Pewamowestphalia Middlehigh School, Westphalia MI

Original Research by School Decision on Pewamowestphalia Middlehigh School

Pewamo-Westphalia Middle/High School sits in the small Clinton County village of Westphalia, a place that publicly reported sources describe as a compact rural farming community with deep German-Catholic roots. The village was settled by German Catholic families, and St. Mary's Parish remains its civic and social anchor, hosting the annual Fall Family Fest and grounding much of the community's identity. Many residents commute to the Lansing area, roughly a short drive southeast on Interstate 96, while others work in local agriculture or small business. Public school students in the combined Pewamo-Westphalia district attend the elementary school for grades K through 5 and this building for grades 6 through 12. A parochial option, St. Mary Catholic School, serves grades K through 6. The village has seen essentially flat population growth, and no major housing developments or commercial expansions surfaced in the available research. This is a place of slow stability rather than rapid change.

The school itself is a regular public school serving roughly middle- and high-school-aged students across seven grade levels. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small share of students identifying as Hispanic, multirace, Asian, or Black. The free- or reduced-price lunch rate is low, which means the economic disadvantage present in many public schools is minimal here. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status was not available, so those populations cannot be characterized from what was provided. No information on course access, staffing levels, discipline, or attendance was included either, which leaves a gap for parents who want to understand the school environment beyond test results.

On state assessments, Pewamo-Westphalia Middle/High shows strong proficiency across the tested subjects and grades. English language arts results stand out, with a large share of eighth graders reaching proficiency and solid performance in sixth and seventh grades as well. Math proficiency is moderate and steady across the middle grades, with roughly half to nearly two-thirds of students meeting the bar depending on the grade. Science and social studies proficiency at eighth grade both sit at a level most families would find reassuring. When placed against Clinton County districts, the school's overall proficiency lands in the top quartile, meaning it performs above most of its neighbors on the combined measure. No multiyear trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results are improving, holding, or slipping over time.

The comparison set also lacked graduation rate and chronic absenteeism figures for this school, so those common benchmarks cannot be addressed here. A parent weighing high school outcomes may want to look into graduation and postsecondary enrollment directly with the district, since the provided data did not include them.

The housing market around Westphalia is modest by national standards but sits above the Michigan state benchmark. Home values have been climbing, with recent year-over-year appreciation running ahead of both state and national trends. Rents were not available for this zip code. Mortgage costs at current rates would consume a meaningful but not extreme share of a typical household income, and the area remains more affordable than many nationally. The district recently passed a bond issue to expand and renovate facilities, continuing a pattern of periodic investment that affects both school buildings and local property tax obligations.

What this school appears to offer is a tight-knit, homogeneous academic environment in a stable rural community with strong parish ties and solid test performance relative to its county peers. The gaps in the available data, particularly around graduation rates, special populations, staffing, and programs, mean a family would want to ask the district directly about college and career pathways, advanced coursework, and support services before drawing a full picture.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=95%Cohort of 68 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,027 schools plotted. 80 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 30 pts above state median

Grade 759%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 30 pts above state median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 23 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 41 pts above state median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 26 pts above state median

Grade 887%

School 87% · District 87%

▲ 25 pts above state median

Science

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 24 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 18 pts above state median

This schoolPewamo-Westphalia Community Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income54%Higher-income61%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income73%Higher-income89%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income69%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income39%Higher-income63%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income54%27 pp gap