Woodville Community Center

Woodville Community Center is a small alternative high school in Jackson, MI, serving 97 students in grades 9-12 within the Western School District, where a large majority of students (73%) come from low-income households.

Woodville serves students who have often struggled in traditional school settings, and its academic results reflect that challenge. Proficiency rates are dramatically below state averages—for example, only 12% of 11th graders are proficient in science and 20% in social studies, compared to roughly 35% and 43% statewide. The graduation rate of 52.7% is well below the state's 84% and less than half the rate at Western High School, the district's traditional high school just 3.8 miles away, which graduates 98.9% of its students. The contrast is stark: Western High School ranks in the 78th percentile statewide, while Woodville sits in the 12th percentile. Even compared to Jackson Pathways, another alternative school in the area, Woodville's graduation rate trails by nearly 20 points.

There are encouraging signs, however. Chronic absenteeism at Woodville is remarkably low at just 8.3%—far better than the district's 16.9% and the state's 27.9%—meaning students are showing up consistently. Dropout rates have fallen dramatically from 22.8% in 2020-2021 to 7.2% today, and graduation rates have climbed 12 points over the past three years. The school has also invested heavily, spending $17,010 per student (up 68% in recent years) and reducing class sizes from a 31.7:1 to a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. While academic proficiency remains critically low, these improvements in engagement and persistence suggest the school is building a foundation that could eventually translate into stronger learning outcomes for its students.