Summary:
Morley Stanwood Middle School is the sole middle school within Morley Stanwood Community Schools, serving grades 6 through 8 in Morley, Michigan, with an enrollment of 234 students. This school operates in a community where 66% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and chronic absenteeism runs at 31.4%—higher than the state average of 27.9%.
Academically, the school shows a mixed but improving picture. In the 2025-2026 school year, 8th graders posted the strongest results, with 56.7% proficiency in PSAT ELA and 25.6% in PSAT Math—the latter representing a dramatic 11.9-point jump from the prior year. Science and social studies also improved significantly, rising by 7.8 and 6.4 points respectively. However, 6th and 7th grade math remains a critical weakness, with proficiency at just 14.7% and 12.9%, leaving gaps of 17 to 20 points behind state averages. The most concerning trend is in 7th grade ELA, which dropped 4.9 points to 17.7% proficiency, creating the school’s largest single-subject gap (-20.7 points) compared to Michigan. By contrast, 6th grade ELA improved by 6.4 points to 26.7%, showing that progress is uneven across grade levels.
Despite these challenges, the school appears to be on a rebound. Its state ranking improved from 673rd to 616th over the past year, and six of eight assessment categories showed year-over-year gains. Per-student spending is robust at $15,667, giving the district resources to target interventions. For parents, the key takeaway is that while math and 7th grade reading need urgent attention, the school is making measurable strides—especially in 8th grade—and the recent PSAT math surge suggests that focused efforts can yield quick results. Addressing chronic absenteeism, which likely compounds learning gaps, will be essential to sustaining this positive trajectory.
Thank you for your feedback!