proficiency (50.0%) aligns with the state (50.3%).
Despite spending $17,026 per student—substantially above typical Michigan averages—outcomes remain below state benchmarks in most areas, raising questions about resource efficiency. The school's high spending may reflect the costs of supporting a population where 65.81% of students are economically disadvantaged. Grade-level patterns show 6th graders consistently outperform 7th graders in both ELA and math, suggesting students may lose ground as they progress through middle school. The school generally performs close to district averages, indicating it reflects broader district challenges rather than being an outlier. With declining test scores, rising absenteeism, and a falling state ranking, this school appears to need targeted intervention, particularly in mathematics instruction and attendance initiatives, to reverse its concerning trajectory.
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