Middle Schools in Lansing Public School District

The Lansing Public School District contains two middle schools—Sheridan Road (grades 5-8, 356 students) and Mt Hope School (grades 4-8, 323 students)—both serving predominantly low-income families in an urban Michigan setting where the district ranks in the 14th percentile statewide.

For parents comparing the two, Mt Hope School is the stronger choice academically. It ranks higher statewide (810th vs. 839th), maintains a 1-star rating while Sheridan Road has fallen to 0 stars, and posts significantly better 8th grade PSAT ELA scores (44.9% vs. 30.2% proficiency). Mt Hope also excels in 8th grade science (22.4% vs. 12.5%) and offers a better student-teacher ratio (16.3:1 vs. 19.2:1). However, both schools struggle with math—8th grade PSAT math proficiency sits at just 10.5% at Sheridan Road and 8.16% at Mt Hope, far below the state's 33.2%. Sheridan Road shows particular weakness in 7th grade, where only 3.45% of students are proficient in ELA and 3.41% in math, a dramatic drop from their 6th grade performance.

The most pressing issue for both schools is chronic absenteeism, affecting 57.7% of students at Sheridan Road and 56.1% at Mt Hope—more than double the state average of 27.9%. With over half of students regularly missing school, academic progress is severely hampered regardless of the high per-student spending ($19,137 at Sheridan Road, $22,354 at Mt Hope). While Mt Hope's higher spending and lower poverty rate (91.95% vs. 96.35% free/reduced lunch) may contribute to its edge, both schools fall dramatically below state proficiency averages across all subjects. Parents should note the year-to-year volatility in scores, suggesting outcomes depend heavily on specific student cohorts. The district's urgent need is addressing absenteeism and implementing targeted math interventions, as current single-digit proficiency rates in several grades indicate systemic challenges that funding alone hasn't solved.