Niles Community Schools

Summary:

The Niles Community Schools district in Michigan consists of 11 schools, including 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 4 high schools, and 2 alternative schools, serving students from pre-K through 12th grade.

Within the district, Eastside Connections School stands out as the highest-performing school, consistently ranking in the top 25% of Michigan elementary schools and earning a 4-star rating. The school excels in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, with significantly higher proficiency rates compared to the district and state averages. Meanwhile, Ring Lardner Middle School and Ballard Elementary School have the lowest proficiency rates in the district, with some subjects falling below 30% proficiency.

The district's overall performance on state assessments is generally below the state average, with proficiency rates ranging from 20-55% across different subjects and grade levels. Additionally, the district faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, around 29.5% across all schools. The alternative schools in the district, such as Niles Cedar Lane and WAY Niles, have lower academic performance compared to the district's traditional schools, suggesting the need for targeted support and interventions for these specialized populations.

District Detail

1 Tyler St
Niles, MI 49120-2995

(269) 683-0732

SchoolDigger Rank:
217^th of 613 Michigan districts

See the 2025 Michigan District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 3,107

Primary Schools: 4
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 4
Alternative Schools: 2

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)			M-Step Social Studies (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Niles Cedar Lane	Public	9-12	1 Tyler St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 684-9554	134	5	24.8	66.4%	87 (64.9%)	11 (8.2%)	13 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (14.9%)	17.2	599^th of 739 public high schools	18.9%					(n/a)																	20.0			20.0	$11,282	$881	$10,401
Niles Community Schools Adult Education	Public	9-12	620 E Main St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 684-4480	24	1	32.0	83.3%	15 (62.5%)	4 (16.7%)	1 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (16.7%)								(n/a)																					$17,882	$854	$17,028
Ballard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 W Chicago Rd	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 683-5900	516	28	18.4	77.7%	311 (60.3%)	62 (12.0%)	77 (14.9%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	59 (11.4%)	46.8	768^th of 1488 public elementary schools	48.4%		26.9	1070^th of 1486 public elementary schools	28.0%	302					32.9	50.0	45.1			43.8	38.9	26.5			36.1			24.1			$12,481	$2,476	$10,004
HowardEllis Elementary School	Public	K-5	2788 Mannix St	Niles	49120	Cass County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 683-4633	529	27	19.4	66.4%	336 (63.5%)	85 (16.1%)	48 (9.1%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (10.0%)	57.3	601^st of 1488 public elementary schools	59.6%		53.4	659^th of 1486 public elementary schools	55.7%	58					36.2	50.9	56.8			53.2	46.2	29.7			40.5			24.3			$12,780	$2,098	$10,682
Niles Senior High School	Public	9-12	1441 Eagle St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 683-2894	828	41	20.4	42.0%	571 (69.0%)	74 (8.9%)	107 (12.9%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	67 (8.1%)	58.9	284^th of 739 public high schools	61.6%		51.7	331^st of 743 public high schools	55.5%	47			59.7	23.5													37.4			46.5	$13,932	$1,759	$12,172
Ring Lardner Middle School	Public	6-8	801 N 17th St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 683-6610	510	29	17.4	59.8%	333 (65.3%)	58 (11.4%)	55 (10.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (11.6%)	56.4	338^th of 890 public middle schools	62.0%		46.4	454^th of 897 public middle schools	49.4%	116	72.0	39.8						39.0	45.8				28.6	28.2		34.4			41.1		$13,805	$2,577	$11,228
Southside Special Educ School	Public, Alternative	4-12	1450 Silverbrook Ave	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 683-0421	37	3	12.3	78.4%	29 (78.4%)	3 (8.1%)	2 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.4%)								(n/a)																					$27,293	$12,987	$14,306
Northside Child Development Center	Public	PK-K	2020 N 5th St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 683-1982	13	3	4.4	23.1%	11 (84.6%)	1 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)								(n/a)																					$25,491	$12,528	$12,963
WAY Niles	Public	6-12	1 Tyler St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 633-0736	95	0	540.0	64.2%	72 (75.8%)	8 (8.4%)	2 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	1 (1.1%)	11 (11.6%)								(n/a)	40.0																				$10,972	$854	$10,117
Eastside Connections School	Public, Magnet	K-8	1 Tyler St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 682-2585	403	22	18.5	51.1%	257 (63.8%)	57 (14.1%)	42 (10.4%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.9%)	76.1	321^st of 1488 public elementary schools	78.4%		70.3	403^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	72.9%	82	90.2	63.4			38.5	48.1	65.3		58.0	61.5	70.4	44.9	54.3	54.0	59.2	73.2		36.7	80.5		$12,349	$2,038	$10,312
Niles Virtual School	Public, Alternative	K-12	1 Tyler St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 683-0736	18	2	11.6	72.2%	15 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (11.1%)								(n/a)																					$11,185	$854	$10,331

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Brandywine Community Schools	1.59 mi	5	432^nd
Buchanan Community Schools	6.81 mi	6	125^th
Edwardsburg Public Schools	7.48 mi	6	111^th
Heritage Southwest Intermediate School District	9.17 mi	2
Berrien Regional Educational Service Agency	9.86 mi	4

See the top MI Michigan districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.