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Hillside Middle School

Q: Is Hillside Middle School a good school?

Hillside Middle School ranks 504 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Hillside Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 476 students attended Hillside Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Hillside Middle School?

Students at Hillside Middle School are 44% African American, 36% White, 15% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

Q: What high school do graduates of Hillside Middle School attend?

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

Public Grades 6-8

504^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 44% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Hillside Middle School in Kalamazoo, MI, serves 476 students in grades 6 through 8 as part of the Kalamazoo Public Schools district, and it has been showing steady improvement in recent years.

Hillside has climbed from the 27th percentile statewide in 2022-2023 to the 44th percentile in 2025-2026, earning a 2-star rating. This upward trend is visible in specific subjects, like 8th-grade social studies proficiency jumping from 11.8% to 46% over that period. However, the school faces notable challenges. Chronic absenteeism is high at 45.5%, well above the state average of 27.9%. Academically, math is a particular area of need—6th-grade math proficiency (25.8%) trails the state average (31.9%), and 8th-grade PSAT math scores (24.1%) also lag behind. In contrast, English Language Arts scores are closer to state averages, with 6th-grade ELA at 35.1% versus 37.5% statewide. When compared to nearby schools, Hillside now ranks on par with Linden Grove Middle School (both at the 44th percentile) and ahead of Milwood Magnet School (34th percentile), though it still trails higher-performing schools in the Portage and Gull Lake districts, which rank in the 80th-90th percentiles.

One of the most striking findings is the wide gap in performance between different groups of students. While some subgroups perform exceptionally well—with one group ranking in the 87th percentile statewide—students from low-income backgrounds rank in the 18th percentile. There is also a gender gap, with male students (49th percentile) outperforming female students (31st percentile). The school spends a substantial $18,808 per student, which is higher than many peers, including Portage Central Middle School ($12,080), yet this higher spending hasn't closed the achievement gaps. For parents, this suggests Hillside is a school on the mend with real strengths in certain areas, but one where outcomes vary significantly depending on a student's background and gender. It's worth asking the school how they plan to address these disparities and the high absenteeism rate.

476

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,808

Per pupil spending ?

60.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1941 Alamo Ave
Kalamazoo, MI 49006-1603

(269) 337-0570

District: Kalamazoo Public Schools

Students who attend Hillside Middle School usually attend:

High:

Kalamazoo Central High School

Feeder schools for Hillside Middle School:

Elementary:	Northglade Montessori School
	Spring Valley Center for Exploration

Racial breakdown:

African American:

43.9%

White:

36.3%

Two or more races:

14.7%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Hillside Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2015 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 28% Michigan)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg33%

Michigan avg41%

504^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Kalamazoo Public Schools

407^th of 625Kalamazoo 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	41.3	504 of 896	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.0	601 of 890	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	579 of 897	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.7	643 of 883	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	576 of 776	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	672 of 792	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.4	623 of 838	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.7	630 of 821	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.3	613 of 894	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.1	605 of 919	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	28.0	702 of 921	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.2	735 of 919	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.8	729 of 900	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	18.0	772 of 858	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.7	755 of 851	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.6	664 of 847	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.5	685 of 839	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	25.0	699 of 823	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	30.8	664 of 806	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	29.2	233 of 337	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	15.2	318 of 338	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	244 of 300	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	279 of 310	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	159 of 182	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.9	195 of 196	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	290 of 366	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	14.4	154 of 154	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	30.0	548 of 789	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	20.3	636 of 789	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	547 of 771	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	592 of 770	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	536 of 657	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.2	580 of 658	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	587 of 794	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	47.2	124 of 246	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.3	164 of 266	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	20.6	681 of 834	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.7	760 of 832	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	754 of 836	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	734 of 825	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.9	607 of 691	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.6	657 of 672	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	681 of 815	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	44.1	416 of 813	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.6	527 of 798	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.6	560 of 786	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	617 of 776	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	524 of 658	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.6	590 of 639	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.4	556 of 797	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.4	172 of 195	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.3	154 of 190	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	136 of 176	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	153 of 163	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	56.4	24 of 65	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	16.5	45 of 51	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.2	85 of 156	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	18.7	211 of 236	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.9	273 of 377	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	83.9	90 of 687	86.9%	★★★★☆
2025	68.3	179 of 696	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	117 of 701	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	64.7	196 of 688	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.9	141 of 638	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	55.3	244 of 624	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.8	246 of 678	63.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)87th percentile+43 vs school

Hispanic (2023)50th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2026)49th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2026)31st percentile-13 vs school

Female (2026)31st percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile-25 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)12th percentile-32 vs school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile-33 vs school

English Language Learner (2018)<1st percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies46%-4 vs state

Science39%~ state avg

English Language Arts30%-8 vs state

Math26%-7 vs state

Mathematics24%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hillside 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 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hillside Middle School	Public	6-8	1941 Alamo Ave	Kalamazoo	49006	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 337-0570	476	28	17.3	60.1%	173 (36.3%)	209 (43.9%)	20 (4.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (14.7%)	41.3	504^th of 896 public middle schools	43.8%		30	601^st of 890 public middle schools	32.5%	97	53.3	24.1	35.1	24.7	25.8	25.3	38.7	46.0	$18,808	$1,549	$17,259
Linden Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	4241 Arboretum Pkwy	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 337-1740	727	38	18.9	62.7%	232 (31.9%)	305 (42.0%)	73 (10.0%)	14 (1.9%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (13.1%)	41.4	502^nd of 896 public middle schools	44.0%		46.2	456^th of 890 public middle schools	48.8%	46	55.2	22.5	35.6	35.2	19.8	25.3	38.8	38.4	$17,064	$1,503	$15,562
Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts	Public, Magnet	6-8	922 W Maple St	Kalamazoo	49008	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(269) 337-0730	889	46	19.3	60.4%	350 (39.4%)	278 (31.3%)	138 (15.5%)	7 (0.8%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	106 (11.9%)	44.8	467^th of 896 public middle schools	47.9%		46	459^th of 890 public middle schools	48.4%	8	51.5	28.5	34.0	38.0	23.7	28.7	37.0	42.9	$15,841	$1,481	$14,360
Parchment Middle School	Public	6-8	307 N Riverview Dr	Kalamazoo	49004	Kalamazoo County	Parchment School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 488-1200	352	21	16.9	49.7%	237 (67.3%)	41 (11.6%)	25 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (13.6%)	29.3	618^th of 896 public middle schools	31.0%		29.1	608^th of 890 public middle schools	31.7%	10	59.3	17.6	29.4	26.4	9.2	13.9	28.0	37.7	$16,225	$1,889	$14,337
Milwood Magnet School	Public, Magnet	6-8	2916 Konkle St	Kalamazoo	49001	Kalamazoo County	Kalamazoo Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(269) 337-0670	731	38	19.3	66.1%	287 (39.3%)	217 (29.7%)	114 (15.6%)	17 (2.3%)	10 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	84 (11.5%)	31.4	589^th of 896 public middle schools	34.3%		34.6	562^nd of 890 public middle schools	36.9%	27	44.7	18.2	24.2	33.9	20.4	21.5	29.6	38.2	$17,235	$1,490	$15,745
Portage North Middle School	Public	6-8	1100 W Milham Ave	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-5700	609	38	16.1	33.8%	371 (60.9%)	69 (11.3%)	62 (10.2%)	34 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (12.0%)	62.9	270^th of 896 public middle schools	69.9%		58.2	316^th of 890 public middle schools	64.5%	46	74.6	37.3	39.5	34.5	36.3	32.0	47.6	52.9	$15,738	$727	$15,012
Comstock Middle School	Public	6-8	3100 N 26th St	Kalamazoo	49048	Kalamazoo County	Comstock Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 250-8600	276	17	15.9	66.3%	134 (48.6%)	73 (26.4%)	29 (10.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (13.8%)	18.1	726^th of 896 public middle schools	19.0%		12.9	781^st of 890 public middle schools	12.2%	55	47.9	9.9	6.6	16.7	1555.5	6.4	29.6	34.8	$28,682	$2,449	$26,233
Portage West Middle School	Public	6-8	7145 Moors Bridge Rd	Portage	49024	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-5800	717	39	18.3	17.4%	465 (64.9%)	49 (6.8%)	62 (8.6%)	79 (11.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (8.5%)	88.7	79^th of 896 public middle schools	91.2%		87.5	90^th of 890 public middle schools	89.9%	11	83.5	57.6	56.5	63.0	54.3	48.7	51.7	68.5	$13,214	$571	$12,643
Portage Central Middle School	Public	6-8	8305 S Westnedge Ave	Portage	49002	Kalamazoo County	Portage Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 323-5600	719	41	17.3	18.9%	532 (74.0%)	30 (4.2%)	55 (7.6%)	37 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (9.0%)	86.1	100^th of 896 public middle schools	88.8%		82.5	117^th of 890 public middle schools	86.9%	17	80.6	51.6	59.3	51.2	50.2	47.1	52.4	71.0	$12,080	$570	$11,510
Plainwell Middle School	Public	6-8	720 Brigham St	Plainwell	49080	Allegan County	Plainwell Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 685-5813	569	33	17.4	32.3%	504 (88.6%)	6 (1.1%)	27 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (5.1%)	54.5	366^th of 896 public middle schools	59.2%		54.8	350^th of 890 public middle schools	60.7%	16	71.8	32.8	31.2	38.7	23.5	28.9	44.2	53.3	$13,421	$610	$12,810

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillside Middle School

Is Hillside Middle School a good school?

Hillside Middle School ranks 504^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Hillside Middle School?

Students at Hillside Middle School are 44% African American, 36% White, 15% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

How many students attend Hillside Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 476 students attended Hillside Middle School.

What district is Hillside Middle School in?

Kalamazoo Public Schools

What high school do graduates of Hillside Middle School attend?

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

Rate Hillside 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.