Summary:
Menominee Junior High School is the sole middle school in the Menominee Area Public Schools district, serving grades 6-8 with 271 students in a moderate-to-high poverty area where 53% qualify for free or reduced lunch.
This school shows a clear pattern: 8th graders perform near or above state averages, while 6th and 7th graders lag significantly. The standout strength is 8th grade PSAT math, where 38.2% of students are proficient versus the state's 33.2%, and 8th grade science improved dramatically from 34.9% to 43.8% proficiency in one year—now 4.6 points above the state. However, 6th grade math proficiency sits at just 17.5% (state: 31.9%) and 7th grade math at 16.0% (state: 33.3%), representing gaps of 14-17 points. The school's state ranking has improved steadily from the 36th percentile (2023-24) to the 49th percentile (2025-26), suggesting positive momentum despite mixed results.
Parents should note that the school experiences dramatic cohort effects—the current 7th graders dropped 12.7 points in math and 9.2 points in ELA year-over-year, but this same group was already the lowest-performing cohort as 6th graders, indicating a challenging group rather than a systemic decline. Chronic absenteeism (27.1%) matches the state average but exceeds the district's 21.1%, making attendance a potential high-leverage target. The "8th grade bounce" phenomenon—where students near or exceed state averages by 8th grade—suggests the school's educational model ultimately works, but progress for younger students needs acceleration. With per-student spending of $8,123 and a 20.4:1 student-teacher ratio, resources are modest, yet the school's consistent improvement in state rankings and strong 8th grade science and PSAT math results indicate that targeted interventions in 6th and 7th grade math and ELA could yield substantial gains.
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