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Career Connections Academy

Public Grades 9-12

Summary

Career Connections Academy is a public high school located in Wayland, Michigan, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of just 40 students. As part of the Wayland Union Schools district, which is ranked 214 out of 606 districts in Michigan, Career Connections Academy has consistently struggled to meet the academic and developmental needs of its small student population.

The school's performance metrics paint a concerning picture, with Career Connections Academy ranking in the bottom 20% of Michigan high schools over the past five years and receiving a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of this period. The school's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated between 57.6% and 76.4%, significantly lower than the nearby Wayland High School (96.0%) and Byron Center High School (94.7%). Additionally, Career Connections Academy has experienced high dropout rates, ranging from 4.5% to 23.0%, and a very high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 48.0% to 67.1%, which are much higher than the nearby high-performing schools.

The challenges faced by Career Connections Academy appear to be multifaceted, with the school serving a population with significant socioeconomic and educational challenges, as evidenced by the high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients. While the school's per-student spending is relatively high, the resources do not seem to be effectively utilized or targeted to address the specific needs of the student population. Addressing these underlying factors and implementing targeted interventions will be crucial in improving the school's overall performance and ensuring that its students receive a high-quality education.

Students ?

1.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,955

Per pupil spending ?

54.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

870 E Superior St
Wayland, MI 49348-9141

(269) 792-2254

District: Wayland Union Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.6%

African American:

2.7%

Hispanic:

2.7%

See top rated Michigan public schools

Compare Career Connections Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 13th percentile in 2015 → 21st in 2023

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 1 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (25% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (72% vs 83%)

!Dropout rate above the Michigan average (22% vs 8%)

Students meeting standards (2022-2023) ?

This school25%

District avg43%

Michigan avg42%

Not ranked this year

Career Connections Academy did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

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
2023	20.7	581 of 735	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.2	711 of 824	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	12.2	642 of 835	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	6.1	770 of 852	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	13.5	720 of 832	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	42.8	341 of 611	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	30.6	447 of 614	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	627 of 755	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	6.5	648 of 707	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	21.3	531 of 647	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	662 of 708	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2023)44th percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)27th percentile+6 vs school

White (2023)18th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2018)8th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2022-2023) ?

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing27%-25 vs state

Science24%-15 vs state

Social Studies24%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Career Connections Academy

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 (2024)
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 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
Career Connections Academy	Public	9-12	870 E Superior St	Wayland	49348	Allegan County	Wayland Union Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 792-2254	37	28	1.3	54.1%	35 (94.6%)	1 (2.7%)	1 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$11,955	$762	$11,194
Wayland High School	Public	9-12	870 E Superior St	Wayland	49348	Allegan County	Wayland Union Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 792-2254	800	43	18.7	27.5%	686 (85.8%)	10 (1.3%)	56 (7.0%)	5 (0.6%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.6%)	53.7	336^th of 739 public high schools	54.5%		59.5	269^th of 743 public high schools	63.8%	67			58.4	33.7						23.0		42.1	$18,708	$1,114	$17,595
Hopkins High School	Public	9-12	333 S Clark St	Hopkins	49328	Allegan County	Hopkins Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 793-7616	477	32	14.6	26.4%	435 (91.2%)	4 (0.8%)	19 (4.0%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.7%)	56.7	306^th of 739 public high schools	58.6%		39.8	422^nd of 743 public high schools	43.2%	116			61.4	28.7						41.2		31.4	$13,893	$747	$13,146
Thornapple Kellogg High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	3885 Bender Rd	Middleville	49333	Barry County	Thornapple Kellogg School District	No	Yes	No	No	(269) 795-3394	982	52	19.0	36.3%	884 (90.0%)	11 (1.1%)	54 (5.5%)	9 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	22 (2.2%)	56.3	311^th of 739 public high schools	57.9%		70.2	172^nd of 743 public high schools	76.9%	139			59.2	31.7						36.4		34.1	$13,959	$811	$13,148
Martin High School	Public	6-12	1556 Chalmers	Martin	49070	Allegan County	Martin Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 442-0400	330	18	18.8	42.1%	284 (86.1%)	3 (0.9%)	34 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.7%)	61.6	260^th of 739 public high schools	64.8%		42.7	404^th of 743 public high schools	45.6%	144	59.6	19.1	55.6	22.2	17.3	13.0	11.5	17.4	51.1	40.0	48.9	55.6	$13,612	$1,026	$12,586
Byron Center High School	Public	9-12	8500 Burlingame Ave SW	Byron Center	49315	Kent County	Byron Center Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 878-6600	1,387	63	22.0	22.6%	1,089 (78.5%)	16 (1.2%)	134 (9.7%)	55 (4.0%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	89 (6.4%)	96.9	16^th of 739 public high schools	97.8%		95.6	24^th of 743 public high schools	96.8%	8			81.4	67.7						58.8		76.8	$14,499	$1,343	$13,157
Caledonia High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	9050 Kraft Ave SE	Caledonia	49316	Kent County	Caledonia Community Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(616) 891-8129	1,438	80	18.0	15.0%	1,169 (81.3%)	32 (2.2%)	90 (6.3%)	50 (3.5%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	92 (6.4%)	90.5	49^th of 739 public high schools	93.4%		79.1	126^th of 743 public high schools	83.0%	77			74.3	51.0						55.9		57.7	$14,824	$1,525	$13,299
East Kentwood High School	Public	10-12	6230 Kalamazoo Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 698-6700	2,068	106	19.4	65.5%	505 (24.4%)	761 (36.8%)	370 (17.9%)	265 (12.8%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	163 (7.9%)	43.7	420^th of 739 public high schools	43.2%		45.9	371^st of 743 public high schools	50.1%	49			47.6	28.1						23.3		40.2	$17,618	$1,758	$15,860
Crossroads Alternative High School	Public	6-12	28 60th St SE	Grand Rapids	49548	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 261-6166	216	14	15.4	83.8%	49 (22.7%)	92 (42.6%)	49 (22.7%)	8 (3.7%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.9%)								(n/a)												7.0	$22,477	$2,651	$19,827
Outlook Academy Youth Home Campus	Public, Charter	5-12	2243 33rd St	Allegan	49010	Allegan County	Outlook Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(269) 512-7880	11	1	7.5	54.5%	10 (90.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$26,413	$7,710	$18,704

Frequently Asked Questions about Career Connections Academy

How many students attend Career Connections Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 37 students attended Career Connections Academy.

What district is Career Connections Academy in?

Wayland Union Schools

What is the racial makeup of Career Connections Academy?

Students at Career Connections Academy are 95% White, 3% African American, 3% Hispanic.

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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.