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Central Middle School

Public Grades 7-8

8^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 99% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Central Middle School in Ada, MI, is a top-ranked public school serving 488 students in grades 7 and 8 as part of the highly-regarded Forest Hills Public Schools district. This school is an academic standout, currently ranked 8th out of 896 middle schools in Michigan (99th percentile) and has maintained a 5-star rating for the past decade, never dropping below the 93rd percentile in state rankings.

What truly sets Central Middle School apart is its exceptional success with all students. It ranks 1st in the state for the academic performance of its low socio-economic status students and has also earned top marks for supporting special education students (1st in the state in 2024-2025, 6th in 2025-2026). This demonstrates a remarkable ability to close achievement gaps and ensure every child thrives. Academically, the school's 8th-grade PSAT math scores are particularly impressive—76.2% of students are proficient, compared to just 33.2% statewide. This performance is a clear step up from its feeder school, Central Woodlands 56 School, showing the middle school experience adds significant academic value. It also outranks same-district peers like Northern Hills Middle School (23rd) and Eastern Middle School (10th), as well as nearby East Grand Rapids Middle School (16th).

Beyond test scores, Central Middle School shows a strong, supportive culture. After a post-pandemic spike, chronic absenteeism plummeted from 19.1% to just 6.4%—far better than the district average (9.6%) and a fraction of the state average (27.9%). With per-student spending of $15,237, the school delivers an outstanding return on investment. For parents seeking a middle school that combines rigorous academics with genuine support for every learner, Central Middle School is an exceptional choice.

488

Students ?

19.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,237

Per pupil spending ?

12.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

5810 Ada Dr SE
Ada, MI 49301-7868

(616) 493-8750

District: Forest Hills Public Schools

Students who attend Central Middle School usually attend:

High:

Central High School

Feeder schools for Central Middle School:

Elementary:	Ada Elementary School
	Ada Vista Elementary School
	Pine Ridge Elementary School
	Thornapple Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.4%

Asian:

5.9%

Hispanic:

4.7%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Central Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2016 → 99th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (78% vs 43% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% 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 school78%

District avg76%

Michigan avg43%

8^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle Schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools

11^th of 625Forest Hills 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	97.9	8 of 896	99.1%	★★★★★
2025	98.4	3 of 890	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	97.4	14 of 897	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	5 of 883	99.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.5	11 of 776	98.6%	★★★★★
2021	96.7	19 of 675	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	92.1	54 of 792	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	96.6	20 of 838	97.6%	★★★★★
2017	96.1	21 of 821	97.4%	★★★★★
2016	96.3	22 of 894	97.5%	★★★★★
2015	97.4	11 of 919	98.8%	★★★★★
2014	96.3	10 of 921	98.9%	★★★★★
2013	97.0	8 of 919	99.1%	★★★★★
2012	97.1	10 of 900	98.9%	★★★★★
2011	90.1	7 of 858	99.2%	★★★★★
2010	88.5	8 of 851	99.1%	★★★★★
2009	91.0	6 of 847	99.3%	★★★★★
2008	92.0	5 of 839	99.4%	★★★★★
2007	91.7	8 of 823	99.0%	★★★★★
2006	92.6	5 of 806	99.4%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	35 of 87	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.4	40 of 85	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.0	25 of 88	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	55.8	54 of 104	48.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	97.8	6 of 789	99.2%	★★★★★
2025	97.4	6 of 789	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	95.8	19 of 771	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	8 of 770	99.0%	★★★★★
2022	96.9	11 of 657	98.3%	★★★★★
2021	96.0	11 of 521	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	61 of 658	90.7%	★★★★★
2018	95.5	16 of 794	98.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	76.9	44 of 260	83.1%	★★★★☆
2025	95.4	5 of 265	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	82.7	29 of 257	88.7%	★★★★☆
2018	87.8	21 of 266	92.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	99.5	4 of 834	99.5%	★★★★★
2025	99.8	1 of 832	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	86.4	49 of 836	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	81.5	80 of 825	90.3%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	11 of 691	98.4%	★★★★★
2021	97.4	7 of 523	98.7%	★★★★★
2019	75.1	91 of 672	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	92.8	28 of 815	96.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	97.4	10 of 813	98.8%	★★★★★
2025	98.6	3 of 798	99.6%	★★★★★
2024	97.6	10 of 786	98.7%	★★★★★
2023	98.1	4 of 776	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	11 of 658	98.3%	★★★★★
2021	95.5	18 of 540	96.7%	★★★★★
2019	91.5	45 of 639	93.0%	★★★★★
2018	96.2	24 of 797	97.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	91.4	9 of 195	95.4%	★★★★★
2023	83.5	15 of 163	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	87.3	21 of 156	86.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	89.5	6 of 236	97.5%	★★★★★
2025	99.7	1 of 244	99.6%	★★★★★
2024	79.7	21 of 201	89.6%	★★★★★
2023	78.6	18 of 199	91.0%	★★★★★
2022	81.4	8 of 70	88.6%	★★★★☆
2021	89.4	1 of 19	94.7%	★★★★★
2019	53.6	40 of 76	47.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	88.3	15 of 377	96.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	97.4	7 of 687	99.0%	★★★★★
2025	98.0	2 of 696	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	96.6	13 of 701	98.1%	★★★★★
2023	97.7	6 of 688	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	97.0	11 of 638	98.3%	★★★★★
2021	96.7	9 of 577	98.4%	★★★★★
2019	90.8	48 of 624	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	94.4	24 of 678	96.5%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)100th percentile~ school

Female (2026)99th percentile~ school

White (2026)99th percentile~ school

Male (2026)99th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)97th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)95th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)83rd percentile-16 vs school

Asian (2026)60th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies83%+33 vs state

Mathematics76%+43 vs state

Science74%+34 vs state

Math73%+39 vs state

English Language Arts67%+29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central 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/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
Central Middle School	Public	7-8	5810 Ada Dr SE	Ada	49301	Kent County	Forest Hills Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 493-8750	488	25	19.5	12.3%	407 (83.4%)	9 (1.8%)	23 (4.7%)	29 (5.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.9%)	97.9	8^th of 896 public middle schools	99.1%		98.4	3^rd of 890 public middle schools	99.7%	5	92.7	76.2			67.3			72.7		73.7		83.4	$15,237	$586	$14,651
Central Woodlands 56 School	Public	5-6	400 Alta Dale Ave SE	Ada	49301	Kent County	Forest Hills Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 493-8790	462	25	18.1	10.2%	380 (82.3%)	8 (1.7%)	20 (4.3%)	28 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.4%)								(n/a)			72.2	70.6		62.9	69.7		67.1		59.5		$13,631	$570	$13,060
Northern Trails 56 School	Public	5-6	3777 Leonard St NE	Grand Rapids	49525	Kent County	Forest Hills Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 493-8990	520	29	17.7	17.7%	346 (66.5%)	28 (5.4%)	60 (11.5%)	47 (9.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.3%)								(n/a)			76.5	74.3		65.3	63.0		70.9		57.2		$13,924	$645	$13,279
Eastern Middle School	Public	6-8	2200 Pettis Ave NE	Ada	49301	Kent County	Forest Hills Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 493-8850	528	29	18.1	13.3%	422 (79.9%)	6 (1.1%)	21 (4.0%)	55 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.5%)	97.7	10^th of 896 public middle schools	98.9%		94.3	45^th of 890 public middle schools	94.9%	35	93.0	73.3		69.0	67.9		69.7	61.7		76.6		87.6	$14,308	$583	$13,725
Northern Hills Middle School	Public	7-8	3775 Leonard St NE	Grand Rapids	49525	Kent County	Forest Hills Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 493-8650	515	29	18.0	15.3%	345 (67.0%)	33 (6.4%)	52 (10.1%)	51 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.6%)	96.5	23^rd of 896 public middle schools	97.4%		96.8	17^th of 890 public middle schools	98.1%	6	88.8	71.9			71.8			62.9		67.7		77.3	$15,835	$576	$15,259
East Grand Rapids Middle School	Public	6-8	2425 Lake Dr SE	Grand Rapids	49506	Kent County	East Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 235-7551	710	37	19.3	7.7%	580 (81.7%)	10 (1.4%)	42 (5.9%)	12 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (9.3%)	97.3	16^th of 896 public middle schools	98.2%		96.4	24^th of 890 public middle schools	97.3%	8	88.8	71.0		76.3	68.3		73.4	67.2		65.4		80.4	$13,065	$292	$12,773
Goodwillie Environmental School	Public, Magnet	5-6	8400 2 Mile Rd NE	Ada	49546	Kent County	Forest Hills Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(616) 493-8633	103	4	24.2	5.8%	91 (88.3%)	1 (1.0%)	4 (3.9%)	2 (1.9%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.9%)								(n/a)			92.3	82.4		75.0	66.7		84.6		75.0		$13,219	$583	$12,636
Crestwood Middle School	Public	6-8	2674 44th St SE	Grand Rapids	49512	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 455-1200	700	42	16.8	73.1%	163 (23.3%)	242 (34.6%)	102 (14.6%)	140 (20.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (7.1%)	60	300^th of 896 public middle schools	66.5%		63.8	268^th of 890 public middle schools	69.9%	32	62.0	37.1		41.5	43.0		37.1	37.4		34.1		47.5	$18,139	$1,800	$16,340
Alger Middle School	Public	6-8	921 Alger St SE	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-6200	314	20	16.0	89.2%	28 (8.9%)	198 (63.1%)	56 (17.8%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.2%)	4.5	891^st of 896 public middle schools	0.6%		4.7	882^nd of 890 public middle schools	0.9%	9	20.8	280.2		1558.2	1655.1		3.5	4.0		3.9		11.8	$22,377	$4,062	$18,315
Center for Economicology	Public	6	1720 Plainfield Ave NE	Grand Rapids	49505	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2380	60	2	25.5	40.0%	29 (48.3%)	7 (11.7%)	20 (33.3%)	3 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)								(n/a)				79.3			77.6						$13,080	$1,650	$11,430

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 83% White, 6% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Is Central Middle School a good school?

Yes! Central Middle School is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 8^th of 896 Michigan middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Central Middle School attend?

Students who attend Central Middle School usually go on to attend Central High School

What district is Central Middle School in?

Forest Hills Public Schools

How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 488 students attended Central Middle School.

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Schools in Ada, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.