Wattles Park Elementary School

Summary:

Wattles Park Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 378 students in grades K-4 in Battle Creek, Michigan, which is part of the Harper Creek Community Schools district. The school consistently outperforms the district and state in academic proficiency, with over 40% of 3rd and 4th graders proficient in English Language Arts and Math, compared to lower district and state averages.

Despite serving a student population with a relatively high percentage (55%) of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, Wattles Park Elementary maintains strong academic performance. However, the school has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism in recent years, rising from 5.7% in 2017-2018 to 11.7% in 2022-2023, which is still lower than some nearby schools like Beadle Lake Elementary (17.4%) and Pennfield Dunlap Elementary (28.7%). Wattles Park Elementary also has a higher proportion of White students (79.37%) compared to many of the surrounding schools, which have more diverse student populations.

Overall, Wattles Park Elementary School appears to be a strong-performing elementary school that is effectively supporting student learning and achievement, despite the socioeconomic challenges faced by its student population. The school's academic performance, racial diversity, and attendance trends provide valuable insights that can inform ongoing efforts to improve educational outcomes for all students in the Harper Creek Community Schools district and the surrounding area.


Detail:

Public K-4

 132 Wattles Rd S
       Battle Creek, MI  49014-8907


(269) 441-5853

District: Harper Creek Community Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
537th of 1,486 Michigan Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $15,430 Help


Students who attend Wattles Park Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Harper Creek Middle School
High:    Harper Creek High School

Student/teacher ratio:  17.1 Help
Number of students:  383

Racial breakdown:

White:
78.9%
Two or more races:
10.7%
Hispanic:
7.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  55.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Wattles Park Elementary School ranks better than 63.9% of elementary schools in Michigan. It also ranks first among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Harper Creek Community Schools District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.96. (See more...)
Help
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
Help
Compare Details Wattles Park Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Harper Creek Community Schools District. Racial makeup is: White (78.9%), two or more races (10.7%), Hispanic (7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 55.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Wattles Park Elementary School is 17.1. 1 elementary schools in the Harper Creek Community Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Wattles Park Elementary School employs 22.3 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Wattles Park Elementary School is $15,430, which is the lowest among 3 elementary schools in the Harper Creek Community Schools District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Wattles Park Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Wattles Park Elementary School 537th of 1486 Michigan public elementary schools. (See Wattles Park Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Harper Creek Community Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Harper Creek Community Schools 348th of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Wattles Park Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Wattles Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 36.51 1224th 1545 20.8%
2007 58.01 793rd 1565 49.3%
2008 67.29 573rd 1577 63.7%
2009 73.16 404th 1589 74.6%
2010 70.67 493rd 1552 68.2%
2011 70.61 470th 1552 69.7%
2012 84.19 178th 1566 88.6%
2013 62.36 589th 1563 62.3%
2014 68.45 457th 1533 70.2%
2015 74.55 369th 1580 76.6%
2016 74.40 343rd 1548 77.8%
2017 62.54 464th 1466 68.3%
2018 62.41 579th 1448 60.0%
2019 43.92 771st 1408 45.2%
2021 47.09 556th 1153 51.8%
2022 56.66 536th 1344 60.1%
2023 72.06 364th 1470 75.2%
2024 60.96 537th 1486 63.9%
See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Wattles Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 43.95 825th 1397 40.9%
2019 40.10 702nd 1134 38.1%
2021 42.32 430th 749 42.6%
2022 66.49 279th 1099 74.6%
2023 70.95 265th 1350 80.4%
2024 68.42 318th 1381 77.0%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Wattles Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 55.53 653rd 1443 54.7%
2019 34.62 797th 1171 31.9%
2021 38.73 554th 902 38.6%
2022 51.69 503rd 1106 54.5%
2023 70.34 303rd 1321 77.1%
2024 59.74 475th 1342 64.6%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Wattles Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.56 471st 1446 67.4%
2019 43.66 671st 1196 43.9%
2021 43.28 490th 915 46.4%
2022 51.06 535th 1139 53.0%
2023 66.70 395th 1334 70.4%
2024 51.99 604th 1347 55.2%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Wattles Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.08 572nd 1253 54.3%
2019 36.94 732nd 1128 35.1%
2021 44.12 539th 1005 46.4%
2022 45.89 592nd 1102 46.3%
2023 58.61 459th 1198 61.7%
2024 46.64 631st 1204 47.6%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary 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.

Wattles Park Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: Michigan Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Wattles Park Elementary School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 456 2 3 1 0 n/a n/a 0 462
1989 462 2 7 3 0 n/a n/a 0 474
1990 478 2 6 2 0 n/a n/a 0 488
1991 478 2 8 1 2 n/a n/a 0 491
1992 492 5 8 3 2 n/a n/a 0 510
1993 487 1 7 1 1 n/a n/a 0 497
1994 475 3 3 3 0 n/a n/a 0 484
1995 498 8 3 1 2 n/a n/a 0 512
1996 498 8 3 1 2 n/a n/a 0 512
1997 472 2 7 4 1 n/a n/a 0 486
1998 498 3 7 2 0 n/a n/a 0 510
1999 476 5 6 3 0 n/a n/a 0 490
2000 462 2 9 7 0 n/a n/a 0 480
2001 517 5 7 5 1 n/a n/a 0 535
2002 494 5 6 6 2 n/a n/a 1 514
2003 494 5 6 6 2 n/a n/a 1 514
2004 503 6 8 11 0 n/a n/a 0 528
2005 470 6 8 9 1 n/a n/a 0 494
2006 299 4 3 6 0 n/a n/a 0 312
2007 288 4 2 10 1 n/a n/a 2 307
2008 284 5 2 11 1 n/a n/a 2 305
2009 288 7 3 8 3 n/a n/a 2 311
2010 288 9 2 11 3 n/a n/a 2 315
2011 268 6 4 11 6 0 9 0 304
2012 255 3 8 12 6 0 12 0 296
2013 260 8 9 13 4 0 16 0 310
2014 269 9 8 13 4 2 12 0 317
2015 302 14 3 14 2 3 14 0 352
2016 285 15 8 15 0 2 18 0 343
2017 296 14 7 14 0 1 17 0 349
2018 282 10 4 14 1 3 25 0 339
2019 280 10 5 20 3 3 31 0 352
2020 263 9 10 21 3 3 30 0 339
2021 253 8 11 23 2 3 32 0 332
2022 268 11 10 22 1 1 31 0 344
2023 300 12 6 22 3 1 34 0 378
2024 302 8 3 27 1 1 41 0 383

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 Wattles Park Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 462 n/a n/a n/a
1989 474 n/a n/a 9.1
1990 488 23.0 21.2 10
1991 491 n/a n/a n/a
1992 510 n/a n/a 14.3
1993 497 n/a 0.0 16.1
1994 484 26.6 18.2 11.6
1995 512 21.3 24.0 15.2
1996 512 21.3 24.0 15.2
1997 486 20.0 24.3 13.2
1998 510 24.0 21.3 13.9
1999 490 24.0 20.4 11.8
2000 480 24.3 19.8 16.5
2001 535 25.3 21.1 19.1
2002 514 27.0 19.0 20.7
2003 514 27.0 19.0 20.7
2004 528 28.6 18.5 24.6
2005 494 31.6 15.6 28.1
2006 312 21.6 14.4 26.9
2007 307 19.1 16.1 26.6
2008 305 17.5 17.4 29
2009 311 18.0 17.3 27.5
2010 315 18.8 16.7 36.4
2011 304 19.3 15.7 35.2
2012 296 19.0 15.5 35.8
2013 310 18.2 16.9 38.4
2014 317 20.2 15.6 36.3
2015 352 20.0 17.6 40.6
2016 343 20.0 17.1 38.5
2017 349 20.0 17.4 40.4
2018 339 20.0 16.9 41.9
2019 352 22.0 16.0 40.3
2020 339 19.5 17.3 46.9
2021 332 23.1 14.3 47.9
2022 344 22.5 15.2 48.3
2023 378 22.2 17.0 55.3
2024 383 22.3 17.1 55.9

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 Wattles Park Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 462 n/a n/a n/a
1989 474 n/a n/a 9.1
1990 488 23.0 21.2 10
1991 491 n/a n/a n/a
1992 510 n/a n/a 14.3
1993 497 n/a 0.0 16.1
1994 484 26.6 18.2 11.6
1995 512 21.3 24.0 15.2
1996 512 21.3 24.0 15.2
1997 486 20.0 24.3 13.2
1998 510 24.0 21.3 13.9
1999 490 24.0 20.4 11.8
2000 480 24.3 19.8 16.5
2001 535 25.3 21.1 19.1
2002 514 27.0 19.0 20.7
2003 514 27.0 19.0 20.7
2004 528 28.6 18.5 24.6
2005 494 31.6 15.6 28.1
2006 312 21.6 14.4 26.9
2007 307 19.1 16.1 26.6
2008 305 17.5 17.4 29
2009 311 18.0 17.3 27.5
2010 315 18.8 16.7 36.4
2011 304 19.3 15.7 35.2
2012 296 19.0 15.5 35.8
2013 310 18.2 16.9 38.4
2014 317 20.2 15.6 36.3
2015 352 20.0 17.6 40.6
2016 343 20.0 17.1 38.5
2017 349 20.0 17.4 40.4
2018 339 20.0 16.9 41.9
2019 352 22.0 16.0 40.3
2020 339 19.5 17.3 46.9
2021 332 23.1 14.3 47.9
2022 344 22.5 15.2 48.3
2023 378 22.2 17.0 55.3
2024 383 22.3 17.1 55.9

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 Wattles Park Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $615 (5.7%) $10,200 (94.3%) $10,815
2020 $730 (6.3%) $10,912 (93.7%) $11,642
2021 $1,308 (10.7%) $10,961 (89.3%) $12,269
2022 $2,163 (15.3%) $11,938 (84.7%) $14,101
2023 $2,140 (13.9%) $13,290 (86.1%) $15,430

Data source: Michigan Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Wattles Park Elementary 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 771st of 1408 Elementary schoolsRanks 364th of 1470 Elementary schools
 30%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Wattles Park Elementary School)43.852.1
 8.3%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Harper Creek Community Schools)38.741.4
 2.7%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.140.9
 4.2%
3rd Grade Math (Wattles Park Elementary School)51.660.3
 8.7%
   3rd Grade Math (Harper Creek Community Schools)45.748.3
 2.6%
   3rd Grade Math (Michigan)46.742.9
 3.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Wattles Park Elementary School)41.457.8
 16.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Harper Creek Community Schools)38.844.6
 5.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.844.3
 1.5%
4th Grade Math (Wattles Park Elementary School)35.745.8
 10.1%
   4th Grade Math (Harper Creek Community Schools)35.936.9
 1%
   4th Grade Math (Michigan)41.838.6
 3.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students352378
 7.4%
African American1012
 20%
American Indian33
Asian56
 20%
Hispanic2022
 10%
Pacific Islander31
 66.7%
White280300
 7.1%
Two or More Races3134
 9.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients40.3%55.3%
 15%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Wattles Park Elementary School

Students at Wattles Park Elementary School are 79% White, 11% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 2% African American.

Students who attend Wattles Park Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Harper Creek Middle School
High : Harper Creek High School

Wattles Park Elementary School ranks 537th of 1486 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2023-24 school year, 383 students attended Wattles Park Elementary School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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