Many of the schools people have been mentioning are CTCL (Colleges that Change Lives) schools. It’s a book (originally) and now a non-profit organization of forty-four mostly private LACs. Most important to you, many of the schools dish out significant merit. I recommend finding the book (for purchase or at your library) or at least visiting the website/Wikipedia entry. For the sake of transparency, I need to state that I am a graduate of one of the CTCL schools.
Also, your original post questioned the rigor of Kalamazoo C. K College is one of the CTCL schools, and its academic reputation is stellar. The only complaint I’ve heard is that K-College has become, like so many LACs, a very progressive environment, but this would probably be great for your daughter. Don’t be fooled. A lot of the quiet midwestern LACs (Earlham, Kalamazoo, Beloit, Macalaster) are rigorous, progressive places.