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West Ward Elementary School

Q: Is West Ward Elementary School a good school?

West Ward Elementary School ranks 530 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

530^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

West Ward Elementary School in Allegan, MI, is a K-5 school serving 247 students in a community where about 64% of families qualify for free or reduced lunch, and it has recently climbed to a 3-star rating with a statewide rank in the 64th percentile.

West Ward is showing real momentum that sets it apart from its neighbors in Allegan Public Schools. In the latest school year, the school jumped from the 47th to the 64th percentile statewide, and its test scores now outpace both district and state averages in several key areas. For example, 5th-grade math proficiency sits at 45.9%, compared to 32.5% for the district and 32.2% for the state. Third-grade reading is especially strong, with 62.2% of students proficient—far above the district's 44% and the state's 38.2%. This improvement is even more notable when you look at the school's peers: Pine Trails Elementary School and Dawson Elementary School rank much lower statewide, and West Ward achieves these results while spending less per student ($14,835) than either of those schools.

One of West Ward's standout strengths is how well it serves students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds—its ranking for low-income students (66th percentile) is actually higher than its overall rank, suggesting the school is effectively closing achievement gaps. The school also keeps kids in class: its chronic absenteeism rate of 19.3% is well below the district's 25.3% and the state's 27.9%, a remarkable recovery from a 56.2% spike during the pandemic. That said, there's room for growth. While 3rd-grade reading is excellent, 4th-grade reading proficiency drops to 29.7%, below state averages, which points to a transition challenge worth watching. Nearby Hopkins Elementary School in Hopkins Public Schools remains a top performer in the area, but West Ward's upward trajectory and efficient use of resources make it a compelling choice for families seeking a school that's clearly on the rise.

247

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,835

Per pupil spending ?

64%

Free/discounted lunch ?

630 Vernon St
Allegan, MI 49010-1441

(269) 673-7000

District: Allegan Public Schools

Students who attend West Ward Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	LE White Middle School
High:	Allegan High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.2%

Hispanic:

5.7%

Two or more races:

5.7%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare West Ward Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (45% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Above the Michigan median (64th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg35%

Michigan avg38%

530^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Allegan Public Schools

321^st of 625Allegan Public Schools among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	61.6	530 of 1492	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.7	796 of 1488	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.3	594 of 1486	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	639 of 1470	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.0	609 of 1344	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.0	657 of 1153	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.3	616 of 1408	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	838 of 1448	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	56.0	568 of 1466	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.5	583 of 1548	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.8	584 of 1580	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.9	508 of 1533	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.2	724 of 1563	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.2	505 of 1566	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.9	538 of 1552	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.1	595 of 1552	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.1	407 of 1589	74.4%	★★★★☆
2008	80.5	190 of 1577	88.0%	★★★★☆
2007	72.3	379 of 1565	75.8%	★★★★☆
2006	65.8	563 of 1545	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	57.9	510 of 1343	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.3	749 of 1338	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.5	688 of 1342	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.6	594 of 1321	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.4	579 of 1106	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.0	618 of 902	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.8	443 of 1171	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.3	914 of 1443	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	58.7	462 of 1352	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.0	710 of 1346	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.6	393 of 1381	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	65.8	350 of 1350	74.1%	★★★★☆
2022	69.7	235 of 1099	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	50.5	342 of 749	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.3	364 of 1134	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.6	787 of 1397	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	516 of 1372	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.3	789 of 1366	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.1	451 of 1347	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	574 of 1334	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.1	514 of 1139	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.9	486 of 915	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.1	582 of 1196	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.3	682 of 1446	52.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	48.6	604 of 1199	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.8	922 of 1206	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.6	653 of 1204	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.6	741 of 1198	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.9	640 of 1102	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.3	726 of 1005	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.0	701 of 1128	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.4	843 of 1253	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile~ school

Male (2026)62nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)62nd percentile~ school

White (2026)50th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math48%+10 vs state

English Language Arts48%+7 vs state

Science43%+3 vs state

Social Studies24%-3 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 16, 2019

Very caring teachers and principal! Close Quote

Schools Near West Ward Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				M-Step English Language Arts (2026)			M-Step Math (2026)			M-Step Science (2026)	M-Step Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Ward Elementary School	Public	K-5	630 Vernon St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Allegan Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 673-7000	247	15	16.4	64.0%	208 (84.2%)	8 (3.2%)	14 (5.7%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.7%)	61.6	530^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.5%		44.7	796^th of 1488 public elementary schools	46.5%	266	62.2	29.7	48.6	55.6	40.5	45.9	43.2	24.3	$14,835	$1,204	$13,630
Dawson Elementary School	Public	K-5	125 Elm St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Allegan Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 673-6925	278	18	15.4	62.9%	230 (82.7%)	2 (0.7%)	20 (7.2%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.3%)	37.1	901^st of 1492 public elementary schools	39.6%		63	524^th of 1488 public elementary schools	64.8%	377	32.0	42.9	31.6	34.0	38.8	26.3	28.9	15.8	$17,007	$1,198	$15,809
North Ward Elementary School	Public	PK-K	440 River St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Allegan Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 673-6003	29	4	8.2	82.8%	25 (86.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)	1 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)	1 (3.4%)								(n/a)									$29,244	$1,035	$28,209
Pine Trails Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2950 Center St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Allegan Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 673-5379	326	20	16.7	74.5%	257 (78.8%)	9 (2.8%)	35 (10.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.4%)	38.9	877^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.2%		27.4	1048^th of 1488 public elementary schools	29.6%	171	41.7	27.3	45.7	40.7	25.5	30.4	26.1	19.6	$16,215	$1,583	$14,631
Hopkins Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 S Clark St	Hopkins	49328	Allegan County	Hopkins Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 793-7286	393	24	16.1	38.9%	344 (87.5%)	5 (1.3%)	25 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.8%)	73.9	358^th of 1492 public elementary schools	76.0%		75.4	332^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	77.7%	26	51.0	41.8	59.7	70.6	38.8	50.7	53.7	43.3	$13,277	$1,177	$12,100
Washington Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	538 Washington St	Otsego	49078	Allegan County	Otsego Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 694-7800	448	26	17.4	48.0%	396 (88.4%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (5.4%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.9%)	58.7	577^th of 1492 public elementary schools	61.3%		63.7	511^th of 1488 public elementary schools	65.7%	66	48.7	46.3	50.0	60.5	34.2	23.1	47.4	29.5	$11,657	$368	$11,289
Dix Street Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	503 Dix St	Otsego	49078	Allegan County	Otsego Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 694-7703	357	24	14.6	50.1%	293 (82.1%)	6 (1.7%)	17 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.5%)	31.3	983^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	34.1%		53.7	665^th of 1488 public elementary schools	55.3%	318	25.5	38.5	35.4	25.5	42.3	12.5	31.3	14.6	$11,526	$396	$11,130
Bloomingdale Elementary School	Public	K-5	307 E Willow St	Bloomingdale	49026	Van Buren County	Bloomingdale Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 521-3935	272	18	15.1	71.3%	167 (61.4%)	2 (0.7%)	83 (30.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.0%)	19.3	1190^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.2%		17.8	1202^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	19.2%	12	11.9	28.6	9.5	33.3	33.3	11.9	19.0	1472.5	$18,762	$2,111	$16,651
Gobles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	409 N State St	Gobles	49055	Van Buren County	Gobles Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 628-9445	355	23	15.5	57.7%	280 (78.9%)	7 (2.0%)	47 (13.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.9%)	52.1	667^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.3%		56.8	612^th of 1488 public elementary schools	58.9%	55	30.9	55.3	45.6	49.1	63.2	27.9	30.9	11.8	$14,191	$1,363	$12,829
Robert D Brandon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1583 University St	Martin	49070	Allegan County	Martin Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 442-0450	299	18	16.7	50.2%	255 (85.3%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)	33.4	948^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.5%		51	702^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	52.8%	246	20.8	40.0	30.6	31.3	22.5	14.3	51.0	22.4	$15,244	$1,214	$14,030

Frequently Asked Questions about West Ward Elementary School

What schools do graduates of West Ward Elementary School attend?

Students who attend West Ward Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : LE White Middle School
High : Allegan High School

How many students attend West Ward Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 247 students attended West Ward Elementary School.

What district is West Ward Elementary School in?

Allegan Public Schools

Is West Ward Elementary School a good school?

West Ward Elementary School ranks 530^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of West Ward Elementary School?

Students at West Ward Elementary School are 84% White, 6% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% African American, 1% Asian.

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

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.