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Coldwater High School

Q: Is Coldwater High School a good school?

Coldwater High School ranks 473 rd of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

473^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 41% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Coldwater High School is a large public high school in Coldwater, MI, serving 981 students in grades 9-12 as the sole high school in the Coldwater Community Schools district. The school currently holds a 2-star rating and ranks in the 41st percentile of Michigan high schools, placing it in the lower half statewide, though its performance has fluctuated over the past decade, reaching as high as the 68th percentile in 2017-2018.

One of the most striking findings is the significant gap between reading and math achievement. While proficiency in English Language Arts is solid—with 44.1% of 11th graders scoring proficient on the SAT reading section and over 52% of 9th and 10th graders proficient on the PSAT—math proficiency is dramatically lower, with only 19% of 11th graders and roughly 24% of 9th and 10th graders meeting standards. This suggests a systemic challenge in math instruction that doesn't affect reading and writing to the same degree. Additionally, science proficiency has dropped sharply over three years, falling from 46.7% in 2022-2023 (above the state average) to just 26.6% in 2025-2026, now nearly 9 points below the state average.

Compared to neighboring schools, Coldwater is by far the largest, with nearly double the enrollment of Bronson JrSr High School (530 students) and over six times the size of Litchfield High School (143 students). Its student-teacher ratio of 27.5:1 is the highest among peers, and its per-student spending of $11,523 is the lowest. Despite these constraints, Coldwater's graduation rate surged to 90.8% in 2024-2025—a five-year high that exceeds the state average of 84.0%—and its reading scores outpace most nearby rural schools. However, equity gaps are pronounced: the school ranks in the bottom quarter of the state for students from low-income backgrounds and in the bottom fifth for Hispanic students and English Language Learners, indicating that while the school achieves efficient outcomes overall, it struggles to provide consistent support for its most vulnerable student populations.

981

Students ?

27.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,523

Per pupil spending ?

54.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

275 N Fremont St
Coldwater, MI 49036-1206

(517) 279-5930

District: Coldwater Community Schools

Feeder schools for Coldwater High School:

Elementary:	Jefferson Elementary School
	Lakeland Elementary School
	Larsen Elementary School
Middle:	Legg Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.8%

Hispanic:

14.3%

African American:

2.9%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Coldwater High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2016 → 41st in 2026

Strengths

✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (34% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg34%

Michigan avg43%

473^rd of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From top 41% (2016) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

334^th of 625Coldwater 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	473 of 800	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.4	405 of 739	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	355 of 743	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.9	300 of 735	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.4	394 of 531	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.9	362 of 561	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.7	284 of 666	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.9	265 of 824	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	44.0	431 of 835	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	57.5	347 of 852	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.5	337 of 832	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	59.9	333 of 799	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.3	423 of 805	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	59.8	352 of 773	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.0	415 of 784	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	64.7	350 of 765	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.0	413 of 754	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	53.4	437 of 750	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	64.7	313 of 767	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	66.4	272 of 705	61.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	112 of 119	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	40.7	41 of 102	59.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	39.3	421 of 686	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.0	283 of 629	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.9	371 of 619	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.4	244 of 611	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.0	287 of 416	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.4	306 of 462	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.9	211 of 554	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.2	203 of 710	71.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	24.6	211 of 259	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	169 of 203	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	176 of 195	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.5	114 of 190	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.8	64 of 83	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	59 of 97	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	75.9	44 of 201	78.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	26.7	545 of 719	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.3	436 of 635	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	407 of 654	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.7	404 of 614	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	288 of 369	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.7	367 of 417	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.8	268 of 532	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.7	424 of 755	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	503 of 693	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.1	455 of 628	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.2	300 of 633	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.5	327 of 611	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.5	390 of 440	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	358 of 472	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.2	355 of 543	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.4	327 of 707	53.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	56.8	88 of 315	72.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.3	483 of 671	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.2	377 of 639	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.8	376 of 638	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.9	326 of 647	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.3	394 of 492	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.7	383 of 516	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.8	318 of 582	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.6	316 of 708	55.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2018)72nd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)39th percentile~ school

White (2026)28th percentile-13 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)19th percentile-22 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)6th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts53%-6 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing44%-8 vs state

Social Studies31%-12 vs state

Science27%-9 vs state

Mathematics24%-9 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, October 5, 2017

Wonderful School. I have had 4 kids graduate and all went on to College. Close Quote

Schools Near Coldwater High 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)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)			PSAT Mathematics (2026)			SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 9th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th 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
Coldwater High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	275 N Fremont St	Coldwater	49036	Branch County	Coldwater Community Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(517) 279-5930	981	36	27.5	54.3%	783 (79.8%)	28 (2.9%)	140 (14.3%)	7 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	22 (2.2%)	38.1	473^rd of 800 public high schools	40.9%		45.4	405^th of 739 public high schools	45.2%	68		52.2	53.3		24.6	23.2	44.1	19.0						26.6		31.4	$11,523	$800	$10,723
Branch Area Careers Center	Public	11-12	366 Morse St	Coldwater	49036	Branch County	Branch Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(517) 279-5722	0	21	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lakeland Correctional Facility	Public	9-12	141 1st St	Coldwater	49036	Branch County	Michigan Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(517) 278-6942	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Quincy High School	Public	7-12	18 Colfax St	Quincy	49082	Branch County	Quincy Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 639-9245	346	15	23.3	27.7%	319 (92.2%)	2 (0.6%)	17 (4.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	50	370^th of 800 public high schools	53.8%		57.2	297^th of 739 public high schools	59.8%	73		53.7	52.7		32.9	29.7	54.9	20.7						33.3		40.5	$12,639	$969	$11,670
Union City High School	Public	9-12	430 Saint Joseph St	Union City	49094	Branch County	Union City Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 741-8561	305	24	12.6	51.8%	286 (93.8%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.6%)	53.4	330^th of 800 public high schools	58.8%		25.9	534^th of 739 public high schools	27.7%	204		56.7	53.5		28.3	26.8	48.0	24.0						41.3		50.7	$17,439	$801	$16,637
Bronson JrSr High School	Public	6-12	450 E Grant St	Bronson	49028	Branch County	Bronson Community School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 369-3355	530	28	19.1	52.3%	421 (79.4%)	2 (0.4%)	100 (18.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	34.3	505^th of 800 public high schools	36.9%		64	235^th of 739 public high schools	68.2%	270	65.0	43.7	45.3	28.8	25.4	32.0	39.1	11.6	21.1	12.3	17.1	9.6	37.0	31.4	40.0	27.5	$12,884	$903	$11,981
Athens JuniorSenor High School	Public	6-12	300 E Holcomb St	Athens	49011	Calhoun County	Athens Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 729-5414	256	34	7.5	40.2%	222 (86.7%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.8%)	39.9	457^th of 800 public high schools	42.9%		51.6	351^st of 739 public high schools	52.5%	106	71.9	50.0	75.0	37.5	25.0	29.2	43.2	10.8	26.9	50.0	23.1	29.7	31.0	27.8	46.4	33.3	$15,810	$1,088	$14,722
Litchfield High School	Public	6-12	210 Williams St	Litchfield	49252	Hillsdale County	Litchfield Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 689-5301	143	7	21.0	72.0%	133 (93.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.6%)	15.6	648^th of 800 public high schools	19.0%					(n/a)	40.0	33.3	31.3	375.3	19.1	366.3	23.5	357.6	25.0	21.2	13.0	9.4	26.7	2075.9	33.3	2083.5	$15,316	$2,614	$12,701
Colon High School	Public	6-12	400 Dallas St	Colon	49040	St. Joseph County	Colon Community School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 432-3231	271	18	15.2	45.4%	253 (93.4%)	4 (1.5%)	9 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	32.5	526^th of 800 public high schools	34.3%		40.5	440^th of 739 public high schools	40.5%	86	66.7	48.9	41.5	30.3	6.7	7.3	48.1	437.0	23.3	16.2	10.0	16.7	40.6	38.5	37.5	44.4	$15,054	$1,135	$13,919
Reading High School	Public, Magnet	7-12	301 Chestnut St	Reading	49274	Hillsdale County	Reading Community Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(517) 283-2142	286	18	16.1	54.5%	269 (94.1%)	3 (1.0%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)	40.2	453^rd of 800 public high schools	43.4%		31.4	499^th of 739 public high schools	32.5%	46	62.2	55.6	58.7	28.9	22.2	19.6	40.5	10.8		39.5		23.7	34.0	35.1	44.7	37.8	$16,847	$1,922	$14,925

Frequently Asked Questions about Coldwater High School

How many students attend Coldwater High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 981 students attended Coldwater High School.

What is the racial makeup of Coldwater High School?

Students at Coldwater High School are 80% White, 14% Hispanic, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Coldwater High School?

Coldwater High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Jefferson Elementary School
Elementary : Lakeland Elementary School
Elementary : Larsen Elementary School
Middle : Legg Middle School

What district is Coldwater High School in?

Coldwater Community Schools

Is Coldwater High School a good school?

Coldwater High School ranks 473^rd of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Coldwater High School!

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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.