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Watervliet, Michigan - 5 schools
An equity score of 45/100 ranks Watervliet School District #423 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,716 per pupil, Watervliet School District ranks #423 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,452
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$12,716
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Watervliet School District operates 5 public schools serving 1,452 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high, 1 combined, 1 elementary, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Berrien County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,716 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 21.5% local, 64.2% state, and 14.3% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 45/100, ranked #423 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 490.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 36.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 70.2% White, 19.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Way Watervliet High School, with a diversity index of 57.0/100.
Its largest campus is Watervliet Senior High School, enrolling 360 students (26% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Way Watervliet High School, at 90 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Watervliet Senior High School accounts for 24.8% of all Watervliet School District student enrollment
That concentration means Watervliet School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Watervliet School District school enrollment varies 4.0× across entities
Watervliet School District school enrollment ranges from 90 students (lowest) to 360 students (highest), a spread of 270 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Watervliet School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 64.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Watervliet School District student-counselor ratio is 491:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Watervliet School District chronic absenteeism rate is 36.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Watervliet School District?
Watervliet School District has 5 schools, including 2 high, 1 combined, 1 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,452 students.
How much does Watervliet School District spend per student?
Watervliet School District spends $12,716 per student. The district has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #423 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Watervliet School District?
Watervliet School District students are 70.2% White, 19.2% Hispanic or Latino, 2.4% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Watervliet School District?
Watervliet School District has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #423 out of 707 districts in Michigan.