The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Nah Tah Wahsh Public School Academy
Nah TahWahsh Public School Academy sits along the highway corridor in Wilson, a tiny unincorporated community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with no downtown, no transit, and a landscape of scattered rural properties separated by woods and creek beds. The school serves the Hannahville Indian Community, a federally recognized Potawatomi tribe whose reservation lies nearby within the Wilson postal area. Nearly all students identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, and the vast majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a small school spanning kindergarten through twelfth grade, with only a dozen or so students per grade, which gives it the feel of a close-knit community institution rather than a conventional public school campus.
Academically, the most recent state assessment results show proficiency well below state and county midpoints. In math, the earliest tested grades show roughly a quarter of students reaching proficiency, but several upper elementary and middle school grades show no students scoring proficient, though the state suppresses exact figures for such small tested groups and reports them as a range. English language arts follows a similar pattern, with a few grades reaching about a quarter proficient and others showing none. Science and social studies results across the tested grades also reflect very low proficiency. When positioned relative to districts in Menominee County, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint of the cohort. These results come from very small tested groups, sometimes a dozen or fewer students per grade, which means a single student's performance shifts the picture considerably. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking how instruction is structured across these small cohorts and what supports are in place for students working below grade level.
We looked for graduation rate data and chronic absenteeism figures, but neither was available for this school in the provided data. We also looked for individualized education program rates and English learner counts, and those were missing as well. Program offerings such as Advanced Placement, dual credit, or career pathways were not available in the data, so we cannot speak to them. Staffing, discipline, and course access information was likewise absent. What the school's own publicly reported material does describe is a deliberate recent investment in enrichment. Since the early part of this decade, the school has built out music and art programming across elementary, middle, and high school grades, adding band, music appreciation, and a weekly art club where none existed before. A new playground was installed around the same time, upgrading outdoor facilities for younger students.
For a family considering this school, the context is specific. Wilson itself has experienced long decline since its railroad and sawmill days and is now described in publicly reported sources as a dot on the map with few businesses and agricultural activity as the main economic thread. The nearest incorporated communities are a drive away. Housing values and incomes in the area run below state and national levels. The school is the central civic institution for the tribal community it serves, and its identity is inseparable from that mission. A family whose priorities include cultural continuity, a small peer group, and a setting rooted in the Hannahville Indian Community may find a distinct fit here, while those seeking broader course offerings, higher measured proficiency, or proximity to town amenities would need to weigh the tradeoffs carefully and ask the school direct questions about academic support and postsecondary pathways.
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