Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Buchanan Virtual Academy

Q: Is Buchanan Virtual Academy a good school?

Buchanan Virtual Academy ranks 321 st of 739 Michigan alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

321^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 739 Michigan Alternative Schools

Better than 57% of Michigan alternative schools

Summary

Buchanan Virtual Academy is an alternative public virtual school serving grades K-12 in Buchanan, Michigan, with a total enrollment of 54 students. The school is part of the Buchanan Community Schools district, which is ranked 125 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Buchanan Virtual Academy has faced some common challenges associated with alternative and virtual schools. Its four-year graduation rates have fluctuated, ranging from 80.9% to 89.8% in recent years, which is generally lower than the district-wide graduation rate of around 85%. The school's dropout rates have also varied, ranging from 7.6% to 11.5%, higher than the district-wide dropout rate. Chronic absenteeism has been a significant issue, with rates ranging from 23.4% to 61.8%, significantly higher than the district-wide rate. The school's test scores on the M-Step assessments are generally lower than the district and state averages, with 11th-grade proficiency rates in Science and Social Studies falling below the district and state levels.

Buchanan Virtual Academy's performance metrics are similar to those of other alternative and virtual schools in the surrounding area, such as Buchanan Step Up, Career and Alternative Pathways to Education Center, and Berrien Springs Virtual Academy. These schools tend to have lower graduation rates, higher dropout rates, and higher chronic absenteeism compared to traditional public schools in the region. The high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Buchanan Virtual Academy, as well as the lower test scores, suggest that the school may be serving a population with greater socioeconomic challenges and educational needs.

Students ?

19.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,909

Per pupil spending ?

57.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

401 W Chicago St
Buchanan, MI 49107-1044

(269) 695-8401

District: Buchanan Community Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.6%

Hispanic:

8.2%

Two or more races:

6.1%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Buchanan Virtual Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 30th percentile in 2017 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2017

✓Above the Michigan median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Dropout rate above the Michigan average (12% vs 8%)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg51%

Michigan avg38%

321^st of 739

Michigan public high schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 27 pts since 2017

From bottom 30% (2017) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

125^th of 613Buchanan Community 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)

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	321 of 739	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.5	450 of 735	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	12.1	675 of 824	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.3	588 of 835	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	104 of 635	83.6%	★★★★☆
2018	17.9	590 of 755	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	384 of 639	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.7	493 of 647	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	5.3	644 of 708	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)17th percentile+5 vs school

White (2018)9th percentile-4 vs school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile+27 vs school

White (2025)40th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies46%+4 vs state

Science31%-4 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Buchanan Virtual Academy and help other families decide.

Rate Buchanan Virtual Academy

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Buchanan Virtual Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	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 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th 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 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Buchanan Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	401 W Chicago St	Buchanan	49107	Berrien County	Buchanan Community Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(269) 695-8401	49	3	19.2	57.1%	40 (81.6%)	2 (4.1%)	4 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.1%)								(n/a)															30.8		46.2	$12,909	$886	$12,024
Buchanan Step Up	Public, Virtual, Magnet, Alternative	K-12	401 W Chicago St	Buchanan	49107	Berrien County	Buchanan Community Schools	No	Yes	Yes	No	(269) 695-8401	15	2	6.3	80.0%	10 (66.7%)	2 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (20.0%)								(n/a)
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
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
Berrien Springs Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	PK, KG-12	501 Middle School Drive	Berrien Springs	49103	Berrien County	Berrien Springs Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(269) 471-0500	213	8	28.4	34.7%	149 (70.0%)	26 (12.2%)	17 (8.0%)	10 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (4.7%)								(n/a)	71.4	28.6			41.7	56.3	66.7	29.4	33.3	18.8	33.3	17.7	20.0	43.8		50.0		$5,708	$270	$5,438
Blossomland Learning Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	711 Saint Joseph Ave	Berrien Springs	49103	Berrien County	Berrien Regional Educational Service Agency	No	No	No	No	(269) 473-2600	124	27	4.5	71.8%	71 (57.3%)	39 (31.5%)	7 (5.6%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.0%)								(n/a)
Brookside Learning Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	61662 Dailey Rd	Cassopolis	49031	Cass County	Heritage Southwest Intermediate School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 445-6260	64	12	5.3	76.6%	46 (71.9%)	3 (4.7%)	4 (6.3%)	1 (1.6%)	3 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (10.9%)								(n/a)
Lighthouse Education Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	379 W Glenlord Rd	Saint Joseph	49085	Berrien County	Berrien Regional Educational Service Agency	No	No	No	No	(269) 429-2351	128	24	5.3	90.6%	79 (61.7%)	32 (25.0%)	11 (8.6%)	3 (2.3%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)								(n/a)
Countryside Academy MiddleHigh School	Public, Charter, Alternative	2-12	4800 Meadowbrook Rd	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Countryside Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(269) 944-3319	386	24	15.9	75.6%	36 (9.3%)	219 (56.7%)	119 (30.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	9 (2.3%)								(n/a)	42.9	6.9	29.4	11.8			12.3	18.9				5.4		19.7	17.6	32.2	21.2	$9,865	$805	$9,061
North Pointe Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	704 Orchard St	Dowagiac	49047	Cass County	Heritage Southwest Intermediate School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 390-5055	44	3	14.6	63.6%	31 (70.5%)	4 (9.1%)	2 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	6 (13.6%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Buchanan Virtual Academy

Is Buchanan Virtual Academy a good school?

Buchanan Virtual Academy ranks 321^st of 739 Michigan alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Buchanan Virtual Academy in?

Buchanan Community Schools

How many students attend Buchanan Virtual Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 49 students attended Buchanan Virtual Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Buchanan Virtual Academy?

Students at Buchanan Virtual Academy are 82% White, 8% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American.

Rate Buchanan Virtual Academy!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Alternative School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Buchanan, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Buchanan Virtual Academy!

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.