Middle Schools in Birch Run Area Schools

Marshall Greene Middle School is the sole middle school serving grades 5 through 8 in the Birch Run Area Schools district in Birch Run, Michigan, with 548 students enrolled. This school has shown remarkable improvement over the past three years, climbing from the 49th percentile in state rankings (2 stars) during 2023-2024 to the 64th percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026—a jump of 131 positions that places the district at 229th out of 625 Michigan districts.

Academically, the school demonstrates notable strengths in science and upper-grade math. In the most recent testing year, science proficiency exceeded state averages at both 5th grade (46.0% vs. 40.0%) and 8th grade (41.6% vs. 39.2%). Math scores also beat state averages at every grade level, with 6th graders posting a 3.3-point advantage. However, English Language Arts tells a more complicated story: 5th graders lag significantly behind the state by 11.5 points (32.3% vs. 43.8%), while 7th graders actually surpass the state average by 2.3 points. This grade-level disparity suggests either a particularly strong current 7th-grade cohort or more effective literacy instruction in upper grades. On the PSAT, 8th graders score close to state averages in ELA (62.3% vs. 64.8%) but trail in math (30.8% vs. 33.2%), despite outperforming the state on M-Step math—a gap that may indicate difficulty with the PSAT's more application-based format.

The school faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism at 28.7%, which is 7.9 points higher than the district rate and slightly above the state average of 27.9%. This is particularly puzzling given the improving academic performance, suggesting that attending students are highly engaged. With 52.55% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, the school's ability to exceed state averages in science and math is noteworthy. Per-student spending stands at $12,885 with a student-teacher ratio of 18.1:1. Year-to-year score volatility—such as 5th-grade ELA dropping 6.4 points and 7th-grade math rising 8.0 points—reflects the impact of individual cohorts at this school size. Parents should view single-year results cautiously but can take confidence in the school's clear upward trajectory and subject-area strengths.