Midland Public Schools

Midland Public Schools serves about 7,773 students across 12 schools in Midland, Michigan, including seven elementary schools (one pre-primary center), two middle schools, two high schools, and one alternative school, with the district ranking in the 86th percentile statewide and earning a 4-star rating.

For parents, the standout academic option is HH Dow High School, which ranks in the 96th percentile (5 stars) and posts SAT math proficiency (57%) more than double the state average, though Midland High School has a higher graduation rate (92.3% vs. 89.4%). At the middle school level, Jefferson Middle School clearly outperforms Northeast Middle School, with 8th-grade PSAT math proficiency of 64.2% versus 58.8% and a much lower chronic absenteeism rate (14.2% vs. 22.7%). Among elementary schools, Siebert Elementary School and Woodcrest Elementary School are the top performers, both ranking in the 86th-91st percentile; Siebert achieves this with the lowest per-student spending ($12,481), while Woodcrest shines in 5th-grade science (77.8% proficiency, nearly double the state average). Adams Elementary School also posts strong results with low absenteeism (14.7%), while Chestnut Hill Elementary School and Central Park Elementary School lag behind, ranking in the 54th and 64th percentiles respectively.

A key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee better outcomes—Siebert spends the least yet scores among the highest, while Central Park spends the most among traditional elementary schools but ranks near the bottom. The district also shows a clear socioeconomic achievement gap: schools with higher free/reduced lunch rates, like Central Park (62.23%) and Plymouth Elementary School (51.23%), tend to have lower test scores and higher absenteeism. Notably, PrePrimary Center at Carpenter Street School invests heavily in early education with an 8.1:1 student-teacher ratio, while Juvenile Justice Center serves just 11 students with unique challenges. Overall, the district exceeds state averages in nearly every subject, with particular strength in early literacy and science, though parents should weigh school-specific poverty rates and chronic absenteeism when choosing a school.