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MacDonald Middle School

Q: Is MacDonald Middle School a good school?

MacDonald Middle School ranks 180 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

180^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 80% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

MacDonald Middle School in East Lansing, MI, serves 857 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the highly regarded East Lansing School District, which ranks in the 81st percentile statewide. The school has maintained a solid 4-star rating for the past decade, with its state ranking hovering between the 76th and 89th percentiles over the last ten years.

MacDonald consistently outperforms the state average across nearly all subjects and grade levels, with particularly strong results in English Language Arts and Social Studies. For example, 7th-grade ELA proficiency stands at 51.6% compared to the state's 38.4%, and 8th-grade Social Studies proficiency reaches 62.7% versus 50.3% statewide. However, families comparing schools in this competitive region will notice that nearby Haslett Middle School, Chippewa Middle School, and DeWitt Middle School all post higher proficiency rates—for instance, in 8th-grade PSAT Math, MacDonald's 37.4% proficiency is nearly half of Haslett's 64.1%. The school also demonstrates notable strengths with specific student groups, ranking in the 86th percentile for effectiveness with White students and the 74th percentile with African American students, though its performance with Asian students has declined to the 39th percentile and Low Socio-Economic Status students rank at the 43rd percentile.

The most pressing concern for parents is chronic absenteeism. MacDonald's rate of 30.8% for the 2024-2025 school year exceeds both the state average (27.9%) and its district average (26.4%), and it's more than double the rates at DeWitt Middle School (13.6%) and Kinawa School (15.9%). On the resource side, MacDonald spends $12,626 per student—less than all nearby comparable schools—and maintains a higher student-to-teacher ratio of 19.5. While this efficiency is noteworthy, it raises questions about whether additional investment could help close the achievement gap with top-tier neighbors or address the absenteeism challenge. Overall, MacDonald offers strong academics in a supportive district, but families should weigh its performance against the exceptional options nearby.

857

Students ?

19.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,626

Per pupil spending ?

37.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1601 Burcham Dr
East Lansing, MI 48823-3780

(517) 333-7600

District: East Lansing School District

Students who attend MacDonald Middle School usually attend:

High:

East Lansing High School

Feeder schools for MacDonald Middle School:

Elementary:	Donley Elementary School
	Glencairn School
	Marble School
	Robert L Green Elementary
	More...
	Whitehills Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.9%

African American:

18.0%

Hispanic:

13.2%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare MacDonald Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2016 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of Michigan middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg50%

Michigan avg41%

180^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 11% (2016) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

120^th of 625East Lansing 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	74.5	180 of 896	79.9%	★★★★☆
2025	70.0	211 of 890	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	75.4	169 of 897	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	188 of 883	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	169 of 776	78.2%	★★★★☆
2021	79.6	95 of 675	85.9%	★★★★☆
2019	74.4	156 of 792	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	83.3	119 of 838	85.8%	★★★★☆
2017	82.1	108 of 821	86.8%	★★★★☆
2016	85.4	94 of 894	89.5%	★★★★☆
2015	83.6	102 of 919	88.9%	★★★★☆
2014	80.9	128 of 921	86.1%	★★★★☆
2013	82.6	112 of 919	87.8%	★★★★☆
2012	84.3	101 of 900	88.8%	★★★★☆
2011	72.4	224 of 858	73.9%	★★★★☆
2010	72.4	244 of 851	71.3%	★★★★☆
2009	76.0	176 of 847	79.2%	★★★★☆
2008	76.7	170 of 839	79.7%	★★★★☆
2007	77.5	160 of 823	80.6%	★★★★☆
2006	79.6	125 of 806	84.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.8	87 of 337	74.2%	★★★★☆
2025	67.4	71 of 338	79.0%	★★★★☆
2024	64.4	67 of 300	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	50.6	124 of 310	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	52 of 182	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	57.2	75 of 196	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.4	78 of 366	78.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	53 of 87	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.9	67 of 85	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	68 of 88	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	69 of 87	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.6	38 of 57	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.1	68 of 104	34.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	54 of 108	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.1	20 of 88	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	63.1	16 of 72	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	80.0	5 of 46	89.1%	★★★★★
2018	65.2	38 of 154	75.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	69.7	173 of 789	78.1%	★★★★☆
2025	59.8	251 of 789	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.0	174 of 771	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	66.9	192 of 770	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	61.9	189 of 657	71.2%	★★★★☆
2021	70.3	102 of 521	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	68.3	170 of 658	74.2%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	110 of 794	86.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	47.4	129 of 260	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.8	149 of 265	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.7	146 of 257	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.9	178 of 246	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	59.9	49 of 138	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.9	41 of 137	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	60.9	86 of 266	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	41.7	475 of 834	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.5	520 of 832	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	409 of 836	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.1	581 of 825	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.4	406 of 691	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	69.9	93 of 523	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	47.3	346 of 672	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.3	239 of 815	70.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	73.1	170 of 813	79.1%	★★★★☆
2025	72.5	172 of 798	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	74.4	151 of 786	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	69.2	178 of 776	77.1%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	144 of 658	78.1%	★★★★☆
2021	79.6	74 of 540	86.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.3	126 of 639	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	122 of 797	84.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	127 of 195	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.9	105 of 190	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.1	70 of 176	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	72 of 163	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.2	33 of 65	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.3	24 of 51	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.4	52 of 156	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	53.1	80 of 236	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.0	39 of 244	84.0%	★★★★☆
2024	69.0	37 of 201	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	37.3	127 of 199	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.0	87 of 377	76.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	83.6	93 of 687	86.5%	★★★★☆
2025	79.3	111 of 696	84.1%	★★★★☆
2024	82.9	92 of 701	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	84.7	82 of 688	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	83.0	86 of 638	86.5%	★★★★☆
2021	85.6	60 of 577	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	84.3	83 of 624	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	89.2	54 of 678	92.0%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)86th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)79th percentile~ school

Female (2026)78th percentile~ school

African American (2026)74th percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2026)66th percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)50th percentile-30 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)50th percentile-30 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile-37 vs school

Asian (2026)39th percentile-41 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)35th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies63%+12 vs state

English Language Arts50%+12 vs state

Science46%+7 vs state

Math40%+8 vs state

Mathematics37%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near MacDonald 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
MacDonald Middle School	Public	6-8	1601 Burcham Dr	East Lansing	48823	Ingham County	East Lansing School District	No	No	No	No	(517) 333-7600	857	44	19.5	37.2%	453 (52.9%)	154 (18.0%)	113 (13.2%)	37 (4.3%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	94 (11.0%)	74.5	180^th of 896 public middle schools	79.9%		70	211^th of 890 public middle schools	76.3%	31	74.4	37.4			48.6	51.6			37.6	43.3		46.2		62.7	$12,626	$584	$12,042
Haslett Middle School	Public	6-8	1535 Franklin St	Haslett	48840	Ingham County	Haslett Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 339-8233	660	37	18.0	23.2%	459 (69.5%)	24 (3.6%)	77 (11.7%)	34 (5.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (9.7%)	91.4	64^th of 896 public middle schools	92.9%		89	80^th of 890 public middle schools	91.0%	16	88.8	64.1			55.6	56.2			59.5	46.0		63.6		76.5	$13,655	$299	$13,356
Chippewa Middle School	Public	6-8	4000 Okemos Rd	Okemos	48864	Ingham County	Okemos Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 706-4800	726	45	16.1	14.3%	405 (55.8%)	52 (7.2%)	26 (3.6%)	173 (23.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	68 (9.4%)	94.5	39^th of 896 public middle schools	95.6%		95.2	37^th of 890 public middle schools	95.8%	2	88.4	59.9				67.0				54.7		66.8		77.0	$15,149	$293	$14,856
Kinawa School	Public	5-6	1900 Kinawa Dr	Okemos	48864	Ingham County	Okemos Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 706-4702	735	47	15.7	17.6%	391 (53.2%)	45 (6.1%)	28 (3.8%)	167 (22.7%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (13.6%)								(n/a)				60.3	63.3			48.9	53.2		66.2		48.7		$14,713	$305	$14,408
Sheridan Road	Public	5-8	16900 Cedar St	Lansing	48906	Clinton County	Lansing Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 755-1630	356	19	19.2	96.3%	74 (20.8%)	129 (36.2%)	86 (24.2%)	18 (5.1%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (12.6%)	8.9	839^th of 896 public middle schools	6.4%		7.5	848^th of 890 public middle schools	4.7%	9	30.2	10.5		1464.2	10.1	3.5		10.3	10.1	3.4	7.9	12.5	1462.3	23.9	$19,137	$2,929	$16,208
Bath Middle School	Public	6-8	13675 Webster Rd	Bath	48808	Clinton County	Bath Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 641-6781	241	14	17.7	41.5%	194 (80.5%)	4 (1.7%)	19 (7.9%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (8.3%)	67.6	232^nd of 896 public middle schools	74.1%		66.8	240^th of 890 public middle schools	73.0%	8	66.2	40.3			41.3	44.7			43.8	31.2		41.6		63.6	$14,144	$695	$13,449
East Intermediate School	Public	5-6	3131 W Michigan Ave	Lansing	48917	Eaton County	Waverly Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 484-8830	429	28	15.3	61.3%	109 (25.4%)	144 (33.6%)	106 (24.7%)	11 (2.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (13.1%)								(n/a)				32.4	24.5			14.6	13.5		26.5		17.8		$14,993	$708	$14,285
Holt Junior High School	Public	7-8	1784 Aurelius Rd	Holt	48842	Ingham County	Holt Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 694-7117	713	42	16.8	42.2%	362 (50.8%)	115 (16.1%)	107 (15.0%)	30 (4.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (13.6%)	47	443^rd of 896 public middle schools	50.6%		45.4	471^st of 890 public middle schools	47.1%	28	67.8	22.1				27.4				26.2		35.4		52.5	$16,277	$410	$15,867
Mt Hope School	Public	4-8	1810 Harding Ave	Lansing	48910	Ingham County	Lansing Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(517) 755-1550	323	20	16.3	92.0%	89 (27.6%)	116 (35.9%)	56 (17.3%)	6 (1.9%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	52 (16.1%)	11.7	810^th of 896 public middle schools	9.6%		12.3	788^th of 890 public middle schools	11.5%	22	44.9	8.2	6.3	17.0	11.2	12.1	13.0	7.5	4.1	6.0	14.1	22.4	7.8	25.5	$22,354	$2,655	$19,699
Waverly Middle School	Public	7-8	620 Snow Rd	Lansing	48917	Eaton County	Waverly Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 321-7240	451	26	17.6	55.0%	123 (27.3%)	162 (35.9%)	96 (21.3%)	19 (4.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (10.9%)	23.2	665^th of 896 public middle schools	25.8%		21.2	680^th of 890 public middle schools	23.6%	15	53.5	8.9				21.1				13.1		18.5		39.8	$15,922	$719	$15,203

Frequently Asked Questions about MacDonald Middle School

Is MacDonald Middle School a good school?

MacDonald Middle School ranks 180^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is MacDonald Middle School in?

East Lansing School District

How many students attend MacDonald Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 857 students attended MacDonald Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of MacDonald Middle School?

Students at MacDonald Middle School are 53% White, 18% African American, 13% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What high school do graduates of MacDonald Middle School attend?

Students who attend MacDonald Middle School usually go on to attend East Lansing High School

Rate MacDonald Middle School!

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresNewSep 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.