Mildred C Wells Preparatory Academy

Mildred C Wells Preparatory Academy is a K-8 public school in Benton Harbor, MI, serving 227 students as its own single-school district, where every student qualifies for free and reduced lunch.

This school faces significant challenges, with academic performance well below state averages. In the most recent testing, only 14.3% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA and 20.7% in math, compared to proficiency rates of 47-69% and 52-75% respectively at nearby St. Joseph Public Schools like Lincoln School, Clarke School, and Brown School—all located just a few miles away. The most pressing issue is chronic absenteeism: 65.2% of students miss significant instructional time, a rate more than double the state average and dramatically higher than the 9-14% rates at those same St. Joseph schools. This makes academic progress extremely difficult regardless of instructional quality. The school also serves a 100% free/reduced lunch population, a concentration of poverty unique among nearby schools, which typically serve 20-23% in that category.

Despite these obstacles, there are signs of incremental progress. The school's statewide ranking has improved from the bottom 1% to the 8th percentile, its best performance in over a decade. A notable bright spot is 8th grade PSAT English Language Arts, where 42.1% of students met proficiency—a much smaller gap from the state average than in elementary grades. The student-teacher ratio has also improved dramatically to 16.3, now comparable to neighboring schools. While the school spends less per student ($14,747) than other Benton Harbor Area Schools ($27,000+), it achieves comparable or slightly better results. For parents considering this school, the primary concern should be attendance—addressing the chronic absenteeism crisis is likely the single most important factor for improving outcomes at Mildred C. Wells Preparatory Academy.