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Washington Writers Academy

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

1366^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Washington Writers Academy is an elementary public magnet school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 246 students. The school is part of the Kalamazoo Public Schools district, which is ranked 416 out of 613 districts in Michigan and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the school's small class sizes and higher per-student spending, Washington Writers Academy consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of Michigan elementary schools, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math around 10-22%, significantly below the district's 32-39% and the state's 39-44%. The school's performance is particularly low for subgroups, such as male students, African American students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, Washington Writers Academy has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 29.5% to 57.5%, much higher than the state and district averages.

Interestingly, the nearby Lincoln International Studies School, Woodward Elementary, and Woods Lake Elementary also perform below the state averages but generally outperform Washington Writers Academy, while Winchell Elementary School stands out as a high-performing school in the district. The data suggests that addressing the challenges of chronic absenteeism and providing additional academic support and resources for the students at Washington Writers Academy could be crucial for improving the school's performance.

260

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,237

Per pupil spending ?

94.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1919 Portage St
Kalamazoo, MI 49001-3833

(269) 337-0770

District: Kalamazoo Public Schools

Students who attend Washington Writers Academy usually attend:

Middle:	Milwood Magnet School
High:	Loy Norrix High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.2%

Two or more races:

15.8%

White:

14.2%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Washington Writers Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2011 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (14% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (57% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school14%

District avg33%

Michigan avg41%

1,366^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 15Elementary Schools in the Kalamazoo Public Schools

416^th of 613Kalamazoo 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
2025	9.5	1366 of 1488	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	1363 of 1486	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.3	1376 of 1448	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.5	1455 of 1466	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.5	1485 of 1548	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.4	1422 of 1580	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	7.6	1455 of 1533	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.7	1510 of 1563	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	12.2	1450 of 1566	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	11.0	1466 of 1552	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	9.8	1488 of 1552	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	3.6	1561 of 1589	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.8	1563 of 1577	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.9	1529 of 1565	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	17.7	1418 of 1545	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	27.7	255 of 348	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	404 of 475	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	10.0	1336 of 1443	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	1246 of 1346	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	1271 of 1381	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.2	1284 of 1397	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	1245 of 1366	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	1224 of 1347	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	1348 of 1446	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2024)27th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2025)9th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)7th percentile~ school

Female (2018)7th percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Math20%-20 vs state

English Language Arts14%-28 vs state

Science8%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Washington Writers Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT 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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th 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 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Washington Writers Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1919 Portage St	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 337-0770	260	18	14.7	94.2%	37 (14.2%)	159 (61.2%)	18 (6.9%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (15.8%)	9.5	1366^th of 1488 public elementary schools	8.2%		9.1	1363^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	8.3%	3			9.8	22.0	10.8				19.5			8.1				$19,237	$4,229	$15,008
Edison Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	831 Lake St	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 337-0550	376	28	13.4	96.3%	59 (15.7%)	233 (62.0%)	21 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	2 (0.5%)	52 (13.8%)	16.5	1237^th of 1488 public elementary schools	16.9%		14	1259^th of 1486 public elementary schools	15.3%	22			29.1	12.5	23.0			32.7	5.4	11.3		24.2		11.3		$19,208	$4,733	$14,474
ParkwoodUpjohn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2321 S Park St	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 337-0720	427	27	15.7	50.1%	228 (53.4%)	109 (25.5%)	22 (5.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (15.0%)	58	595^th of 1488 public elementary schools	60.0%		61.5	530^th of 1486 public elementary schools	64.3%	65			39.3	62.2	48.6			44.0	40.5	24.3		44.3		40.0		$17,148	$3,525	$13,623
Milwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3400 Lovers Ln	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 337-0660	362	22	16.4	70.4%	135 (37.3%)	123 (34.0%)	38 (10.5%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (16.9%)	16.8	1227^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.5%		20.1	1163^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	21.7%	64			23.5	25.0	21.3			23.5	10.0	20.0		21.5		15.2		$19,350	$4,339	$15,011
Greenwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	3501 Moreland St	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 337-0560	93	9	9.8	61.3%	36 (38.7%)	32 (34.4%)	6 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (18.3%)								(n/a)			33.3					47.6								$21,778	$5,997	$15,782
El Sol Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	604 W Vine St	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 337-0230	368	22	17.0	57.1%	161 (43.8%)	22 (6.0%)	129 (35.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (12.0%)	38.4	888^th of 1488 public elementary schools	40.3%		39.5	856^th of 1486 public elementary schools	42.4%	32			34.5	44.7	52.3			36.2	29.2	16.4		33.3		17.9		$17,492	$4,172	$13,319
Paramount Charter Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	3624 S Westnedge Ave	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Paramount Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(269) 553-6400	373	25	15.1	95.2%	65 (17.4%)	182 (48.8%)	35 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (24.4%)	13.4	1293^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	13.1%		19.2	1172^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	21.1%	121	34.8	13.0	20.5	19.4	16.2	30.4	29.2	11.4	12.9	16.2	13.0	10.8	13.6		21.7	$18,302	$2,477	$15,825
Lincoln International Studies School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	912 N Burdick St	Kalamazoo	49007	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 337-0640	306	25	12.0	81.0%	71 (23.2%)	162 (52.9%)	14 (4.6%)	14 (4.6%)	12 (3.9%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (10.5%)	7.1	1422^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	4.4%		4.6	1474^th of 1486 public elementary schools	0.8%	52				12.5	9.4			13.6	16.9			5.4				$20,868	$4,379	$16,489
Woodward Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	606 Stuart Ave	Kalamazoo	49007	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 337-0810	242	19	12.4	92.6%	30 (12.4%)	151 (62.4%)	11 (4.5%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (19.4%)	9.1	1372^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	7.8%		8.8	1367^th of 1486 public elementary schools	8.0%	5			13.9	11.1	17.5			19.4	11.1							$21,618	$4,718	$16,900
Woods Lake ElementaryA Magnet Center For The Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3215 Oakland Dr	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 337-0790	501	26	19.3	78.8%	120 (24.0%)	248 (49.5%)	40 (8.0%)	9 (1.8%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (15.4%)	18.6	1187^th of 1488 public elementary schools	20.2%		18	1201^st of 1486 public elementary schools	19.2%	14			12.8	26.1	36.1			12.5	15.6	19.3		22.9		21.3		$16,870	$3,865	$13,006

Frequently Asked Questions about Washington Writers Academy

What schools do graduates of Washington Writers Academy attend?

Students who attend Washington Writers Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : Milwood Magnet School
High : Loy Norrix High School

How many students attend Washington Writers Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 260 students attended Washington Writers Academy.

What district is Washington Writers Academy in?

Kalamazoo Public Schools

Is Washington Writers Academy a good school?

Washington Writers Academy ranks in the bottom 8.2% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Washington Writers Academy?

Students at Washington Writers Academy are 61% African American, 16% Two or more races, 14% White, 7% Hispanic, 2% American Indian.

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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.