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WAY Watervliet High School

Q: Is WAY Watervliet High School a good school?

WAY Watervliet High School ranks 536 th of 739 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

536^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 739 Michigan High Schools

Better than 27% of Michigan high schools

Summary

WAY Watervliet High School is a public high school in Watervliet, Michigan, serving 99 students in grades 9-12. The school faces significant academic and socioeconomic challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom half of Michigan high schools with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

WAY Watervliet High School struggles with low academic performance, with test scores well below state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 21.43% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in M-Step/Science, compared to the state average of 34.9%. The school also experiences high dropout rates, ranging from 5.3% to 18.4% in recent years, and high chronic absenteeism, with rates as high as 30.8% in 2022-2023. These challenges are likely exacerbated by the fact that 68.69% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the state average.

Comparing Watervliet Senior High School, another school in the Watervliet School District, highlights the disparities in educational opportunities. Watervliet Senior High School consistently outperforms WAY Watervliet High School in academic metrics, with higher test scores, graduation rates, and a lower dropout rate. Similarly, when compared to other nearby high schools, such as Benton Harbor High School, Bridge Academy of Southwest Michigan, and Bangor High School, WAY Watervliet High School generally performs worse across various academic and demographic indicators.

Students ?

45.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,412

Per pupil spending ?

73.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

450 E Saint Joseph St
Watervliet, MI 49098-9300

(269) 463-0897

District: Watervliet School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.1%

Hispanic:

20.0%

Two or more races:

12.2%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare WAY Watervliet High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2014 → 27th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (25% vs 38% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (24% vs 84%)

!Dropout rate above the Michigan average (38% vs 7%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg30%

Michigan avg38%

536^th of 739

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Watervliet School District

370^th of 613Watervliet 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
2025	25.6	536 of 739	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	635 of 743	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	575 of 666	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	644 of 824	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.6	601 of 835	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.3	556 of 852	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	6.2	762 of 799	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	14.3	572 of 710	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	46.8	331 of 635	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.8	508 of 654	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	17.0	543 of 633	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	551 of 639	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.6	627 of 708	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2018)19th percentile~ school

Male (2024)14th percentile~ school

White (2025)14th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies29%-14 vs state

Science21%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near WAY Watervliet High School

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)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)	M-Step Math (2025)	M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		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	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	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
WAY Watervliet High School	Public	9-12	450 E Saint Joseph St	Watervliet	49098	Berrien County	Watervliet School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 463-0897	90	2	45.0	73.3%	55 (61.1%)	3 (3.3%)	18 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (12.2%)	25.6	536^th of 739 public high schools	27.5%		14.4	635^th of 743 public high schools	14.5%	99								21.4		28.6	$9,412	$1,064	$8,349
Watervliet Senior High School	Public	9-12	450 E Saint Joseph St	Watervliet	49098	Berrien County	Watervliet School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 463-0734	360	20	17.8	63.1%	262 (72.8%)	9 (2.5%)	63 (17.5%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.6%)	39.4	449^th of 739 public high schools	39.2%		52.1	327^th of 743 public high schools	56.0%	122			54.3	16.0				20.2		41.5	$15,653	$1,081	$14,572
Coloma High School	Public	9-12	300 W Saint Joseph St	Coloma	49038	Berrien County	Coloma Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 468-2400	336	19	17.6	64.0%	219 (65.2%)	34 (10.1%)	54 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.3%)	44.5	411^th of 739 public high schools	44.4%		33.1	485^th of 743 public high schools	34.7%	74			52.4	17.5				23.8		48.4	$16,173	$1,377	$14,796
Hartford Alternative Education	Public	6-12	115 School St	Hartford	49057	Van Buren County	Hartford Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 621-7143	122	0		89.3%	74 (60.7%)	5 (4.1%)	32 (26.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.4%)								(n/a)											$6,421	$1,020	$5,401
Hartford High School	Public	9-12	121 School St	Hartford	49057	Van Buren County	Hartford Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 621-7100	379	20	19.3	70.7%	134 (35.4%)	6 (1.6%)	219 (57.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	23.5	554^th of 739 public high schools	25.0%		35.8	461^st of 743 public high schools	38.0%	93			32.6	9.8				22.8		33.7	$13,732	$1,066	$12,666
Covert High School	Public	9-12	35323 M 140 Hwy	Covert	49043	Van Buren County	Covert Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 764-3711	101	7	14.7	76.2%	12 (11.9%)	23 (22.8%)	61 (60.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.0%)	11.4	652^nd of 739 public high schools	11.8%		13.2	645^th of 743 public high schools	13.2%	7								13.6		18.2	$24,102	$1,520	$22,582
Lawrence JrSr High School	Public	7-12	650 W Saint Joseph St	Lawrence	49064	Van Buren County	Lawrence Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 674-8232	179	12	14.6	73.2%	97 (54.2%)	1 (0.6%)	76 (42.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	18.8	589^th of 739 public high schools	20.3%		30.6	509^th of 743 public high schools	31.5%	80	37.5	12.5	36.7		12.9	9.7	12.0	22.6	16.0	13.3	$16,134	$1,122	$15,012
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)
Bangor High School	Public	9-12	801 W Arlington St	Bangor	49013	Van Buren County	Bangor Public Schools (Van Buren)	No	No	No	No	(269) 427-6800	264	16	16.5	59.8%	113 (42.8%)	11 (4.2%)	118 (44.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (8.0%)	49.2	367^th of 739 public high schools	50.3%		49.4	342^nd of 743 public high schools	54.0%	25			44.6	12.5				39.3		51.8	$18,877	$1,592	$17,285
Benton Harbor High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	870 Colfax Ave	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Benton Harbor Area Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 605-1200	469	33	14.2	94.2%	5 (1.1%)	445 (94.9%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.3%)								(n/a)											$25,148	$7,346	$17,802

Frequently Asked Questions about WAY Watervliet High School

Is WAY Watervliet High School a good school?

WAY Watervliet High School ranks 536^th of 739 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of WAY Watervliet High School?

Students at WAY Watervliet High School are 61% White, 20% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 3% African American, 3% American Indian.

How many students attend WAY Watervliet High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 90 students attended WAY Watervliet High School.

What district is WAY Watervliet High School in?

Watervliet School District

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Schools in Watervliet, MI

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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.