Dowagiac Union Schools, Michigan

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Dowagiac Union Schools
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District details
School board members: 7
Students: 1,860 (2023-2024)
Schools: 7 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Dowagiac Union Schools is a school district in Michigan (Van Buren and Cass counties). During the 2024 school year, 1,860 students attended one of the district's seven schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, finances, academics, students, and more details about the district.

Jump to a section:
School board Elections Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

School board

Dowagiac Union Schools consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Christina Carpenter2028
Tracey Hatcher2028
Randi Taggart2028
Dominique Charles20252028
Stephanie Cooper-Tucker2026
Jeff de Varona2026
Robert Ickes2026

Elections

Click here for more information about any school board elections that Ballotpedia has covered in this district.

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District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $7,274,000 $3,621 22%
Local: $10,947,000 $5,449 33%
State: $15,317,000 $7,624 46%
Total: $33,538,000 $16,694
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $31,163,000 $15,511
Total Current Expenditures: $28,168,000 $14,020
Instructional Expenditures: $14,906,000 $7,419 48%
Student and Staff Support: $2,241,000 $1,115 7%
Administration: $3,134,000 $1,559 10%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $7,887,000 $3,925 25%
Total Capital Outlay: $642,000 $319
Construction: $125,000 $62
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $175,000 $87
Interest on Debt: $1,878,000 $934


Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 19 PS <=5 10-14 <50 15-19 24
2018-2019 21 PS <=5 15-19 <50 15-19 26
2017-2018 20 6-9 10-14 <50 15-19 23
2016-2017 24 PS 6-9 15-19 <50 15-19 30
2015-2016 26 <=5 15-19 <50 20-24 33
2014-2015 26 PS 10-14 20-24 <50 15-19 33
2013-2014 35 PS 15-19 30-34 40-59 25-29 40
2012-2013 31 PS 10-14 30-34 21-39 25-29 34
2011-2012 28 >=50 10-14 20-24 21-39 <=10 32
2010-2011 80 >=50 65-69 80-84 >=80 >=80 82

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 31 PS 6-9 20-24 <50 25-29 39
2018-2019 32 PS 15-19 20-24 >=50 30-34 36
2017-2018 25 10-14 15-19 >=50 25-29 27
2016-2017 31 PS 20-24 20-24 <50 25-29 36
2015-2016 34 10-14 25-29 <50 25-29 40
2014-2015 39 PS 20-24 25-29 <50 30-34 46
2013-2014 64 PS 40-44 55-59 60-79 65-69 69
2012-2013 62 PS 40-44 50-54 60-79 55-59 68
2011-2012 59 >=50 40-44 45-49 60-79 40-49 64
2010-2011 79 >=50 70-74 75-79 60-79 >=80 82

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 75-79 60-79 60-79 PS 60-79 75-79
2018-2019 70-74 PS 60-79 60-79 60-79 70-74
2017-2018 75-79 PS >=50 60-79 40-59 80-84
2016-2017 75-79 >=50 >=80 >=80 75-79
2015-2016 75-79 PS 60-79 >=80 60-79 75-79
2014-2015 70-74 PS >=80 60-79 PS >=50 75-79
2013-2014 70-74 PS >=80 60-79 PS PS 75-79
2012-2013 65-69 PS 60-79 40-59 PS PS 70-74
2011-2012 60-64 60-79 >=50 PS PS 65-69
2010-2011 55-59 PS 40-59 <50 >=50 60-64


Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 1,860 -2.2
2022-2023 1,900 -5.7
2021-2022 2,009 -4.8
2020-2021 2,105 -4.5
2019-2020 2,200 0.5
2018-2019 2,188 -2.0
2017-2018 2,231 0.0
2016-2017 2,231 -2.3
2015-2016 2,283 -2.0
2014-2015 2,329 0.2
2013-2014 2,324 1.2
2012-2013 2,297 -4.4
2011-2012 2,398 1.8
2010-2011 2,356 -6.6
2009-2010 2,511 -4.1
2008-2009 2,613 -3.6
2007-2008 2,707 1.6
2006-2007 2,664 -4.6
2005-2006 2,786 2.9
2004-2005 2,705 -2.4
2003-2004 2,771 -4.5
2002-2003 2,895 -2.1
2001-2002 2,957 3.0
2000-2001 2,869 -1.3
1999-2000 2,907 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Dowagiac Union Schools (%) Michigan K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 1.6 0.6
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.1 3.7
Black 7.0 18.2
Hispanic 19.4 9.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0 0.1
Two or More Races 11.7 5.3
White 60.2 63.0

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Dowagiac Union Schools had 110.50 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 16.83.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 0.50
Kindergarten: 7.20
Elementary: 50.65
Secondary: 43.75
Total: 110.50

Dowagiac Union Schools employed 14.50 district administrators and 1.20 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 14.50
District Administrative Support: 0.00
School Administrators: 1.20
School Administrative Support: 18.06
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 21.65
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 2.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 3.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 1.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 0.00
Library/Media Support: 4.55
Student Support Services: 21.47
Other Support Services: 65.33


Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Dowagiac Union Schools operates seven schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Dowagiac Middle School3796-8
Justus Gage Elementary School283PK-5
Kincheloe Elementary School224KG-5
Pathfinders Alternative Ed506-12
Patrick Hamilton Elementary220KG-5
Sister Lakes Elementary School168KG-5
Union High School5309-12

About school boards

Education legislation in Michigan

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Michigan
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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