Summary:
There is one public middle school in Howell, Michigan—Highlander Way Middle School, part of the Howell Public Schools district—serving grades 6 through 8 with an enrollment of 789 students in a suburban community northwest of Detroit.
Highlander Way Middle School has maintained a stable position in the top third of Michigan middle schools over the past three years, ranking around the 67th percentile statewide. The school’s greatest academic strength is in 8th grade, where students significantly outperform state averages in Social Studies (55.8% proficient vs. 50.3% statewide) and PSAT English Language Arts (69.6% vs. 64.8%). Science proficiency is also solid at 45.6%, beating the state average by over six points. However, math tells a different story—while 8th grade PSAT math (36.8%) edges out the state average (33.2%), there is a striking 32.8-point gap between the school’s own ELA and math scores, suggesting literacy skills are far more developed than mathematical reasoning. In lower grades, 6th grade ELA proficiency (31.3%) falls below the state average, while 7th grade math (36.0%) runs above it.
Financially, the school spends a robust $15,464 per student, well above typical state levels, and has a relatively low poverty rate with just 23% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Yet two operational concerns stand out: chronic absenteeism sits at 31.5%, notably higher than the state’s 27.9%, and the student-teacher ratio of 17.1 suggests larger class sizes. Test scores also show considerable year-over-year volatility—for instance, 8th grade PSAT math jumped from 26.6% to 36.8% proficiency in one year, while 6th grade ELA dropped by roughly 10 points. For parents, this means Highlander Way offers strong humanities instruction and above-average science outcomes, but math achievement and consistent attendance are areas to watch closely.
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