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Pathfinder School

Q: Is Pathfinder School a good school?

Pathfinder School ranks 171 st of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

171^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 81% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Pathfinder School is a mid-sized middle school in Pinckney, MI, serving 473 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Pinckney Community Schools district. The school has earned a 4-star rating and ranks in the 81st percentile statewide, a notable improvement from its 61st percentile ranking just a few years ago.

What really sets Pathfinder apart is its exceptional performance in specific subjects and for specific groups of students. In 8th-grade science, 57.7% of students are proficient, well above the state average of 39.2%. Social studies is even more impressive, with 62.4% proficiency—12 points above the state average and competitive with schools that rank much higher overall, like Highlander Way Middle School (55.8%). The school also shines in 7th-grade math, where 47.9% of students are proficient compared to the state's 33.3%, even surpassing Charyl Stockwell Academy Middle School (34.7%). Perhaps most notably, Pathfinder has made remarkable progress with its low-income students, who now rank in the 90th percentile statewide—up from the 69th percentile just two years ago. This shows a genuine commitment to closing achievement gaps.

Pathfinder has also made dramatic strides in student attendance. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from a concerning 38.8% in 2021-2022 to just 15.2% today—better than the state average (27.9%) and several nearby schools like Centennial Middle School (17.1%) and Highlander Way Middle School (31.5%). All of this is accomplished with per-student spending of $13,184, which is lower than many higher-ranked neighbors like Beach Middle School ($16,711) and Scranton Middle School ($14,088). While Pathfinder sits in a region with several elite schools, its targeted strengths in science, social studies, and support for students who need it most make it a compelling choice for families.

473

Students ?

18.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,184

Per pupil spending ?

18.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2100 E M 36
Pinckney, MI 48169-8186

(810) 225-5200

District: Pinckney Community Schools

Students who attend Pathfinder School usually attend:

High:

Pinckney Community High School

Feeder schools for Pathfinder School:

Elementary:	Country Elementary School
	Farley Hill Elementary School
	Navigator Upper Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.1%

Hispanic:

4.0%

Two or more races:

3.4%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Pathfinder School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 76th percentile in 2016 → 81st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (51% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Michigan middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg51%

Michigan avg41%

171^st of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

132^nd of 625Pinckney Community 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	75.7	171 of 896	80.9%	★★★★☆
2025	71.0	201 of 890	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	70.3	205 of 897	77.1%	★★★★☆
2023	68.7	221 of 883	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	65.2	214 of 776	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	53.5	262 of 675	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.6	237 of 792	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	62.9	309 of 838	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.4	230 of 821	72.0%	★★★★☆
2016	71.0	216 of 894	75.8%	★★★★☆
2015	66.7	263 of 919	71.4%	★★★★☆
2014	68.6	249 of 921	73.0%	★★★★☆
2013	69.3	238 of 919	74.1%	★★★★☆
2012	69.9	242 of 900	73.1%	★★★★☆
2011	75.1	185 of 858	78.4%	★★★★☆
2010	75.9	176 of 851	79.3%	★★★★☆
2009	71.8	243 of 847	71.3%	★★★★☆
2008	73.8	203 of 839	75.8%	★★★★☆
2007	78.7	146 of 823	82.3%	★★★★☆
2006	70.5	255 of 806	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	68.1	182 of 789	76.9%	★★★★☆
2025	68.6	186 of 789	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	67.4	183 of 771	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	67.9	184 of 770	76.1%	★★★★☆
2022	56.2	234 of 657	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.9	296 of 521	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.3	202 of 658	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.7	271 of 794	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	80.8	85 of 834	89.8%	★★★★☆
2025	58.8	282 of 832	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	256 of 836	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.0	292 of 825	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.8	409 of 691	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	66.0	122 of 523	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.2	252 of 672	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.7	384 of 815	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	148 of 813	81.8%	★★★★☆
2025	66.4	207 of 798	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	63.4	230 of 786	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	60.1	243 of 776	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.4	178 of 658	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	56.8	188 of 540	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.3	222 of 639	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.4	297 of 797	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	58.9	62 of 236	73.7%	★★★★☆
2025	53.9	79 of 244	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.1	91 of 201	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	26.9	153 of 199	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.6	155 of 377	58.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	217 of 687	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.0	234 of 696	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	237 of 701	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.8	235 of 688	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.4	251 of 638	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.3	270 of 577	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.1	247 of 624	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.0	342 of 678	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)90th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)77th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)74th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)68th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies62%+12 vs state

Science58%+19 vs state

Mathematics47%+13 vs state

English Language Arts43%+5 vs state

Math40%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pathfinder 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 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
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
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
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
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
Mill Creek Middle School	Public	7-8	7305 Dexter Ann Arbor Rd	Dexter	48130	Washtenaw County	Dexter Community School District	No	No	No	No	(734) 424-4150	525	39	13.6	10.1%	487 (92.8%)	10 (1.9%)	13 (2.5%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.3%)	96.5	24^th of 896 public middle schools	97.3%		94.3	46^th of 890 public middle schools	94.8%	22	90.0	64.3			62.8			69.2		70.0		81.4	$17,536	$163	$17,373
Creekside Intermediate School	Public	5-6	2615 Baker Rd	Dexter	48130	Washtenaw County	Dexter Community School District	No	No	No	No	(734) 424-4160	479	34	14.0	10.9%	439 (91.6%)	8 (1.7%)	21 (4.4%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)								(n/a)			68.0	60.3		50.0	67.8		64.8		49.3		$17,530	$342	$17,189
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
Beach Middle School	Public	6-8	445 Mayer Dr	Chelsea	48118	Washtenaw County	Chelsea School District	No	No	No	No	(734) 433-2202	525	30	17.7	10.5%	474 (90.3%)	3 (0.6%)	17 (3.2%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.8%)	93.2	52^nd of 896 public middle schools	94.2%		96.6	19^th of 890 public middle schools	97.9%	33	85.6	77.1		58.6	60.2		46.8	65.9		72.5		77.9	$16,711	$1,166	$15,545
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
Centennial Middle School	Public	6-8	62500 9 Mile Rd	South Lyon	48178	Oakland County	South Lyon Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(248) 573-8600	898	47	19.1	17.9%	699 (77.8%)	25 (2.8%)	49 (5.5%)	87 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.2%)	86.9	93^rd of 896 public middle schools	89.6%		81.5	124^th of 890 public middle schools	86.1%	31	78.7	56.6		53.7	50.7		55.7	54.6		49.5		72.4	$15,160	$749	$14,411

Frequently Asked Questions about Pathfinder School

What high school do graduates of Pathfinder School attend?

Students who attend Pathfinder School usually go on to attend Pinckney Community High School

How many students attend Pathfinder School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 473 students attended Pathfinder School.

Is Pathfinder School a good school?

Pathfinder School ranks 171^st of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Pathfinder School in?

Pinckney Community Schools

What is the racial makeup of Pathfinder School?

Students at Pathfinder School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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Schools in Pinckney, MI

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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.