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Mackinaw Trail Middle School

Q: Is Mackinaw Trail Middle School a good school?

Mackinaw Trail Middle School ranks 175 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

175^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 80% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Mackinaw Trail Middle School in Cadillac, MI, is a large, high-achieving school serving 683 students in grades 6 through 8, making it more than double the size of any nearby middle school in the rural Cadillac area.

This school stands out for its exceptional performance in math and science. For example, 7th-grade math proficiency reached 55.4% in the most recent school year, far exceeding the state average of 33.3% and outperforming nearby schools like McBain Middle School (35.9%) and Manton Consolidated Middle School (28.4%). Similarly, 8th-grade science proficiency hit 53%, well above the state's 39.2%. This strength has been consistent, with the school earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for six straight years and ranking in the 80th–84th percentile statewide—a stability that neighboring schools like Lake City Middle School and McBain have not matched. Notably, this success occurs even though over half of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, a rate comparable to or higher than its peers.

However, there are areas of concern. Chronic absenteeism is a persistent issue, with a rate of 28.5%—higher than the state average and significantly above McBain's 9.5%. Additionally, while the school excels overall, its support for special education students has shown extreme volatility, dropping to the 9th percentile in the most recent year after a similar low point two years prior. In English Language Arts, students meet state standards on the M-Step, but 8th-grade PSAT reading scores (63.5%) fall slightly below the state average (64.8%), suggesting room for growth in college-prep reading skills. Despite these challenges, Cadillac Area Public Schools benefits from a school that is a clear academic leader in the region, offering a wide range of opportunities thanks to its larger size.

683

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,166

Per pupil spending ?

52%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8401 S Mackinaw Trl
Cadillac, MI 49601-9746

(231) 876-5600

District: Cadillac Area Public Schools

Students who attend Mackinaw Trail Middle School usually attend:

High:

Cadillac Senior High School

Feeder schools for Mackinaw Trail Middle School:

Elementary:	Forest View Elementary School
	Franklin Elementary School
	Lincoln Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.8%

Hispanic:

4.4%

Two or more races:

2.6%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Mackinaw Trail Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 83rd percentile in 2021 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (51% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of Michigan middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg51%

Michigan avg41%

175^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 3 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

194^th of 625Cadillac Area Public Schools 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	74.9	175 of 896	80.5%	★★★★☆
2025	76.9	156 of 890	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	76.1	165 of 897	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.0	164 of 883	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	128 of 776	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	76.3	113 of 675	83.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	71.4	164 of 789	79.2%	★★★★☆
2025	72.9	160 of 789	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	71.2	153 of 771	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	137 of 770	82.2%	★★★★☆
2022	74.9	113 of 657	82.8%	★★★★☆
2021	77.4	77 of 521	85.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	67.6	62 of 257	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	56.5	99 of 246	59.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	65.9	205 of 834	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	72.5	148 of 832	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	79.6	84 of 836	90.0%	★★★★★
2023	76.3	111 of 825	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.4	80 of 691	88.4%	★★★★☆
2021	75.7	63 of 523	88.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	72.5	174 of 813	78.6%	★★★★☆
2025	74.9	156 of 798	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	74.3	153 of 786	80.5%	★★★★☆
2023	69.2	179 of 776	76.9%	★★★★☆
2022	70.8	132 of 658	79.9%	★★★★☆
2021	67.2	127 of 540	76.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	17.6	215 of 236	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	49.4	91 of 244	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	18.9	182 of 201	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	185 of 199	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	58 of 70	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	201 of 687	70.7%	★★★★☆
2025	67.0	187 of 696	73.1%	★★★★☆
2024	65.4	192 of 701	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.8	203 of 688	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	68.1	155 of 638	75.7%	★★★★☆
2021	72.2	114 of 577	80.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)79th percentile~ school

Male (2026)79th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)76th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)75th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2026)9th percentile-72 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies55%+4 vs state

Science53%+14 vs state

Math51%+19 vs state

English Language Arts47%+9 vs state

Mathematics38%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mackinaw Trail Middle School

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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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 4th 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 4th 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
Mackinaw Trail Middle School	Public	6-8	8401 S Mackinaw Trl	Cadillac	49601	Wexford County	Cadillac Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 876-5600	683	39	17.3	52.0%	620 (90.8%)	6 (0.9%)	30 (4.4%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.6%)	74.9	175^th of 896 public middle schools	80.5%		76.9	156^th of 890 public middle schools	82.5%	19	63.5	37.6			46.7	47.4			46.7	55.4		53.0		54.6	$14,166	$866	$13,299
McBain Middle School	Public	6-8	107 E Maple St	Mc Bain	49657	Missaukee County	McBain Rural Agricultural Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 825-8041	267	14	18.7	48.3%	232 (86.9%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.5%)	56.9	334^th of 896 public middle schools	62.7%		60.5	296^th of 890 public middle schools	66.7%	38	64.1	37.0			30.1	44.9			22.6	35.9		42.4		54.3	$13,088	$906	$12,182
Pine River Area Middle School	Public	4-7	17445 Pine River Rd	Leroy	49655	Osceola County	Pine River Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 829-3841	261	17	15.0	61.7%	237 (90.8%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.6%)	47.3	438^th of 896 public middle schools	51.1%		50.9	395^th of 890 public middle schools	55.6%	43			29.2	24.1	27.8	40.0	26.2	31.0	25.0	35.0	34.5		17.2		$15,571	$1,445	$14,126
Lake City Middle School	Public	6-8	251 Russell St	Lake City	49651	Missaukee County	Lake City Area School District	No	No	No	No	(231) 839-6600	265	16	16.9	66.8%	241 (90.9%)	2 (0.8%)	11 (4.2%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.3%)	70.8	211^th of 896 public middle schools	76.5%		72.7	191^st of 890 public middle schools	78.5%	20	64.7	43.5			28.3	50.0			43.5	48.6		65.5		52.4	$13,403	$900	$12,503
Manton Consolidated Middle School	Public	5-8	105 5th St	Manton	49663	Wexford County	Manton Consolidated Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 824-6401	305	17	17.8	49.5%	272 (89.2%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (2.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.6%)	66	244^th of 896 public middle schools	72.8%		63.4	270^th of 890 public middle schools	69.7%	26	77.4	37.1		46.9	48.6	32.4		43.8	32.4	28.4	48.4	59.7	31.3	61.3	$13,630	$1,083	$12,547

Frequently Asked Questions about Mackinaw Trail Middle School

What district is Mackinaw Trail Middle School in?

Cadillac Area Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Mackinaw Trail Middle School?

Students at Mackinaw Trail Middle School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Is Mackinaw Trail Middle School a good school?

Mackinaw Trail Middle School ranks 175^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Mackinaw Trail Middle School attend?

Students who attend Mackinaw Trail Middle School usually go on to attend Cadillac Senior High School

How many students attend Mackinaw Trail Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 683 students attended Mackinaw Trail Middle School.

Rate Mackinaw Trail Middle School!

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MIMichigan Middle School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Cadillac, MI

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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.