Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Western Middle School

Q: Is Western Middle School a good school?

Western Middle School ranks 251 st of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

251^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 72% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Western Middle School in Auburn, MI, serves 681 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Bay City School District, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the 72nd percentile statewide for the 2025-2026 school year.

Western Middle School stands out as the clear academic leader within its district, dramatically outperforming its counterpart, Handy Middle School. For example, in 6th-grade English Language Arts, Western's proficiency rate is 45.6% compared to Handy's 19.5%. The school also consistently meets or exceeds Michigan state averages in most subjects, with particularly strong results in 8th-grade PSAT English Language Arts, where 71.9% of students are proficient—well above the state average of 64.8% and even surpassing nearby schools like White Pine Middle School (56.5%) and Bullock Creek Middle School (61%). What makes this even more impressive is that Western achieves these results while spending just $13,798 per student—significantly less than lower-performing peers like Thompson Middle School ($16,877) and Carrollton Middle School ($16,875), making it a high-value choice for families.

However, the school's success is not uniform across all student groups. While Western is exceptionally effective with male students (73rd percentile statewide), it faces challenges supporting students from low-income backgrounds, whose performance fluctuated dramatically from the 70th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 41st percentile in 2025-2026. Chronic absenteeism, at 23.8%, is better than the state average but higher than high-performing neighbors like Jefferson Middle School (14.2%) and Swan Valley Middle School (16.9%). Families should also note that schools in the neighboring Midland Public Schools district, such as Jefferson and Northeast Middle School, post higher proficiency rates in nearly every subject. Still, Western's upward trajectory over the past three years—from the 62nd to 72nd percentile—signals positive momentum worth watching.

681

Students ?

17.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,798

Per pupil spending ?

40.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

500 W Midland Rd
Auburn, MI 48611-9300

(989) 662-4489

District: Bay City School District

Students who attend Western Middle School usually attend:

High:

Bay City Western High School

Feeder schools for Western Middle School:

Elementary:	Auburn Elementary School
	Mackensen Elementary School
	McAlearSawden Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.2%

Hispanic:

5.9%

Two or more races:

5.0%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Western Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 58th percentile in 2021 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 72nd (2026) from a 58th-percentile low (2021)

✓Above the Michigan median (72nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg38%

Michigan avg41%

251^st of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 28%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to top 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Bay City School District

346^th of 625Bay City School District among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	65.4	251 of 896	72.0%	★★★★☆
2025	67.5	234 of 890	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	65.0	247 of 897	72.5%	★★★★☆
2023	54.2	338 of 883	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.4	250 of 776	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.0	284 of 675	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.0	283 of 792	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.6	229 of 838	72.7%	★★★★☆
2017	63.3	243 of 821	70.4%	★★★★☆
2016	72.1	203 of 894	77.3%	★★★★☆
2015	75.7	170 of 919	81.5%	★★★★☆
2014	75.4	182 of 921	80.2%	★★★★☆
2013	71.5	218 of 919	76.3%	★★★★☆
2012	70.4	236 of 900	73.8%	★★★★☆
2011	70.4	258 of 858	69.9%	★★★★☆
2010	69.7	290 of 851	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.2	218 of 847	74.3%	★★★★☆
2008	67.9	297 of 839	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	71.4	238 of 823	71.1%	★★★★☆
2006	73.5	202 of 806	74.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	290 of 789	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.6	216 of 789	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	53.3	291 of 771	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.7	403 of 770	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.2	242 of 657	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.6	299 of 521	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.3	284 of 658	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.5	211 of 794	73.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	142 of 260	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	18.0	236 of 265	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.5	147 of 246	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	39.9	490 of 834	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.4	251 of 832	69.8%	★★★★☆
2024	48.2	386 of 836	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.6	507 of 825	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.6	365 of 691	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.2	343 of 523	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.7	442 of 672	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.6	279 of 815	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	66.2	218 of 813	73.2%	★★★★☆
2025	64.3	224 of 798	71.9%	★★★★☆
2024	66.7	207 of 786	73.7%	★★★★☆
2023	53.7	304 of 776	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.6	241 of 658	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.6	214 of 540	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.5	238 of 639	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.8	221 of 797	72.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	125 of 195	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.4	129 of 190	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.4	45 of 156	71.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	36.3	149 of 236	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.2	181 of 244	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	50.1	153 of 377	59.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	268 of 687	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.3	250 of 696	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.4	249 of 701	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.4	355 of 688	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.5	285 of 638	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.9	266 of 577	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.1	308 of 624	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.1	253 of 678	62.7%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Male (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)63rd percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)61st percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)45th percentile-27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile-31 vs school

Special Education (2026)37th percentile-35 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)36th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies55%+4 vs state

Science48%+8 vs state

English Language Arts44%+6 vs state

Mathematics36%+3 vs state

Math31%~ state avg

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Western Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate Western Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Western Middle School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)			M-Step Math (2026)			M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Western Middle School	Public	6-8	500 W Midland Rd	Auburn	48611	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 662-4489	681	39	17.6	40.2%	594 (87.2%)	6 (0.9%)	40 (5.9%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	34 (5.0%)	65.4	251^st of 896 public middle schools	72.0%		67.5	234^th of 890 public middle schools	73.7%	17	71.9	36.4		45.6	43.1		30.0	32.9		47.6		54.8	$13,798	$922	$12,876
Northeast Middle School	Public	6-8	1305 E Sugnet Rd	Midland	48642	Midland County	Midland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 923-5772	789	49	16.1	50.7%	662 (83.9%)	22 (2.8%)	49 (6.2%)	7 (0.9%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	41 (5.2%)	85.8	103^rd of 896 public middle schools	88.5%		80.6	134^th of 890 public middle schools	84.9%	31	77.8	58.3		60.1	58.8		40.6	44.4		58.3		69.0	$14,438	$347	$14,091
Christa McAuliffe Middle School	Public	6-8	3281 Kiesel Rd	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bangor Township Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 686-7640	608	28	21.8	45.6%	477 (78.5%)	17 (2.8%)	80 (13.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.3%)	49.9	413^th of 896 public middle schools	53.9%		47.6	436^th of 890 public middle schools	51.0%	23	64.8	24.5		33.3	37.1		25.0	26.9		43.8		49.0	$13,515	$612	$12,903
Handy Middle School	Public	6-8	601 Blend St	Bay City	48706	Bay County	Bay City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 684-1723	598	44	13.6	78.8%	401 (67.1%)	28 (4.7%)	109 (18.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	57 (9.5%)	31	594^th of 896 public middle schools	33.7%		24.8	646^th of 890 public middle schools	27.4%	52	61.7	20.7		19.5	24.7		12.8	14.9		31.0		43.3	$18,342	$1,910	$16,431
Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	800 W Chapel Ln	Midland	48640	Midland County	Midland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 923-5873	919	52	17.8	27.7%	762 (82.9%)	11 (1.2%)	53 (5.8%)	49 (5.3%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	39 (4.2%)	92	62^nd of 896 public middle schools	93.1%		92.4	53^rd of 890 public middle schools	94.0%	9	80.0	64.2		64.5	63.8		50.9	62.3		62.3		66.2	$13,598	$349	$13,250
Bullock Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	644 S Badour Rd	Midland	48640	Midland County	Bullock Creek School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 631-9260	348	21	16.2	33.3%	316 (90.8%)	4 (1.1%)	13 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.6%)	61.2	285^th of 896 public middle schools	68.2%		76.2	164^th of 890 public middle schools	81.6%	121	61.0	32.2		44.5	49.1		30.1	28.4		44.9		57.6	$13,648	$965	$12,683
Carrollton Middle School	Public	6-8	3211 Carla Dr	Saginaw	48604	Saginaw County	Carrollton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 753-9704	344	23	14.7	82.6%	121 (35.2%)	93 (27.0%)	103 (29.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (7.3%)	29.2	620^th of 896 public middle schools	30.8%		20.5	689^th of 890 public middle schools	22.6%	69	59.2	17.5		21.8	25.2		5.9	7.8		32.1		49.0	$16,875	$2,280	$14,595
Cramer Junior High School	Public	5-8	313 Pine St	Essexville	48732	Bay County	Essexville-Hampton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 894-9740	484	28	17.3	42.8%	417 (86.2%)	5 (1.0%)	35 (7.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.8%)	52.5	386^th of 896 public middle schools	56.9%		51.1	393^rd of 890 public middle schools	55.8%	7	68.9	28.3	26.1	34.1	37.7	10.4	28.8	29.2	33.9	37.7	27.2	50.9	$11,805	$727	$11,078
Thompson Middle School	Public	6-8	3021 Court St	Saginaw	48602	Saginaw County	Saginaw School District of the City of	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 399-5600	585	27	21.6	90.9%	117 (20.0%)	349 (59.7%)	96 (16.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	18 (3.1%)	7.1	865^th of 896 public middle schools	3.5%		5.8	866^th of 890 public middle schools	2.7%	1	30.6	2.7		8.4	16.0		5.8	3.8		9.2		13.0	$16,877	$3,132	$13,745
White Pine Middle School	Public	6-8	505 N Center Rd	Saginaw	48638	Saginaw County	Saginaw Township Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 797-1814	1,019	62	16.3	48.4%	498 (48.9%)	214 (21.0%)	204 (20.0%)	20 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	80 (7.9%)	44.2	478^th of 896 public middle schools	46.7%		44.1	489^th of 890 public middle schools	45.1%	11	56.5	26.0		31.4	37.0		21.3	23.9		36.6		49.8	$16,412	$1,230	$15,183

Frequently Asked Questions about Western Middle School

Is Western Middle School a good school?

Western Middle School ranks 251^st of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Western Middle School in?

Bay City School District

What is the racial makeup of Western Middle School?

Students at Western Middle School are 87% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Western Middle School attend?

Students who attend Western Middle School usually go on to attend Bay City Western High School

How many students attend Western Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 681 students attended Western Middle School.

Rate Western Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Middle School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Auburn, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Western Middle School!

Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.