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Paw Paw High School

Q: Is Paw Paw High School a good school?

Paw Paw High School ranks 359 th of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

359^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 55% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Paw Paw High School in Paw Paw, MI, serves 638 students in grades 9-12 within the Paw Paw Public School District, a mid-tier district ranked in the 59th percentile statewide.

The most impressive thing about Paw Paw High School is its ability to get students across the finish line. With a 94.4% graduation rate and a dropout rate of just 1.3%, the school dramatically outperforms its own district average (81.2% graduation) and the state average (84.0%). This is particularly notable when you consider that the district's alternative school, Cedar Street Community and Family Center, has a graduation rate of only 35.7%—meaning the main high school is doing the heavy lifting for the district. Paw Paw also edges out nearby Mattawan High School on graduation (94.4% vs. 93.7%) despite Mattawan being a higher-ranked school overall. The school is also highly efficient with its resources, spending about $15,148 per student while achieving better outcomes than schools that spend significantly more, such as Gobles High School ($19,407 per student).

Academically, Paw Paw shows clear strengths in social studies, where 54.7% of 11th graders were proficient in 2024-2025—well above the state average of 42.1%. The school also demonstrates a strong commitment to equity, with low-income students ranking in the 64th percentile statewide in 2025-2026, a dramatic improvement from the 35th percentile just two years earlier. However, there are areas of concern. Chronic absenteeism, while improved to 22.2%, remains a challenge, and the school's overall state ranking dropped to the 55th percentile in 2025-2026 after sitting at the 73rd percentile the year before. A gender gap has also emerged, with female students outperforming male students by a noticeable margin. When compared to its high-achieving neighbor Mattawan, Paw Paw trails significantly in SAT scores (46.3% vs. 71.5% in reading/writing), but its lower absenteeism and higher graduation rate suggest a school that prioritizes keeping all students on track, not just the highest achievers.

638

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,148

Per pupil spending ?

24.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

30609 E Red Arrow Hwy
Paw Paw, MI 49079-8615

(269) 415-5600

District: Paw Paw Public School District

Feeder schools for Paw Paw High School:

Elementary:	Paw Paw Early Elementary School
	Paw Paw Later Elementary
Middle:	Paw Paw Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.1%

Hispanic:

12.2%

Two or more races:

3.6%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Paw Paw High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 75th percentile in 2016 → 55th in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (84%)

✓Above the Michigan median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg39%

Michigan avg43%

359^th of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 20 pts since 2016

From top 25% (2016) to top 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

256^th of 625Paw Paw Public School District 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
2026	50.8	359 of 800	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.4	200 of 739	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	53.4	312 of 743	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.4	254 of 735	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.5	351 of 531	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.6	141 of 561	74.9%	★★★★☆
2019	63.5	225 of 666	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.4	251 of 824	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	71.0	196 of 835	76.5%	★★★★☆
2016	71.9	212 of 852	75.1%	★★★★☆
2015	57.9	362 of 832	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	80.5	126 of 799	84.2%	★★★★☆
2013	82.0	120 of 805	85.1%	★★★★☆
2012	81.8	117 of 773	84.9%	★★★★☆
2011	79.9	144 of 784	81.6%	★★★★☆
2010	81.8	113 of 765	85.2%	★★★★☆
2009	75.8	189 of 754	74.9%	★★★★☆
2008	78.7	153 of 750	79.6%	★★★★☆
2007	78.6	141 of 767	81.6%	★★★★☆
2006	84.4	83 of 705	88.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	49.2	327 of 686	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.6	166 of 629	73.6%	★★★★☆
2024	57.8	236 of 619	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.3	306 of 611	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.1	335 of 416	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.0	194 of 462	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	219 of 554	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.2	238 of 710	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	154 of 259	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	76.2	39 of 203	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	17.8	168 of 195	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	55.4	82 of 201	59.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	58.2	259 of 719	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.7	253 of 635	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.6	424 of 654	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.8	193 of 614	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.3	277 of 369	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	63.4	123 of 417	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	56.1	216 of 532	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.1	224 of 755	70.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	43.5	378 of 693	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.6	260 of 628	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.2	383 of 633	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.6	210 of 611	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.8	273 of 440	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	70.2	102 of 472	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	58.1	224 of 543	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.2	247 of 707	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	55.0	79 of 220	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.2	38 of 130	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	37.9	165 of 315	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	41.0	375 of 671	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.8	230 of 639	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.7	318 of 638	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.1	258 of 647	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.4	380 of 492	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	63.3	144 of 516	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	61.1	209 of 582	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.6	267 of 708	62.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

High school

Special Education (2026)64th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)52nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)45th percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)44th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)41st percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts57%~ state avg

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing46%-6 vs state

Social Studies46%+3 vs state

Science35%~ state avg

Mathematics29%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Paw Paw 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/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	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
Paw Paw High School	Public	9-12	30609 E Red Arrow Hwy	Paw Paw	49079	Van Buren County	Paw Paw Public School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 415-5600	638	35	18.2	24.8%	524 (82.1%)	5 (0.8%)	78 (12.2%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.6%)	50.8	359^th of 800 public high schools	55.1%		67.4	200^th of 739 public high schools	72.9%	159		58.9	55.5		27.0	30.8	46.3	21.6						35.3		45.9	$15,148	$928	$14,220
Cedar Street Community and Family Center	Public	6-12	555 Cedar St	Paw Paw	49079	Van Buren County	Paw Paw Public School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 415-5211	76	7	11.4	60.5%	60 (78.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.3%)	2 (2.6%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (11.8%)								(n/a)							25.0	358.1						2078.7		2084.1	$17,675	$928	$16,747
Mattawan High School	Public	9-12	56720 Murray St	Mattawan	49071	Van Buren County	Mattawan Consolidated School	No	No	No	No	(269) 668-3361	1,126	58	19.4	22.4%	955 (84.8%)	27 (2.4%)	80 (7.1%)	19 (1.7%)	6 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (3.5%)	84.3	86^th of 800 public high schools	89.3%		85.6	73^rd of 739 public high schools	90.1%	13		78.5	77.0		53.8	52.0	71.5	38.1						44.5		50.8	$12,868	$528	$12,340
Communitybased Transition Center	Public	10-12	811 Hazen St	Paw Paw	49064	Van Buren County	Van Buren Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(269) 415-0270	53	10	5.3	37.7%	35 (66.0%)	7 (13.2%)	9 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.8%)								(n/a)
Lawton Accelerated Academic Center	Public	5-12	101 Blue Pride Dr	Lawton	49065	Van Buren County	Lawton Community School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 624-7542	26	0	152.9	73.1%	17 (65.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (26.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (7.7%)								(n/a)																	$00	$00	$00
Lawton High School	Public	8-12	101 Blue Pride Dr	Lawton	49065	Van Buren County	Lawton Community School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 624-7800	279	15	19.2	53.0%	217 (77.8%)	1 (0.4%)	43 (15.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.1%)	45.5	415^th of 800 public high schools	48.1%		29.1	511^th of 739 public high schools	30.9%	96		57.6	53.4		25.4	29.3	51.6	17.7						32.3		35.5	$00	$00	$00
Youth Advancement Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	7-12	6750 Chime St	Kalamazoo	49009	Kalamazoo County	Youth Advancement Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(269) 443-7740	19	3	5.8	89.5%	5 (26.3%)	14 (73.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																	$37,512	$5,411	$32,102
Decatur Junior Senior High School	Public	6-12	110 Cedar St	Decatur	49045	Van Buren County	Decatur Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 423-6851	399	20	19.5	58.4%	274 (68.7%)	0 (0.0%)	92 (23.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.3%)	39.7	459^th of 800 public high schools	42.6%		51.6	350^th of 739 public high schools	52.6%	109	55.7	54.0	49.2	13.1	26.0	18.6	43.3	425.0	28.8	28.8	23.3	27.1	28.3	25.0	42.4	41.7	$17,322	$1,487	$15,835
Gobles High School	Public	6-12	409 N State St	Gobles	49055	Van Buren County	Gobles Public School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 628-9340	396	25	15.7	54.0%	327 (82.6%)	3 (0.8%)	45 (11.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.1%)	55	312^th of 800 public high schools	61.0%		58.9	283^rd of 739 public high schools	61.7%	29	63.5	67.9	57.4	21.9	34.0	26.5	50.0	27.3	26.7	21.8	15.0	27.3	45.3	40.9	51.6	31.8	$19,407	$734	$18,673
Van Buren Technical	Public	11-12	250 South St	Lawrence	49064	Van Buren County	Van Buren Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	No	No	(269) 674-8091	0	34	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Paw Paw High School

How many students attend Paw Paw High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 638 students attended Paw Paw High School.

What district is Paw Paw High School in?

Paw Paw Public School District

What schools feed into Paw Paw High School?

Paw Paw High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Paw Paw Early Elementary School
Elementary : Paw Paw Later Elementary
Middle : Paw Paw Middle School

Is Paw Paw High School a good school?

Paw Paw High School ranks 359^th of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Paw Paw High School?

Students at Paw Paw High School are 82% White, 12% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

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Schools in Paw Paw, MI

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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.