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Highlander Way Middle School

Q: Is Highlander Way Middle School a good school?

Highlander Way Middle School ranks 288 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

288^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 68% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Highlander Way Middle School in Howell, MI, serves 789 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Howell Public Schools district, which ranks in the 65th percentile statewide. The school has earned a consistent 3-star rating over the past decade, placing it in the 67th-70th percentile of Michigan middle schools—a solidly average performance that is stable but noticeably behind several of its more affluent neighboring districts.

The most striking difference is the academic gap between Highlander Way and schools in nearby Brighton and Hartland districts. For example, in 7th-grade ELA, only 37.1% of Highlander Way students were proficient, compared to 66.1% at Scranton Middle School and 60.5% at Hartland Middle School at Ore Creek. The math gap is even wider, with Highlander Way at 36% proficiency versus roughly 63% at both neighboring schools. This correlates with a higher rate of students eligible for free and reduced lunch (23%) compared to Scranton's 6.6%. However, Highlander Way outperforms its closest geographic rival, Fowlerville Junior High School, particularly in 8th-grade PSAT math (36.8% vs. 24.8%).

There are bright spots and concerns. The school excels in 8th-grade science, consistently beating the state average (45.6% vs. 39.2%). Hispanic students showed a dramatic improvement, jumping from the 38th to the 83rd percentile in one year. However, math proficiency drops sharply by 8th grade, and the school struggles significantly with special education students, whose ranking fell from the 54th to the 17th percentile. Chronic absenteeism is a major issue, with a 31.5% rate in 2024-2025—worse than the state average and a growing problem within the district. For parents, this means a school with solid science instruction and recent wins for some student groups, but persistent challenges in math and attendance that families should monitor closely.

789

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,464

Per pupil spending ?

23.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

511 N Highlander Way
Howell, MI 48843-1019

(517) 540-8270

District: Howell Public Schools

Students who attend Highlander Way Middle School usually attend:

High:

Howell High School

Feeder schools for Highlander Way Middle School:

Elementary:	Challenger Elementary School
	Northwest Elementary School
	Ruahmah J Hutchings Elementary
	Voyager Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.6%

Hispanic:

4.6%

Two or more races:

1.6%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Highlander Way Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school43%

District avg42%

Michigan avg41%

288^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

216^th of 625Howell 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	61.1	288 of 896	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.7	293 of 890	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	285 of 897	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.9	293 of 883	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.3	229 of 776	70.5%	★★★★☆
2021	65.8	176 of 675	73.9%	★★★★☆
2019	61.7	252 of 792	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.3	270 of 838	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.8	251 of 821	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.8	245 of 894	72.6%	★★★★☆
2015	75.4	173 of 919	81.2%	★★★★☆
2014	81.3	124 of 921	86.5%	★★★★☆
2013	82.6	111 of 919	87.9%	★★★★☆
2012	79.9	142 of 900	84.2%	★★★★☆
2011	76.4	166 of 858	80.7%	★★★★☆
2010	71.4	263 of 851	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	76.6	166 of 847	80.4%	★★★★☆
2008	77.1	162 of 839	80.7%	★★★★☆
2007	75.8	180 of 823	78.1%	★★★★☆
2006	76.0	175 of 806	78.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	309 of 789	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.0	361 of 789	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.9	358 of 771	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.5	345 of 770	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.0	202 of 657	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.0	139 of 521	73.3%	★★★★☆
2019	56.7	248 of 658	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.1	285 of 794	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	76.6	45 of 260	82.7%	★★★★☆
2025	35.0	165 of 265	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.4	72 of 246	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	53.2	113 of 266	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	44.1	449 of 834	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.1	456 of 832	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.1	398 of 836	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.3	493 of 825	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	352 of 691	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	67.6	111 of 523	78.8%	★★★★☆
2019	62.7	197 of 672	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	58.1	307 of 815	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	59.2	270 of 813	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.5	234 of 798	70.7%	★★★★☆
2024	62.9	234 of 786	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	59.9	245 of 776	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.3	232 of 658	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.4	175 of 540	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	224 of 639	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.5	223 of 797	72.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	33.3	162 of 236	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.6	203 of 244	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.0	92 of 201	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.9	101 of 199	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	43 of 70	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.2	99 of 377	73.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	331 of 687	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.0	337 of 696	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.0	329 of 701	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.4	322 of 688	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.1	239 of 638	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	184 of 577	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.2	280 of 624	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.5	297 of 678	56.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)83rd percentile+15 vs school

Male (2026)67th percentile~ school

Female (2026)61st percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)52nd percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)46th percentile-22 vs school

Special Education (2026)31st percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies56%+6 vs state

Science46%+6 vs state

Mathematics37%+4 vs state

Math35%~ state avg

English Language Arts34%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highlander Way 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
Highlander Way Middle School	Public	6-8	511 N Highlander Way	Howell	48843	Livingston County	Howell Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 540-8270	789	46	17.1	23.1%	723 (91.6%)	3 (0.4%)	36 (4.6%)	6 (0.8%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	13 (1.6%)	61.1	288^th of 896 public middle schools	67.9%		60.7	293^rd of 890 public middle schools	67.1%	5	69.6	36.8		31.3	37.1		33.6	36.0		45.6		55.8	$15,464	$545	$14,919
Fowlerville Junior High School	Public	6-8	7677 W Sharpe Rd	Fowlerville	48836	Livingston County	Fowlerville Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 223-6003	550	29	18.7	33.5%	517 (94.0%)	4 (0.7%)	18 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	58	322^nd of 896 public middle schools	64.1%		46	460^th of 890 public middle schools	48.3%	138	68.3	24.8		42.5	36.2		38.9	36.2		35.0		51.5	$14,849	$770	$14,080
Maltby Intermediate School	Public	5-6	4740 Bauer Rd	Brighton	48116	Livingston County	Brighton Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(810) 299-3600	866	47	18.3	9.4%	795 (91.8%)	5 (0.6%)	27 (3.1%)	13 (1.5%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (2.7%)								(n/a)			69.5	69.4		66.7	67.0		56.1		48.2		$14,911	$803	$14,108
Charyl Stockwell Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	1021 Karl Greimel Dr	Brighton	48116	Livingston County	Charyl Stockwell Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(810) 632-2200	282	19	15.1	18.4%	252 (89.4%)	3 (1.1%)	12 (4.3%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.5%)	77	164^th of 896 public middle schools	81.7%		79.1	145^th of 890 public middle schools	83.7%	19	82.7	41.8		50.0	58.9		27.7	34.7		56.7		73.2	$8,370	$116	$8,255
Hartland Middle School at Ore Creek	Public	7-8	3250 Hartland Rd	Hartland	48353	Livingston County	Hartland Consolidated Schools	No	No	No	No	(810) 626-2400	752	38	19.9	16.1%	690 (91.8%)	8 (1.1%)	24 (3.2%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (3.2%)	91.1	66^th of 896 public middle schools	92.6%		87.3	91^st of 890 public middle schools	89.8%	25	77.8	56.2			60.5			63.0		56.4		74.7	$12,423	$535	$11,888
Hartland Farms Intermediate School	Public	4-6	581 Taylor Rd	Brighton	48114	Livingston County	Hartland Consolidated Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(810) 626-2500	770	43	18.1	17.8%	714 (92.7%)	4 (0.5%)	23 (3.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.2%)								(n/a)			69.4	64.9		67.3	58.3		74.0		60.3		$11,806	$715	$11,091
Pathfinder School	Public	6-8	2100 E M 36	Pinckney	48169	Livingston County	Pinckney Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(810) 225-5200	473	25	18.6	18.8%	431 (91.1%)	5 (1.1%)	19 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.4%)	75.7	171^st of 896 public middle schools	80.9%		71	201^st of 890 public middle schools	77.4%	30	77.4	46.6		46.3	39.4		32.9	47.9		57.7		62.4	$13,184	$732	$12,452
Webberville Middle School	Public	6-8	309 E Grand River Rd	Webberville	48892	Ingham County	Webberville Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(517) 521-3447	107	6	19.0	37.4%	100 (93.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.8%)	57	332^nd of 896 public middle schools	62.9%		47.3	439^th of 890 public middle schools	50.7%	107	70.0	40.0		36.7	32.1		20.0	24.1		43.9		56.4	$13,791	$722	$13,070
Scranton Middle School	Public	7-8	8415 Maltby Rd	Brighton	48116	Livingston County	Brighton Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(810) 299-3700	850	43	20.0	6.6%	780 (91.8%)	3 (0.4%)	33 (3.9%)	10 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	21 (2.5%)	95.9	29^th of 896 public middle schools	96.8%		94.6	44^th of 890 public middle schools	95.1%	15	86.4	65.9			66.1			62.9		69.9		77.8	$14,088	$572	$13,516
Byron Area Middle School	Public	6-8	312 W Maple St	Byron	48418	Shiawassee County	Byron Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(810) 266-4422	142	8	17.9	51.4%	132 (93.0%)	1 (0.7%)	4 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	3 (2.1%)	41.3	505^th of 896 public middle schools	43.6%		38.6	532^nd of 890 public middle schools	40.2%	27	63.9	34.4		24.0	23.9		32.0	26.1		37.1		22.6	$12,810	$506	$12,304

Frequently Asked Questions about Highlander Way Middle School

What district is Highlander Way Middle School in?

Howell Public Schools

Is Highlander Way Middle School a good school?

Highlander Way Middle School ranks 288^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Highlander Way Middle School attend?

Students who attend Highlander Way Middle School usually go on to attend Howell High School

What is the racial makeup of Highlander Way Middle School?

Students at Highlander Way Middle School are 92% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Highlander Way Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 789 students attended Highlander Way Middle School.

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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.