Summary:
Hillsdale Community Schools is home to just one middle school, Davis Middle School, which serves grades 5 through 8 in Hillsdale, Michigan, a community where nearly 60% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Davis Middle School presents a mixed academic profile. The school’s biggest strength is mathematics: 5th and 6th graders outperform the state average in math (36.1% vs. 32.2% and 33.3% vs. 31.9% proficient, respectively), and 8th graders also beat the state on the PSAT math portion (36.9% vs. 33.2%). Science is another bright spot for 5th graders, who exceed the state by nearly 6 percentage points. However, English Language Arts is a clear weakness, with proficiency gaps of 5 to 11 points below state averages in every grade tested. The most concerning trend is a pronounced "6th grade slump"—ELA proficiency drops from 38.9% in 5th grade to just 26.4% in 6th grade, suggesting transition challenges into middle school. Upper-grade performance in 7th grade remains weak in both ELA (29.4%) and math (26.7%).
On a positive note, chronic absenteeism at Davis Middle School is a relative strength at 19.1%, significantly better than the state average of 27.9%, indicating good family engagement despite economic challenges. The school also showed remarkable improvement in 8th grade science, jumping from 19.8% to 36.9% proficiency in one year. Statewide rankings have been volatile, swinging from the 66th percentile (3 stars) in 2023-2024, down to the 37th percentile, and back up to the 49th percentile in 2025-2026. With per-student spending of $14,067 and a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio, resources are adequate, but the school’s middling overall performance suggests that funding alone isn't driving top-tier results. For parents, this school offers solid math instruction and a supportive attendance culture, but literacy intervention and support for 6th and 7th graders will be key areas to watch.
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