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Pennfield Senior High School

Q: Is Pennfield Senior High School a good school?

Pennfield Senior High School ranks 389 th of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 8-12

389^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 800 Michigan High Schools

Better than 51% of Michigan high schools

Summary

Pennfield Senior High School serves approximately 748 students in grades 8-12 within the Pennfield Schools district in Battle Creek, MI, and has recently achieved its strongest statewide ranking in nearly a decade.

Pennfield is a school on the rise. After ranking in the bottom fifth of Michigan high schools during the pandemic years, the school has climbed to the 51st percentile statewide—a remarkable turnaround that places it in the top half of schools for the first time in years. This momentum is visible across several key areas. For example, 9th-grade English Language Arts proficiency (65.8%) exceeds the state average (60.2%) and outperforms nearby Lakeview High School (58.1%) and Bellevue JrSr High School (53.8%). The school also matches the state average in 11th-grade science and achieves competitive results despite serving a student body where roughly half qualify for free or reduced lunch—a higher percentage than nearby Harper Creek High School (26%). Pennfield's graduation rate of 86.7% exceeds the state average, and the school dramatically outperforms Battle Creek Central High School across nearly every academic metric.

While the overall trajectory is encouraging, parents should be aware of a few challenges. Mathematics proficiency lags state averages at every grade level—a pattern shared by most schools in the region, suggesting a broader area-wide issue rather than a school-specific problem. Eighth-grade performance, particularly in math (13.4% proficient vs. 33.2% statewide) and science (21.9% vs. 39.2%), represents a critical area needing attention as students transition into the upper grades. Chronic absenteeism (29.7%) also exceeds the state average and is higher than at Harper Creek (23.1%). On the positive side, Pennfield spends less per student ($14,161) than nearby alternatives yet achieves comparable or better outcomes, and the school has shown exceptional progress with Hispanic students, jumping from the 10th percentile statewide in 2017-2018 to the 88th percentile today—one of the most significant subgroup improvements in the region.

748

Students ?

22.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,161

Per pupil spending ?

50.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8299 Pennfield Rd
Battle Creek, MI 49017-8106

(269) 961-9770

District: Pennfield Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.0%

Two or more races:

9.5%

Hispanic:

5.3%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Pennfield Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 49th percentile in 2016 → 51st in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (51st percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (36% vs 44% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 12 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg36%

Michigan avg44%

Middle school

646^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 4 pts since 2024

From bottom 32% (2024) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

389^th of 800

Michigan public high schools ?

Top 49%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

439^th of 625Pennfield 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	25.8	646 of 896	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	57.9	321 of 890	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.8	607 of 897	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	606 of 789	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	58.0	272 of 789	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	20.7	628 of 771	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.1	607 of 834	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	60.0	265 of 832	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	24.2	648 of 836	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	23.0	626 of 813	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	49.9	360 of 798	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.6	525 of 786	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	21.6	162 of 190	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	32.7	168 of 236	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.8	201 of 244	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	13.3	619 of 687	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.9	356 of 696	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.1	608 of 701	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	47.8	389 of 800	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.5	381 of 739	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.0	496 of 743	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	539 of 735	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	447 of 531	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.3	472 of 561	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.2	327 of 666	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.5	475 of 824	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.8	334 of 835	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	47.2	436 of 852	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.4	577 of 832	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.6	433 of 799	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	51.6	422 of 805	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	62.0	317 of 773	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.9	253 of 784	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.5	338 of 765	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	74.4	209 of 754	72.3%	★★★★☆
2008	73.3	223 of 750	70.3%	★★★★☆
2007	75.7	170 of 767	77.8%	★★★★☆
2006	57.0	372 of 705	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	38.7	422 of 686	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.5	392 of 629	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.1	412 of 619	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	443 of 611	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.3	360 of 416	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	426 of 462	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	43.0	318 of 554	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.0	451 of 710	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	83.9	30 of 259	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	12.1	180 of 201	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	291 of 719	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	37.3	398 of 635	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.7	441 of 654	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.6	490 of 614	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.0	253 of 532	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.8	466 of 755	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	48.8	331 of 693	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	326 of 628	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.2	458 of 633	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	518 of 611	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	391 of 440	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.2	382 of 472	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.4	297 of 543	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.5	442 of 707	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	26.7	139 of 179	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.1	108 of 127	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	162 of 220	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.7	61 of 125	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	25.6	235 of 315	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	435 of 671	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.5	387 of 639	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.7	518 of 638	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	512 of 647	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	436 of 492	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	452 of 516	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.1	345 of 582	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.3	422 of 708	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Special Education (2026)29th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile~ school

Female (2026)23rd percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)15th percentile-49 vs school

White (2026)10th percentile-18 vs school

High school

Hispanic (2026)88th percentile+37 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)52nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)38th percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)35th percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2026)26th percentile-25 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)22nd percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts56%-5 vs state

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing47%-5 vs state

Social Studies39%-8 vs state

Science28%-10 vs state

Mathematics21%-12 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, August 13, 2014

I am a former student of the Pennfield School District. Back when I went through there the stats were much higher. What has happened there that things have made such a down turn? Especially the past few years? Close Quote

Schools Near Pennfield Senior 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 7th 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
Pennfield Senior High School	Public	8-12	8299 Pennfield Rd	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Pennfield Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 961-9770	748	34	22.1	50.7%	606 (81.0%)	29 (3.9%)	40 (5.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (9.5%)	47.8	389^th of 800 public high schools	51.4%		48.5	381^st of 739 public high schools	48.4%	8	54.4	65.8	49.3	13.4	29.5	20.5	46.6	20.3			21.9	35.1	33.6	45.0	$14,161	$833	$13,328
Calhoun Area Career Center	Public	10-12	475 Roosevelt Ave E	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Calhoun Intermediate School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 968-2271	0	19	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
WK Kellogg Preparatory High School	Public	9-12	100 Van Buren St W	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Battle Creek Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 213-3500	173	8	22.9	77.5%	44 (25.4%)	87 (50.3%)	16 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (14.5%)								(n/a)							342.7	320.0				2072.9		2074.5	$11,930	$2,541	$9,389
Battle Creek Central High School	Public	9-12	100 Van Buren St W	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Battle Creek Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 213-3500	978	58	16.9	61.9%	264 (27.0%)	409 (41.8%)	150 (15.3%)	13 (1.3%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	135 (13.8%)	10.7	696^th of 800 public high schools	13.0%		7	693^rd of 739 public high schools	6.2%	3		34.5	30.3		10.0	9.1	23.1	5.6				8.4		18.8	$19,754	$2,586	$17,168
Battle Creek MathSci Center	Public, Magnet	8-12	171 Michigan Ave W	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Battle Creek Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(269) 965-9440	1	13	.0		1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)															$19,622	$2,077	$17,545
West Michigan Virtual Battle Creek High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	35 Hamblin Ave W	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Berrien Springs Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(269) 965-6486	370	6	59.6	61.9%	268 (72.4%)	43 (11.6%)	24 (6.5%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.1%)	12.2	687^th of 800 public high schools	14.1%		7.2	690^th of 739 public high schools	6.6%	3		28.8	44.9		6.3	367.3	26.8	372.5				9.9		15.5	$6,937	$256	$6,681
Battle Creek Area Learning Center	Public, Charter	9-12	765 Upton Ave	Springfield	49037	Calhoun County	Battle Creek Area Learning Center	Yes	No	No	Yes	(269) 565-2460	194	13	15.2	88.7%	116 (59.8%)	36 (18.6%)	13 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	27 (13.9%)	8.8	716^th of 800 public high schools	10.5%		4.4	723^rd of 739 public high schools	2.2%	7		30.0	21.1		15.0	344.7	368.5	329.5				2070.0		10.8	$12,569	$970	$11,599
Lakeview Alternative High School	Public	9-12	15 Arbor St	Battle Creek	49015	Calhoun County	Lakeview School District (Calhoun)	No	No	No	No	(269) 565-2452	67	1	47.8	68.7%	33 (49.3%)	19 (28.4%)	6 (9.0%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (11.9%)	8.4	720^th of 800 public high schools	10.0%					(n/a)							380.0	324.6				13.0		12.5	$11,813	$925	$10,888
Lakeview High School	Public	9-12	15060 Helmer Rd S	Battle Creek	49015	Calhoun County	Lakeview School District (Calhoun)	No	No	No	No	(269) 565-3700	1,241	66	18.8	48.5%	633 (51.0%)	163 (13.1%)	168 (13.5%)	151 (12.2%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	122 (9.8%)	46.8	397^th of 800 public high schools	50.4%		51.2	356^th of 739 public high schools	51.8%	41		58.1	57.9		24.5	27.7	43.3	19.8				35.8		39.0	$14,829	$904	$13,925
Bellevue JrSr High School	Public	7-12	576 Love Hwy	Bellevue	49021	Eaton County	Bellevue Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 763-9413	281	14	19.7	44.1%	249 (88.6%)	4 (1.4%)	7 (2.5%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.8%)	13 (4.6%)	39.5	462^nd of 800 public high schools	42.3%		36.3	466^th of 739 public high schools	36.9%	4	50.0	53.8	50.0	15.4	21.2	32.1	34.9	16.3	1674.0	10.0	21.2	38.1	23.1	34.9	$16,539	$1,272	$15,267

Frequently Asked Questions about Pennfield Senior High School

Is Pennfield Senior High School a good school?

Pennfield Senior High School ranks 389^th of 800 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Pennfield Senior High School?

Students at Pennfield Senior High School are 81% White, 9% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 4% African American.

What schools feed into Pennfield Senior High School?

Pennfield Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : North Pennfield Elementary
Elementary : Pennfield Dunlap Elementary
Middle : Pennfield Middle School

What district is Pennfield Senior High School in?

Pennfield Schools

How many students attend Pennfield Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 748 students attended Pennfield Senior High School.

Rate Pennfield Senior 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.