Is Belding High School a good school?

Belding High School ranks 546 th of 743 Michigan high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Belding High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 508 students attended Belding High School.

What is the racial makeup of Belding High School?

Students at Belding High School are 86% White, 10% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Belding High School?

Belding High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Ellis Elementary School Elementary : Woodview Elementary School Middle : Belding Middle School

Belding High School

Summary:

Belding High School is a public high school located in Belding, Michigan, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of 557. The school is part of the Berrien Springs Public Schools district, which is ranked 399 out of 610 districts in Michigan and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Belding High School faces several challenges compared to nearby high-performing schools like Ionia High School and Saranac Jr-Sr High School. The school has a significantly higher percentage of white students (83.48%) compared to the state average (51.5%), and its academic performance, as measured by standardized test scores, is consistently below the state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 29.8% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in M-Step/Science, compared to the state average of 37.5%. Additionally, Belding High School has a lower 4-year graduation rate (79.0% in 2022-2023) and a higher dropout rate (9.6% in 2022-2023) than nearby high-performing schools.

Belding High School also faces challenges related to chronic absenteeism and socioeconomic status. The school has a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate (25.3% in 2022-2023) compared to the state average and nearby high-performing schools, and a higher percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (48.29% in 2022-2023) than the state average and nearby high-performing schools. These factors may be contributing to the school's declining performance, as measured by its statewide ranking and SchoolDigger star rating, which has dropped from a ranking of 349 out of 824 Michigan high schools and a 3-star rating in 2017-2018 to a ranking of 546 out of 743 and a 1-star rating in 2023-2024.

Detail:

Public 9-12

850 Hall St
Belding, MI 48809-2214

(616) 794-4900

District: Belding Area School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
546^th of 743 Michigan High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,106

Feeder schools for Belding High School:

Elementary:	Ellis Elementary School
	Woodview Elementary School
Middle:	Belding Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 20.3

Number of students: 508

Racial breakdown:

White:

85.6%

Hispanic:

9.8%

Two or more races:

2.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 54.5%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare Belding High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Belding High School ranks worse than 73.5% of high schools in Michigan. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.92. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Belding High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (85.6%), Hispanic (9.8%), two or more races (2.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 54.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Belding High School is 20.3. (See more...)

Compare Belding High School employs 25 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Belding High School is $13,106.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Belding High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Belding High School 546^th of 743 Michigan public high schools. (See Belding High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Belding Area School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Belding Area School District 399^th of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Belding High School?

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Rank History for Belding High School

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Rank History for all students at Belding High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2006	57.10	370^th	705	47.5%
2007	53.76	433^rd	767	43.5%
2008	47.54	476^th	750	36.5%
2009	76.72	175^th	754	76.8%
2010	73.04	229^th	765	70.1%
2011	66.00	333^rd	784	57.5%
2012	56.03	382^nd	773	50.6%
2013	54.07	397^th	805	50.7%
2014	49.09	446^th	799	44.2%
2015	59.30	351^st	832	57.8%
2016	51.77	398^th	852	53.3%
2017	53.44	345^th	835	58.7%
2018	55.50	349^th	824	57.6%
2019	38.44	414^th	666	37.8%
2021	29.32	417^th	561	25.7%
2022	15.36	496^th	531	6.6%
2023	19.45	597^th	735	18.8%
2024	25.92	546^th	743	26.5%

See the entire list of Michigan High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Belding High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	34.43	187^th	315	40.6%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Belding High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	54.43	307^th	755	59.3%
2019	45.03	300^th	532	43.6%
2021	41.74	253^rd	417	39.3%
2023	23.53	499^th	614	18.7%
2024	26.00	497^th	654	24.0%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Belding High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	50.65	335^th	710	52.8%
2019	47.85	286^th	554	48.4%
2021	33.95	316^th	462	31.6%
2022	7.39	413^th	416	0.7%
2023	26.64	456^th	611	25.4%
2024	20.56	492^nd	619	20.5%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Belding High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	50.23	348^th	707	50.8%
2019	21.66	439^th	543	19.2%
2021	18.92	400^th	472	15.3%
2022	17.36	397^th	440	9.8%
2023	11.76	550^th	611	10.0%
2024	22.47	507^th	633	19.9%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Belding High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	46.79	373^rd	708	47.3%
2019	25.48	451^st	582	22.5%
2021	22.79	426^th	516	17.4%
2022	6.53	486^th	492	1.2%
2023	12.25	586^th	647	9.4%
2024	14.57	569^th	638	10.8%

See the entire list of Best Michigan High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Belding High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	778	0	8	24	1	n/a	n/a	0	811
1989	743	0	6	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	770
1990	746	0	1	19	2	n/a	n/a	0	768
1991	737	1	4	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	747
1992	800	1	3	7	3	n/a	n/a	0	814
1993	672	0	0	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	676
1994	859	0	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	865
1995	892	3	3	17	3	n/a	n/a	0	918
1996	892	3	3	17	3	n/a	n/a	0	918
1997	911	2	4	22	3	n/a	n/a	0	942
1998	735	1	4	15	5	n/a	n/a	0	760
1999	758	1	4	16	4	n/a	n/a	0	783
2000	751	1	5	16	4	n/a	n/a	0	777
2001	746	1	4	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	770
2002	757	4	3	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	787
2003	757	4	3	23	0	n/a	n/a	0	787
2004	711	5	3	15	1	n/a	n/a	1	736
2005	689	6	3	23	3	n/a	n/a	2	726
2006	695	7	5	22	4	n/a	n/a	2	735
2007	670	10	4	18	3	n/a	n/a	5	710
2008	636	8	5	13	4	n/a	n/a	4	670
2009	603	5	5	22	4	n/a	n/a	4	643
2010	604	6	7	29	2	n/a	n/a	6	654
2011	665	8	9	36	6	0	4	0	728
2012	634	5	16	46	3	0	2	0	706
2013	605	5	7	40	4	0	3	0	664
2014	601	5	4	57	2	0	4	0	673
2015	574	9	4	58	3	0	6	0	654
2016	537	8	4	53	1	1	8	0	612
2017	509	13	6	54	0	0	14	0	596
2018	496	7	8	63	0	0	16	0	590
2019	500	5	12	62	1	0	15	0	595
2020	474	4	9	67	2	0	13	0	569
2021	488	4	7	57	0	0	17	0	573
2022	493	4	7	59	0	0	15	0	578
2023	465	2	8	66	1	0	15	0	557
2024	435	5	4	50	0	0	14	0	508

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Belding High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	811	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	770	n/a	n/a	13
1990	768	50.0	15.3	13.9
1991	747	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	814	n/a	n/a	16.5
1993	676	n/a	0.0	23.8
1994	865	42.0	20.6	13.6
1995	918	46.2	19.9	10.3
1996	918	46.2	19.9	10.3
1997	942	44.0	21.4	11.6
1998	760	36.0	21.1	9.6
1999	783	36.0	21.8	10
2000	777	40.0	19.4	15.3
2001	770	39.0	19.7	17.3
2002	787	39.8	19.8	36.3
2003	787	39.8	19.8	36.3
2004	736	38.6	19.1	36.5
2005	726	35.0	20.7	42
2006	735	35.8	20.5	39.8
2007	710	36.5	19.5	37.7
2008	670	35.5	18.9	40.1
2009	643	35.5	18.1	44.8
2010	654	32.9	19.8	47.4
2011	728	35.0	20.8	50
2012	706	34.2	20.6	54.4
2013	664	32.2	20.5	58.7
2014	673	31.7	21.2	56.2
2015	654	31.0	21.0	50
2016	612	30.0	20.4	48.2
2017	596	28.8	20.6	51
2018	590	27.4	21.5	49.5
2019	595	27.1	21.9	43.4
2020	569	27.1	20.9	47.1
2021	573	27.0	21.2	45.2
2022	578	28.5	20.2	46.7
2023	557	28.7	19.3	48.3
2024	508	25.0	20.3	54.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Belding High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	811	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	770	n/a	n/a	13
1990	768	50.0	15.3	13.9
1991	747	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	814	n/a	n/a	16.5
1993	676	n/a	0.0	23.8
1994	865	42.0	20.6	13.6
1995	918	46.2	19.9	10.3
1996	918	46.2	19.9	10.3
1997	942	44.0	21.4	11.6
1998	760	36.0	21.1	9.6
1999	783	36.0	21.8	10
2000	777	40.0	19.4	15.3
2001	770	39.0	19.7	17.3
2002	787	39.8	19.8	36.3
2003	787	39.8	19.8	36.3
2004	736	38.6	19.1	36.5
2005	726	35.0	20.7	42
2006	735	35.8	20.5	39.8
2007	710	36.5	19.5	37.7
2008	670	35.5	18.9	40.1
2009	643	35.5	18.1	44.8
2010	654	32.9	19.8	47.4
2011	728	35.0	20.8	50
2012	706	34.2	20.6	54.4
2013	664	32.2	20.5	58.7
2014	673	31.7	21.2	56.2
2015	654	31.0	21.0	50
2016	612	30.0	20.4	48.2
2017	596	28.8	20.6	51
2018	590	27.4	21.5	49.5
2019	595	27.1	21.9	43.4
2020	569	27.1	20.9	47.1
2021	573	27.0	21.2	45.2
2022	578	28.5	20.2	46.7
2023	557	28.7	19.3	48.3
2024	508	25.0	20.3	54.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Belding High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$607 (6.8%)	$8,344 (93.2%)	$8,951
2020	$517 (5.3%)	$9,188 (94.7%)	$9,705
2021	$892 (9.2%)	$8,800 (90.8%)	$9,691
2022	$1,302 (10.9%)	$10,604 (89.1%)	$11,906
2023	$1,382 (10.5%)	$11,724 (89.5%)	$13,106

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Belding High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 414^th of 666 High schools	Ranks 597^th of 735 High schools	19.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade Social Studies (Belding High School)	39.9	20	19.9%
11th Grade Social Studies (Belding Area School District)	39.9	20	19.9%
11th Grade Social Studies (Michigan)	46.6	36.1	10.5%
11th Grade Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Belding High School)	49.3	33.1	16.2%
11th Grade Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Belding Area School District)	49.3	33.1	16.2%
11th Grade Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (Michigan)	55.3	52.2	3.1%
11th Grade Mathematics (Belding High School)	26.1	10.7	15.4%
11th Grade Mathematics (Belding Area School District)	26.1	10.7	15.4%
11th Grade Mathematics (Michigan)	36.3	29.9	6.4%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	595	557	6.4%
African American	5	2	60%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	12	8	33.3%
Hispanic	62	66	6.5%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	500	465	7%
Two or More Races	15	15
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	43.4%	48.3%	4.9%

Schools Near Belding High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				PSAT English Language Arts (2024)	PSAT Mathematics (2024)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2024)	SAT Mathematics (2024)	M-Step English Language Arts (2024)	M-Step Math (2024)	M-Step Science (2024)		M-Step Social Studies (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Belding High School	Public	9-12	850 Hall St	Belding	48809	Ionia County	Belding Area School District	No	No	No	No	(616) 794-4900	508	25	20.3	54.5%	435 (85.6%)	5 (1.0%)	50 (9.8%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.8%)	25.9	546^th of 743 public high schools	26.5%		19.5	597^th of 735 public high schools	18.8%	51			34.7	10.5				29.8		25.8	$13,106	$1,382	$11,724
Link Learning Virtual Program	Public, Virtual	9-12	9057 W Belding Rd	Belding	48809	Ionia County	Berrien Springs Public Schools	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(616) 244-3553	2,379	22	110.6	71.8%	1,582 (66.5%)	264 (11.1%)	363 (15.3%)	4 (0.2%)	28 (1.2%)	3 (0.1%)	135 (5.7%)	7.7	689^th of 743 public high schools	7.3%		11.3	659^th of 735 public high schools	10.3%	30			19.9	2.1				11.1		15.8	$8,162	$418	$7,744
Greenville Senior High School	Public	8-12	111 N Hillcrest St	Greenville	48838	Montcalm County	Greenville Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 754-3681	1,086	54	20.1	61.0%	979 (90.1%)	19 (1.7%)	61 (5.6%)	7 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	15 (1.4%)	76.4	141^st of 743 public high schools	81.0%		60	259^th of 735 public high schools	64.8%	118			55.3	31.9				53.5		57.8	$14,102	$567	$13,535
Satterlee School	Public	7-12	8153 Satterlee Rd	Greenville	48838	Montcalm County	Greenville Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 754-3681	29	1	29.0	93.1%	27 (93.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)								(n/a)											$6,878	$536	$6,342
Handlon Correctional Facility	Public	9-12	1728 W Bluewater Hwy	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Michigan Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(616) 527-3100	3	0			0 (0.0%)	3 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility	Public	9-12	1576 W Bluewater Hwy	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Michigan Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(616) 527-6331	3	0			0 (0.0%)	3 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility	Public	9-12	1727 W Bluewater Hwy	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Michigan Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(616) 527-2510	9	0		55.6%	1 (11.1%)	7 (77.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Saranac JrSr High School	Public, Magnet	7-12	150 Pleasant St	Saranac	48881	Ionia County	Saranac Community Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(616) 642-1100	388	20	19.4	32.2%	352 (90.7%)	5 (1.3%)	21 (5.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	62.8	237^th of 743 public high schools	68.1%		79.4	125^th of 735 public high schools	83.0%	112	77.8	46.0	54.7	21.9	42.9	41.1	50.8	43.8	38.1	50.0	$12,104	$847	$11,257
Unity Alternative School	Public	9-12	300 High St	Lowell	49331	Kent County	Lowell Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 987-2550	15	1	15.0	73.3%	10 (66.7%)	1 (6.7%)	2 (13.3%)	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.7%)								(n/a)											$17,445	$730	$16,715
Douglas R Welch High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	250 E Tuttle Rd	Ionia	48846	Ionia County	Ionia Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(616) 527-3530	77	3	27.0	83.1%	62 (80.5%)	1 (1.3%)	11 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.9%)	26.3	539^th of 743 public high schools	27.5%					(n/a)								25.0		25.0	$9,596	$1,265	$8,331

Belding High School

Belding High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Belding Area School District:

What do you think?

Rank History for Belding High School

Rank History for all students at Belding High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Belding High School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Belding High School

Rank History for Female students at Belding High School

Rank History for Male students at Belding High School

Rank History for White students at Belding High School

Enrollment information for Belding High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Belding High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Belding High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Belding High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Belding High School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Belding High School