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Wayland, Michigan - 7 schools
An equity score of 33/100 ranks Wayland Union Schools #607 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,682 per pupil, Wayland Union Schools ranks #426 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,849
Total Enrollment
7
Schools
$12,682
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Wayland Union Schools operates 7 public schools serving 2,849 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 2 high, 2 combined 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 Allegan County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,682 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 31.3% local, 57.5% state, and 11.2% 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 33/100, ranked #607 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 7 schools offering Advanced Placement (11 AP courses district-wide), a 335:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 42.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 86.1% White, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Bessie B Baker School, with a diversity index of 30.1/100.
Its largest campus is Wayland High School, enrolling 800 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Career Connections Academy, at 37 students, a 22x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Wayland High School accounts for 28.1% of all Wayland Union Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Wayland Union Schools-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.
Wayland Union Schools school enrollment varies 22× across entities
Wayland Union Schools school enrollment ranges from 37 students (lowest) to 800 students (highest), a spread of 763 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Wayland Union Schools student-counselor ratio is 335:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Wayland Union Schools is typically wider than the Wayland Union Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Wayland Union Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 42.2% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 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.
Wayland Union Schools has 7 schools, including 2 high, 3 elementary, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 2,849 students.
How much does Wayland Union Schools spend per student?
Wayland Union Schools spends $12,682 per student. The district has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #607 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Wayland Union Schools?
Wayland Union Schools students are 86.1% White, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 1.4% African American, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 7 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Wayland Union Schools?
Wayland Union Schools has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #607 out of 707 districts in Michigan.