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Wayland Union Middle School

Q: Is Wayland Union Middle School a good school?

Wayland Union Middle School ranks 305 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

305^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 66% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Wayland Union Middle School in Wayland, MI, serves 611 students in grades 5 through 8 and is part of the Wayland Union Schools district. The school currently holds a 3-star rating, ranking in the 66th percentile of Michigan middle schools—a solid mid-tier position, though down from its former 4-star status in recent years.

One of the school’s standout strengths is its ability to achieve respectable academic results despite a significant share of students (36%) coming from low-income households. Compared to nearby schools with much higher poverty rates—like Kelloggsville Middle School (82% free/reduced lunch, 15th percentile) or Valleywood Middle School (81%, 30th percentile)—Wayland Union performs notably better. It also holds its own against schools with similar demographics, such as Hopkins Middle School and Thornapple Kellogg Middle School. Academically, the school shines in 8th-grade Science (43.4% proficient vs. 39.2% statewide) and Social Studies (51.3% vs. 50.3%), consistently beating state averages in these subjects for four straight years.

However, there are areas of concern. Math proficiency lags behind the state, with only 28.4% of 8th graders meeting the PSAT benchmark compared to 33.2% statewide. Chronic absenteeism also jumped sharply from 18.2% to 24.6% in just one year—a red flag that may be tied to the school’s declining state ranking. While per-student spending has risen to $17,542, academic rankings have slipped, raising questions about resource allocation. For parents weighing options, Wayland Union offers strong science and social studies instruction and outperforms schools with similar challenges, but families should watch how the school addresses its math gaps and attendance issues moving forward.

611

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,542

Per pupil spending ?

36.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

701 Wildcat Dr
Wayland, MI 49348-9102

(269) 792-2306

District: Wayland Union Schools

Students who attend Wayland Union Middle School usually attend:

High:

Wayland High School

Feeder schools for Wayland Union Middle School:

Elementary:	Bessie B Baker School
	Dorr School
	Pine Street Elementary
	RJ Steeby School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.3%

Hispanic:

9.2%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Wayland Union Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 68th percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg43%

Michigan avg41%

305^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	59.5	305 of 896	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.0	272 of 890	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.2	253 of 897	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	186 of 883	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	69.3	181 of 776	76.7%	★★★★☆
2021	57.3	235 of 675	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.4	169 of 792	78.7%	★★★★☆
2018	79.8	146 of 838	82.6%	★★★★☆
2017	60.6	271 of 821	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.1	289 of 894	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	65.0	287 of 919	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	69.6	240 of 921	73.9%	★★★★☆
2013	59.4	352 of 919	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.7	360 of 900	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.4	241 of 858	71.9%	★★★★☆
2010	71.5	258 of 851	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.7	346 of 847	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	63.3	382 of 839	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.3	286 of 823	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	63.8	341 of 806	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	54.1	315 of 789	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.1	278 of 789	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.6	257 of 771	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.4	162 of 770	79.0%	★★★★☆
2022	64.6	175 of 657	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	53.7	188 of 521	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.5	149 of 658	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	79.3	136 of 794	82.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	123 of 260	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.8	72 of 265	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	54.6	104 of 257	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.4	53 of 246	78.5%	★★★★☆
2018	38.3	171 of 266	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	57.7	290 of 834	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.7	321 of 832	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.2	295 of 836	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.0	186 of 825	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	62.4	187 of 691	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	54.6	189 of 523	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.2	84 of 672	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	76.8	114 of 815	86.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	57.1	289 of 813	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.7	257 of 798	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.6	237 of 786	69.8%	★★★★☆
2023	66.7	192 of 776	75.3%	★★★★☆
2022	65.2	170 of 658	74.2%	★★★★☆
2021	50.6	222 of 540	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.9	164 of 639	74.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.1	158 of 797	80.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	119 of 195	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.9	159 of 190	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.1	119 of 176	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	82 of 163	49.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	70.2	37 of 199	81.4%	★★★★☆
2018	44.2	193 of 377	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	332 of 687	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.9	303 of 696	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.4	258 of 701	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.3	214 of 688	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.4	184 of 638	71.2%	★★★★☆
2021	50.4	247 of 577	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.6	176 of 624	71.8%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	158 of 678	76.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2023)81st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)65th percentile~ school

Male (2026)64th percentile~ school

Female (2026)60th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)53rd percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)52nd percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)39th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies51%~ state avg

Science43%+4 vs state

English Language Arts43%+5 vs state

Math33%~ state avg

Mathematics28%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wayland Union Middle 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th 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
Wayland Union Middle School	Public	5-8	701 Wildcat Dr	Wayland	49348	Allegan County	Wayland Union Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 792-2306	611	35	17.4	36.2%	509 (83.3%)	10 (1.6%)	56 (9.2%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.6%)	59.5	305^th of 896 public middle schools	66.0%		63	272^nd of 890 public middle schools	69.4%	33	65.1	28.4		39.7	46.8		30.2	36.3		43.4		51.3	$17,542	$697	$16,845
Thornapple Kellogg Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	10375 Green Lake Rd	Middleville	49333	Barry County	Thornapple Kellogg School District	No	Yes	No	No	(269) 795-3349	693	39	17.6	39.1%	604 (87.2%)	7 (1.0%)	47 (6.8%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (3.8%)	58.4	315^th of 896 public middle schools	64.8%		67.1	238^th of 890 public middle schools	73.3%	77	80.1	34.6		36.9	40.4		30.0	31.6		39.6		46.9	$14,519	$929	$13,591
Hopkins Middle School	Public	6-8	215 S Clark St	Hopkins	49328	Allegan County	Hopkins Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 793-7407	321	19	16.9	34.3%	291 (90.7%)	2 (0.6%)	15 (4.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.4%)	68.7	220^th of 896 public middle schools	75.4%		62.7	275^th of 890 public middle schools	69.1%	55	79.0	50.5		34.8	31.1		35.7	42.5		48.6		61.0	$13,810	$708	$13,102
Duncan Lake Middle School	Public	7-8	9758 Kraft Ave SE	Caledonia	49316	Kent County	Caledonia Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 891-1380	696	37	18.6	16.5%	569 (81.8%)	17 (2.4%)	50 (7.2%)	14 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (6.2%)	92.9	54^th of 896 public middle schools	94.0%		94.7	42^nd of 890 public middle schools	95.3%	12	84.8	65.4			59.3			56.3		59.4		75.6	$14,855	$764	$14,091
Kraft Meadows Intermediate School	Public	5-6	9230 Kraft Ave SE	Caledonia	49316	Kent County	Caledonia Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 891-8649	703	37	18.7	17.1%	556 (79.1%)	18 (2.6%)	60 (8.5%)	17 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (7.1%)								(n/a)			67.7	65.1		52.7	62.7		65.3		57.6		$14,705	$611	$14,094
Byron Center West Middle School	Public	7-9	8654 Homerich Ave SW	Byron Center	49315	Kent County	Byron Center Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 878-6500	729	36	20.4	23.3%	564 (77.4%)	16 (2.2%)	64 (8.8%)	42 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.9%)	96.5	21^st of 896 public middle schools	97.7%		97.5	9^th of 890 public middle schools	99.0%	12	81.9	64.4			72.0			75.8		72.9		85.8	$13,898	$837	$13,061
Robert L Nickels Intermediate School	Public	5-6	3100 84th St SW	Byron Center	49315	Kent County	Byron Center Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 878-6400	705	37	19.1	22.8%	532 (75.5%)	9 (1.3%)	59 (8.4%)	47 (6.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (7.9%)								(n/a)			78.7	66.9		72.2	62.6		68.0		62.1		$14,379	$1,151	$13,229
Pinewood Middle School	Public	6-8	2100 60th St SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 455-1224	842	45	18.5	67.6%	202 (24.0%)	291 (34.6%)	149 (17.7%)	110 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (10.6%)	39	528^th of 896 public middle schools	41.1%		40.4	524^th of 890 public middle schools	41.1%	4	56.0	28.0		28.9	31.2		23.4	25.5		28.6		41.7	$16,260	$2,840	$13,419
Valleywood Middle School	Public	6-8	1110 50th St SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 538-7670	541	38	14.1	81.1%	92 (17.0%)	193 (35.7%)	140 (25.9%)	62 (11.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.4%)	28.2	627^th of 896 public middle schools	30.0%		20.4	691^st of 890 public middle schools	22.4%	64	53.8	20.4		21.3	21.4		21.9	20.3		18.8		40.3	$21,151	$2,886	$18,265
Kelloggsville Middle School	Public	6-8	4650 Division Ave S	Grand Rapids	49548	Kent County	Kelloggsville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 532-1575	475	24	19.8	82.3%	75 (15.8%)	153 (32.2%)	209 (44.0%)	18 (3.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.8%)	14.6	765^th of 896 public middle schools	14.6%		13.2	774^th of 890 public middle schools	13.0%	9	42.4	9.0		21.1	13.5		9.5	8.3		17.2		27.8	$14,862	$2,357	$12,505

Frequently Asked Questions about Wayland Union Middle School

What district is Wayland Union Middle School in?

Wayland Union Schools

Is Wayland Union Middle School a good school?

Wayland Union Middle School ranks 305^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Wayland Union Middle School?

Students at Wayland Union Middle School are 83% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Wayland Union Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 611 students attended Wayland Union Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Wayland Union Middle School attend?

Students who attend Wayland Union Middle School usually go on to attend Wayland High School

Rate Wayland Union Middle School!

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Schools in Wayland, 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.