Summary:
The two middle schools in Taylor School District, located in the downriver Detroit area of Michigan, serve grades 6-8 and face significant challenges related to high poverty and chronic absenteeism, with both schools trailing state averages in every subject.
Robert J West Middle School is the higher-performing of the two schools, consistently outpacing Hoover Middle School across nearly every academic metric. West ranks in the 21st percentile statewide, while Hoover sits in the 5th percentile. For example, in 8th-grade social studies, West's proficiency rate is 39.5% compared to Hoover's 16.8%, and in 8th-grade PSAT ELA, West reaches 52% versus Hoover's 36.4%. West also has a lower poverty rate (76.44% free/reduced lunch) and a lower chronic absenteeism rate (43.7%) than Hoover (86.99% and 58.4%, respectively). Notably, West shows a relative strength in social studies and ELA, with its PSAT ELA proficiency nearly six times higher than its PSAT math proficiency (52% vs. 9%).
Hoover Middle School faces more severe obstacles, with nearly 6 in 10 students chronically absent—more than double the state average of 27.9%. Despite receiving $3,011 more per student ($23,028 vs. $20,017) and maintaining a better student-teacher ratio (13.7:1 vs. 17:1), Hoover's outcomes lag significantly behind West's. For instance, only 5.6% of Hoover's 6th graders are proficient in math, compared to 11.2% at West. Both schools have seen volatility in scores year-over-year, and while West's state percentile has fluctuated between 18th and 26th over three years, Hoover has trended downward from the 10th to the 5th percentile. The most promising areas for improvement appear to be addressing chronic absenteeism and providing targeted math intervention, as math proficiency gaps versus the state range from 20 to 28 percentage points at both schools.
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