Waterford School District

The Waterford School District serves approximately 5,836 students across 16 schools in Michigan, including 9 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 3 high schools, and 2 alternative schools, with the district overall earning a 2-star rating and ranking in the 46th percentile statewide.

For parents, the standout elementary option is Schoolcraft Elementary School, which ranks in the 66th percentile and consistently beats state averages in both ELA and math—for example, 59.2% of 4th graders are proficient in ELA versus 41.3% statewide. Cooley Elementary School also shines in science, with 56.6% of 5th graders proficient versus 40% statewide. At the secondary level, Waterford Kettering High School is the clear leader with a 95.3% graduation rate and SAT scores that nearly match state averages, while Waterford Mott High School lags significantly behind—its graduation rate is 86%, and its SAT reading proficiency is 36.7% versus Kettering's 50%. Among middle schools, Pierce Middle School is improving and now outperforms Mason Middle School, which has stagnated in the 33rd-38th percentile range. On the concerning end, Riverside Elementary School ranks in just the 26th percentile, with only 10.2% of 5th graders proficient in math.

A district-wide challenge is the "math cliff": proficiency gaps versus the state widen from 5-6 points in elementary school to 11-14 points in middle school, and by 11th grade only 14.1% of students are proficient in SAT math versus 26.5% statewide. Chronic absenteeism strongly tracks with performance—the best elementaries like Haviland Elementary School and Beaumont Elementary School have rates around 14%, while struggling schools like Riverside and Mason exceed 26%. The alternative schools (Childrens Village School and Kingsley Montgomery School) serve students with profound needs, reflected in very low graduation rates but extraordinarily high per-student spending ($40,000-$120,000) and tiny class sizes. Notably, Donelson Hills Elementary School, despite having the district's highest poverty rate, improved from the 31st to 37th percentile, suggesting interventions may be working.