Saline Middle School

Saline Middle School, part of the Saline Area Schools district, serves 1,017 students in grades 6-8 and has earned a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for over a decade, consistently ranking among the top 5% of middle schools in Michigan.

What truly sets Saline Middle School apart is its remarkable consistency and breadth of success. While nearby schools like Mill Creek Middle School and Clague Middle School also rank highly, Saline has maintained top-tier performance for a longer period—ranking 25th out of 896 Michigan middle schools in the most recent year. The school achieves excellent results across nearly every student group, with particularly standout outcomes for Hispanic and African American students who rank among the top 10 in the state. Perhaps most impressive is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of just 12.4%, less than half the state average of 27.9% and dramatically lower than nearby Ann Arbor schools like Tappan Middle School (32.1%) and Scarlett Middle School (31.5%). This suggests a strong culture of daily attendance that supports academic momentum.

Saline also achieves its results efficiently. The school spends about $14,756 per student—significantly less than Ann Arbor Public Schools middle schools like Slauson Middle School ($19,089) and Forsythe Middle School ($18,525)—yet outperforms them academically. Test scores show clear growth from 6th to 8th grade, with ELA proficiency climbing from 69.9% to 86.3%. The one area for potential focus is supporting Special Education and low-income students, who perform well (82nd and 92nd percentiles respectively) but not quite at the level of their peers. For parents seeking a middle school with proven, lasting results and strong daily attendance, Saline is an outstanding choice.