Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

West Middle School

Q: Is West Middle School a good school?

West Middle School ranks 158 th of 890 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

158^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 890 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 82% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

West Middle School is a public middle school in Traverse City, Michigan, serving 1,108 students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Traverse City Area Public Schools district, which is ranked 156 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

West Middle School consistently performs above the state average in academic assessments, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math that are significantly higher than the state averages. The school's PSAT scores in these subjects are also notably strong. While the school generally performs well across different student subgroups, the Asian and Special Education subgroups rank lower compared to other Michigan middle schools. Additionally, West Middle School has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 7.5% in 2020-2021 to 29.5% in 2023-2024.

Compared to nearby schools, Forest Area Middle School performs significantly lower than West Middle School, while East Middle School, also part of the Traverse City district, has similar academic performance. Cherryland Middle School, located in the Elk Rapids Schools district, also performs well academically, with higher proficiency rates in some areas than West Middle School. Despite having a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, West Middle School's low-income students perform relatively well compared to other Michigan middle schools.

1,081

Students ?

20.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,058

Per pupil spending ?

27.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3950 Silver Lake Rd
Traverse City, MI 49684-8946

(231) 933-8200

District: Traverse City Area Public Schools

Students who attend West Middle School usually attend:

High:	Traverse City High School
	West Senior High

Feeder schools for West Middle School:

Elementary:	Long Lake Elementary School
	Silver Lake Elementary School
	Westwoods Elementary School
	Willow Hill Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.1%

Hispanic:

2.7%

Asian:

2.2%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare West Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 70th percentile in 2015 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Michigan middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg52%

Michigan avg41%

158^th of 890

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From top 30% (2015) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Traverse City Area Public Schools

156^th of 613Traverse City Area 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
2025	76.6	158 of 890	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	80.4	124 of 897	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	138 of 883	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	79.8	116 of 776	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	69.1	158 of 675	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	72.7	174 of 792	78.0%	★★★★☆
2018	78.4	159 of 838	81.0%	★★★★☆
2017	62.5	255 of 821	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.7	247 of 894	72.4%	★★★★☆
2015	66.1	280 of 919	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.7	379 of 921	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.6	383 of 919	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.3	342 of 900	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.3	211 of 858	75.4%	★★★★☆
2010	77.8	150 of 851	82.4%	★★★★☆
2009	77.6	147 of 847	82.6%	★★★★☆
2008	78.4	141 of 839	83.2%	★★★★☆
2007	81.9	93 of 823	88.7%	★★★★☆
2006	82.5	89 of 806	89.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	22.1	70 of 85	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	69.2	178 of 789	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	77.2	113 of 771	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.7	115 of 770	85.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.9	89 of 657	86.5%	★★★★☆
2021	62.5	141 of 521	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	65.1	194 of 658	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	77.2	152 of 794	80.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	76.9	44 of 257	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	56.3	101 of 246	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.0	135 of 266	49.2%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	68.5	6 of 19	68.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	65.1	208 of 832	75.0%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	179 of 836	78.6%	★★★★☆
2023	64.0	211 of 825	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	63.5	177 of 691	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	60.8	153 of 523	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	68.4	144 of 672	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	72.1	155 of 815	81.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	76.9	141 of 798	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.2	132 of 786	83.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	145 of 776	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	74.2	122 of 658	81.5%	★★★★☆
2021	65.2	140 of 540	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	72.5	133 of 639	79.2%	★★★★☆
2018	75.0	161 of 797	79.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	62.8	58 of 176	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.2	62 of 163	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.6	91 of 156	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	28.1	191 of 244	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	176 of 201	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	151 of 199	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	66 of 70	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.0	62 of 76	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.8	110 of 377	70.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	68.7	176 of 696	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	73.1	149 of 701	78.7%	★★★★☆
2023	73.8	140 of 688	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	75.2	124 of 638	80.6%	★★★★☆
2021	65.5	153 of 577	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	66.8	175 of 624	72.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.5	162 of 678	76.1%	★★★★☆

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 (2024)83rd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)82nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)77th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)75th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)75th percentile-8 vs school

Homeless (2018)68th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)67th percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2025)22nd percentile-61 vs school

Asian (2025)18th percentile-65 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies55%+8 vs state

English Language Arts51%+12 vs state

Science49%+8 vs state

Math43%+11 vs state

Mathematics38%+8 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate West Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, May 25, 2022

best

by a parent
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

This school is VERY good. I tranfered my kid from east and she loves it even more. East is an okay school but didnt stop kids from bullying my daughter. I highly recomend west middle school, its the one for your child! Close Quote

Schools Near West Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)				M-Step Math (2025)				M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
West Middle School	Public	6-8	3950 Silver Lake Rd	Traverse City	49684	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-8200	1,081	52	20.7	27.6%	985 (91.1%)	20 (1.9%)	29 (2.7%)	24 (2.2%)	22 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	76.6	158^th of 890 public middle schools	82.2%		80.4	124^th of 897 public middle schools	86.2%	34	77.3	38.4			49.7	52.6			41.5	45.2		49.5		55.2	$14,058	$728	$13,330
East Middle School	Public	6-8	1776 3 Mile Rd N	Traverse City	49696	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-7300	829	42	19.8	30.4%	723 (87.2%)	25 (3.0%)	33 (4.0%)	16 (1.9%)	29 (3.5%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	76.5	161^st of 890 public middle schools	81.9%		83.1	109^th of 897 public middle schools	87.8%	52	77.8	33.5			50.0	55.4			40.3	48.4		48.9		57.5	$15,014	$725	$14,288
Kingsley Area Middle School	Public	6-8	403 Blair St	Kingsley	49649	Grand Traverse County	Kingsley Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 263-5261	366	23	16.0	45.1%	345 (94.3%)	4 (1.1%)	9 (2.5%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	79.6	140^th of 890 public middle schools	84.3%		79.3	135^th of 897 public middle schools	84.9%	5	75.7	39.6			45.1	60.2			28.3	63.6		58.4		66.4	$12,025	$1,118	$10,908
Cherryland Middle School	Public	6-8	707 E 3rd St	Elk Rapids	49629	Antrim County	Elk Rapids Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 264-8991	277	16	17.3	22.0%	249 (89.9%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.1%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	80.2	135^th of 890 public middle schools	84.8%		79.1	136^th of 897 public middle schools	84.8%	1	84.5	40.5			48.1	55.3			38.8	46.3		47.6		73.8	$00	$00	$00
Forest Area Middle School	Public	4-8	7661 Shippy Rd SW	Fife Lake	49633	Kalkaska County	Forest Area Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 369-2884	193	13	14.3	56.5%	172 (89.1%)	3 (1.6%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.2%)	14.3	762^nd of 890 public middle schools	14.4%		13.8	779^th of 897 public middle schools	13.2%	17	41.7		21.6	27.0	19.0	10.0	24.3	13.5	16.7		29.7	16.2	13.5	18.9	$14,266	$1,771	$12,494

Frequently Asked Questions about West Middle School

What is the racial makeup of West Middle School?

Students at West Middle School are 91% White, 3% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian, 2% African American.

How many students attend West Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,081 students attended West Middle School.

Is West Middle School a good school?

West Middle School ranks 158^th of 890 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of West Middle School attend?

Students who attend West Middle School usually go on to attend Traverse City High School

What district is West Middle School in?

Traverse City Area Public Schools

Rate West Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MIMichigan Middle School Rankings

MIMichigan District Rankings

Schools in Traverse City, MI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for West Middle School!

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.