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North Elementary School

Q: Is North Elementary School a good school?

North Elementary School ranks 940 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

940^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

North Elementary School in Watervliet, MI, serves 312 students in grades 3 through 5 and is part of the Watervliet School District, which ranks near the middle of Michigan districts. The school sits in a community where about 73% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and chronic absenteeism affects roughly 24% of students—a concern that is actually lower than the state average and similar to its district peer, South Elementary School.

Academically, North Elementary shows a clear bright spot in 4th-grade math, where 39.6% of students met proficiency—matching the state average and beating every nearby school, including Coloma Intermediate School (20.7%) and Redwood Elementary (28%). However, the school faces a significant challenge in 5th-grade math, where proficiency has remained stuck at just 15.5% for two straight years—less than half the state average of 32.2%. This dramatic drop-off from 3rd and 4th grade suggests a systemic issue that parents should ask about, especially since this pattern has persisted for four years. Overall, North Elementary ranks in the 37th percentile statewide, which is notably higher than many surrounding schools like Covert Elementary School (31.7% chronic absenteeism) and Countryside Academy Elementary, both of which rank in the bottom third of Michigan schools.

For parents, there are a few encouraging signs. The school has shown it can achieve strong results with low-income students, jumping to the 59th percentile in 2024-2025 before settling at 47th percentile the following year. However, performance for Hispanic students has declined sharply, from the 50th percentile in 2023-2024 to the mid-20s in recent years. One notable comparison within the district: North Elementary spends $14,183 per student with a 17.4 student-teacher ratio, while South Elementary School spends more ($15,384) and has a lower ratio (14.8). This difference in investment may be worth discussing with district leadership, particularly given the math struggles that emerge in the upper elementary grades at North.

312

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,183

Per pupil spending ?

73.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

287 West Baldwin Ave
Watervliet, MI 49098-8913

(269) 463-0824

District: Watervliet School District

Students who attend North Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Watervliet Middle School
High:	Watervliet Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.1%

Hispanic:

19.6%

Two or more races:

4.8%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare North Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2016 → 37th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (30% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg30%

Michigan avg38%

940^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

310^th of 625Watervliet 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	34.1	940 of 1492	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.1	892 of 1488	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.1	865 of 1486	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.3	830 of 1470	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	855 of 1344	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.4	696 of 1153	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.6	671 of 1408	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.6	707 of 1448	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.1	736 of 1466	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.9	776 of 1548	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.2	750 of 1580	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	45.1	920 of 1533	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.6	964 of 1563	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.6	889 of 1566	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.5	950 of 1552	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	60.6	837 of 1552	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	69.0	548 of 1589	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	55.2	902 of 1577	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	58.9	770 of 1565	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	38.5	1205 of 1545	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.8	925 of 1343	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.9	893 of 1338	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.5	827 of 1342	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.7	755 of 1321	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	865 of 1106	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.3	636 of 902	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.5	542 of 1171	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.7	667 of 1443	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	27.7	165 of 225	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.0	154 of 209	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.6	101 of 201	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.0	103 of 188	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.7	29 of 86	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.9	56 of 222	74.8%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	54.9	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	712 of 1352	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.7	552 of 1346	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.6	708 of 1381	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.7	636 of 1350	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.1	732 of 1099	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.6	367 of 749	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.2	322 of 1134	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	59.3	533 of 1397	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	934 of 1372	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.1	880 of 1366	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.5	908 of 1347	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.3	887 of 1334	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.7	814 of 1139	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.6	612 of 915	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.6	771 of 1196	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.2	733 of 1446	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	15.8	75 of 81	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	38.7	143 of 225	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.2	151 of 195	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	53.7	154 of 403	61.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	869 of 1199	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.0	799 of 1206	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	814 of 1204	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.9	769 of 1198	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	851 of 1102	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.7	664 of 1005	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.9	647 of 1128	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.6	689 of 1253	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2018)53rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)47th percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2024)36th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)32nd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)31st percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)28th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)27th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)7th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science33%-7 vs state

English Language Arts33%-8 vs state

Math29%-10 vs state

Social Studies22%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near North Elementary 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)	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 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 Math 7th 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
North Elementary School	Public	3-5	287 West Baldwin Ave	Watervliet	49098	Berrien County	Watervliet School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 463-0824	312	18	17.4	73.4%	225 (72.1%)	8 (2.6%)	61 (19.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	34.1	940^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.0%		38.1	892^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	40.1%	48			23.2	40.6	35.5			31.0	39.6	15.5			33.3		21.6		$14,183	$1,565	$12,617
South Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	433 Lucinda Ln	Watervliet	49098	Berrien County	Watervliet School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 463-0820	335	23	14.8	66.9%	252 (75.2%)	7 (2.1%)	56 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.7%)								(n/a)																	$15,384	$1,421	$13,962
Coloma Intermediate School	Public	4-5	274a S West St	Coloma	49038	Berrien County	Coloma Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 468-2415	175	10	16.8	78.9%	99 (56.6%)	13 (7.4%)	41 (23.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (12.0%)	18.3	1209^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.0%		18.9	1182^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	20.6%	27				30.5	25.6				20.7	10.5			20.9		12.8		$14,116	$2,162	$11,955
Coloma Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	262 West St	Coloma	49038	Berrien County	Coloma Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 468-2420	356	21	16.7	74.7%	217 (61.0%)	29 (8.1%)	68 (19.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.2%)								(n/a)			19.3					16.9									$15,709	$2,235	$13,474
Redwood Elementary	Public	K-5	395 Woodside Dr	Hartford	49057	Van Buren County	Hartford Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 621-7300	516	33	15.6	89.0%	177 (34.3%)	2 (0.4%)	333 (64.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25.5	1076^th of 1492 public elementary schools	27.9%		23	1112^th of 1488 public elementary schools	25.3%	36			19.2	29.0	32.6			20.8	28.0	28.6			27.5		13.2		$14,680	$1,984	$12,695
Covert Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	35323 M 140 Hwy	Covert	49043	Van Buren County	Covert Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 764-3710	144	10	14.1	81.3%	19 (13.2%)	22 (15.3%)	98 (68.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.5%)	14.4	1289^th of 1492 public elementary schools	13.6%					(n/a)			18.8	1370.2	20.8			1276.2	1370.8	1461.8			20.8		1474.0		$24,898	$2,799	$22,100
Riverside School	Public	PK, KG-8	3422 Riverside Rd	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Hagar Township S/D #6	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 849-1343	72	6	13.0	68.1%	37 (51.4%)	18 (25.0%)	9 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (11.1%)								(n/a)						50.0					30.0						$13,377	$549	$12,828
Sister Lakes Elementary School	Public	K-5	68079 M 152	Benton Harbor	49047	Cass County	Dowagiac Union School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 782-4468	166	12	13.8	66.9%	94 (56.6%)	1 (0.6%)	55 (33.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	2 (1.2%)	12 (7.2%)	41.3	835^th of 1492 public elementary schools	44.0%		38.1	891^st of 1488 public elementary schools	40.1%	56			34.8	25.8	48.3			34.8	35.5	34.5			34.5		20.7		$16,995	$2,448	$14,547
Wood School Bangor Township 8	Public, Magnet	K-8	29842 66th St	Bangor	49013	Van Buren County	Bangor Township S/D #8	No	Yes	No	No	(269) 427-8562	24	2	12.0	50.0%	17 (70.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (16.7%)								(n/a)																	$9,773	$00	$9,773
Countryside Academy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	4722 Meadowbrook Rd	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Countryside Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(269) 944-3319	384	24	16.3	83.1%	27 (7.0%)	213 (55.5%)	125 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	20.5	1168^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.7%		17.9	1198^th of 1488 public elementary schools	19.5%	30			12.2	12.5	39.6			20.4	16.1	13.2			28.3		22.6		$14,523	$2,186	$12,336

Frequently Asked Questions about North Elementary School

What schools do graduates of North Elementary School attend?

Students who attend North Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Watervliet Middle School
High : Watervliet Senior High School

What district is North Elementary School in?

Watervliet School District

What is the racial makeup of North Elementary School?

Students at North Elementary School are 72% White, 20% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

How many students attend North Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 312 students attended North Elementary School.

Is North Elementary School a good school?

North Elementary School ranks 940^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate North Elementary School!

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MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Watervliet, 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.