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Pennfield Middle School

Public Grades 5-7

705^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 21% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Pennfield Middle School in Battle Creek, MI, serves 471 students in grades 5 through 7 and is part of the Pennfield Schools district. The school has seen a significant decline in its state ranking over the past decade, dropping from the 58th percentile in 2015-2016 to the 21st percentile in the most recent school year. About 58% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a higher level of economic need compared to some neighboring districts.

Academic proficiency at Pennfield is notably below state averages and most nearby schools. For example, 7th-grade English Language Arts proficiency was just 21.1% compared to the state average of 38.4%. This gap appears across all grade levels and subjects. Nearby schools like Gull Lake Middle School and Olivet Middle School consistently perform at or above state averages, while even schools with similar economic demographics, such as Harper Creek Middle School, outperform Pennfield by a substantial margin. One bright spot occurred in the 2023-2024 school year when 7th-grade ELA proficiency reached 38.7%, above the state average, but this progress was not sustained in subsequent years.

Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with 34.5% of students chronically absent—significantly higher than the state average of 27.9% and far above Harper Creek's rate of just 10.4%. Pennfield also has a higher student-teacher ratio of 19.5, meaning larger class sizes and potentially less individualized attention. While per-student spending ($13,762) is comparable to or higher than some higher-performing peers, the outcomes don't reflect that investment. The data strongly suggests that improving attendance could be the single most impactful lever for raising student achievement, as over a third of students missing school regularly makes academic progress extremely difficult.

471

Students ?

19.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,762

Per pupil spending ?

57.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

8587 Pennfield Rd
Battle Creek, MI 49017-8104

(269) 961-9784

District: Pennfield Schools

Students who attend Pennfield Middle School usually attend:

High:

Pennfield Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.6%

Two or more races:

9.3%

Hispanic:

5.9%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Pennfield Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (18% vs 36% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 37 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg18%

Michigan avg36%

705^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 37 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

439^th of 625Pennfield 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	19.9	705 of 896	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.6	719 of 890	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.9	564 of 897	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.8	577 of 883	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.7	563 of 776	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	570 of 675	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.4	496 of 792	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.6	505 of 838	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.3	443 of 821	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	55.9	375 of 894	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	66.1	278 of 919	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	59.4	372 of 921	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.7	360 of 919	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.7	372 of 900	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.4	466 of 858	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	56.6	504 of 851	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	62.8	395 of 847	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.8	317 of 839	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.2	315 of 823	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	70.8	249 of 806	69.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	14.4	361 of 366	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	12.5	716 of 789	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	628 of 789	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.2	474 of 771	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	566 of 770	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	551 of 657	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.2	465 of 521	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	425 of 658	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.8	492 of 794	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	63.1	81 of 246	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	127 of 266	52.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	19.3	694 of 834	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	681 of 832	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.5	562 of 836	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.2	578 of 825	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.8	544 of 691	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	456 of 523	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.9	489 of 672	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.1	582 of 815	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	21.1	643 of 813	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.0	738 of 798	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	613 of 786	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	537 of 776	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.7	483 of 658	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.8	495 of 540	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	449 of 639	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	43.6	439 of 797	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	32.1	110 of 163	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.8	98 of 156	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	26.2	157 of 199	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.7	204 of 377	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	12.9	625 of 687	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.1	653 of 696	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	545 of 701	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	579 of 688	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	549 of 638	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.1	535 of 577	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	467 of 624	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	495 of 678	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2023)67th percentile+32 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)33rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)21st percentile-14 vs school

Male (2026)21st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)9th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-12 vs school

African American (2018)1st percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science25%-15 vs state

English Language Arts22%-18 vs state

Math14%-18 vs state

Social Studies14%-14 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I think there are great things about the district as a whole but there was a recent incident that has me discouraged with the school and their policies involving reporting threats made to the school and how and what they are informing the parents. Close Quote

Schools Near Pennfield 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 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
Pennfield Middle School	Public	5-7	8587 Pennfield Rd	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Pennfield Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 961-9784	471	24	19.5	57.7%	370 (78.6%)	25 (5.3%)	28 (5.9%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.3%)	19.9	705^th of 896 public middle schools	21.3%		17.6	719^th of 890 public middle schools	19.2%	14				26.1	20.5	21.1		13.0	11.3	18.0	25.2		13.9		$13,762	$884	$12,878
Battle Creek STEM Innovation Center	Public, Magnet	6-8	100 Van Buren St W	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Battle Creek Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 213-3513	145	9	15.5	58.6%	28 (19.3%)	72 (49.7%)	23 (15.9%)	2 (1.4%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (12.4%)	18.5	724^th of 896 public middle schools	19.2%		13	779^th of 890 public middle schools	12.5%	55	47.8	6.5			26.3	23.3			15.8	13.3		8.7		17.4	$21,022	$3,133	$17,888
West Michigan Virtual Battle Creek Middle School	Public, Virtual	6-8	35 Hamblin Ave W	Battle Creek	49017	Calhoun County	Berrien Springs Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(269) 441-9463	96	2	53.3	76.0%	61 (63.5%)	12 (12.5%)	10 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (12.5%)	6.1	877^th of 896 public middle schools	2.1%		8.4	841^st of 890 public middle schools	5.5%	36	29.6	3.7			1567.4	6.7			1557.1	1660.4		12.3		12.3	$5,799	$256	$5,543
Springfield Middle School	Public	6-8	1023 Avenue A	Springfield	49037	Calhoun County	Battle Creek Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 965-9640	472	32	14.7	76.5%	133 (28.2%)	183 (38.8%)	60 (12.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (19.1%)	8.8	841^st of 896 public middle schools	6.1%		10	817^th of 890 public middle schools	8.2%	24	25.5	8.2			14.2	11.7			1559.6	6.5		16.2		14.4	$22,378	$3,229	$19,150
Lakeview Middle School	Public	5-8	300 28th St S	Battle Creek	49015	Calhoun County	Lakeview School District (Calhoun)	No	No	No	No	(269) 565-3900	1,082	69	15.7	60.4%	472 (43.6%)	151 (14.0%)	144 (13.3%)	156 (14.4%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	154 (14.2%)	48.1	435^th of 896 public middle schools	51.5%		46.7	447^th of 890 public middle schools	49.8%	12	64.3	24.3		38.7	38.0	31.0		33.1	28.1	32.4	34.8	33.6	29.2	45.7	$14,725	$968	$13,757
Harper Creek Middle School	Public	5-8	7290 B Dr N	Battle Creek	49014	Calhoun County	Harper Creek Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 441-4750	896	50	18.0	32.0%	723 (80.7%)	25 (2.8%)	63 (7.0%)	7 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	73 (8.1%)	54.6	364^th of 896 public middle schools	59.4%		51.3	391^st of 890 public middle schools	56.1%	27	65.2	32.1		34.0	29.4	34.8		27.8	27.6	44.9	35.1	40.4	20.0	47.4	$14,284	$1,157	$13,127
Marshall Middle School	Public	6-8	100 E Green St	Marshall	49068	Calhoun County	Marshall Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 781-1251	541	37	14.7	45.7%	384 (71.0%)	58 (10.7%)	49 (9.1%)	5 (0.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.6%)	48.7	429^th of 896 public middle schools	52.1%		53.8	365^th of 890 public middle schools	59.0%	64	61.8	21.9			38.6	42.2			27.2	32.6		34.3		40.4	$15,233	$859	$14,374
GalesburgAugusta Middle School	Public	5-8	750 W Van Buren St	Augusta	49012	Kalamazoo County	Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 484-2020	302	17	17.6	41.4%	255 (84.4%)	6 (2.0%)	15 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.6%)	36	558^th of 896 public middle schools	37.7%		35.4	554^th of 890 public middle schools	37.8%	4	56.8	23.9		52.3	32.9	23.0		36.0	24.7	16.2	44.2	30.7	18.6	40.9	$16,873	$637	$16,236
Olivet Middle School	Public	4-8	255 First St	Olivet	49076	Eaton County	Olivet Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 749-9953	461	27	17.2	29.5%	423 (91.8%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.0%)	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.0%)	55.3	358^th of 896 public middle schools	60.0%		58.2	317^th of 890 public middle schools	64.4%	41	73.6	36.8	40.4	43.0	29.3	42.3	48.6	43.0	17.4	34.6	50.5	40.9	36.6	51.1	$13,926	$745	$13,182
Gull Lake Middle School	Public	6-8	9550 M 89	Richland	49083	Kalamazoo County	Gull Lake Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 548-3605	717	42	17.1	33.6%	579 (80.8%)	26 (3.6%)	48 (6.7%)	11 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (7.4%)	76.1	167^th of 896 public middle schools	81.4%		77.5	154^th of 890 public middle schools	82.7%	13	78.1	36.2			50.2	47.3			43.8	36.3		53.3		65.6	$12,612	$323	$12,289

Frequently Asked Questions about Pennfield Middle School

What high school do graduates of Pennfield Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pennfield Middle School usually go on to attend Pennfield Senior High School

Is Pennfield Middle School a good school?

Pennfield Middle School ranks in the bottom 21.3% of Michigan middle schools.

What district is Pennfield Middle School in?

Pennfield Schools

How many students attend Pennfield Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 471 students attended Pennfield Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Pennfield Middle School?

Students at Pennfield Middle School are 79% White, 9% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 5% African American.

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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.