Summary:
Comstock Public Schools is home to a single middle school, Comstock Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 in Kalamazoo, MI, with an enrollment of 276 students.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Comstock Middle School is facing significant academic challenges. The school’s state ranking has dropped sharply over three years, from the 19th percentile to the 8th percentile, placing it in the bottom fifth of Michigan middle schools. Test scores are well below state averages in nearly every subject and grade. For example, only 6.6% of 6th graders and 16.7% of 7th graders are proficient in English Language Arts, compared to state averages of 37.5% and 38.4%. Math proficiency is even lower, with just 6.4% of 7th graders and 9.9% of 8th graders meeting standards, versus state averages above 33%. Science and social studies proficiency rates for 8th graders (29.6% and 34.8%) also trail the state (39.2% and 50.3%).
A critical factor appears to be attendance: 53.2% of students are chronically absent, nearly double the state average of 27.9%. This likely undermines even the school’s resource advantages, which include a relatively favorable student-teacher ratio of 15.9 and high per-student spending of $28,682. Despite these inputs, outcomes remain low, suggesting that money and class size alone are not solving the problem. One relative bright spot is 8th-grade PSAT English Language Arts, where 47.9% of students are proficient—still below the state’s 64.8%, but notably stronger than lower-grade results. This could indicate some progress in reading and writing by 8th grade, offering a potential foundation for improvement. Overall, parents should expect that their child will need substantial academic support, and the school’s attendance crisis is a serious concern that likely requires immediate attention.
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