Owen Intermediate School

Owen Intermediate School in Belleville, MI, is a public school serving 575 students in grades 4 through 6 as part of the Van Buren Public Schools district.

Owen Intermediate serves as a bridge between elementary and middle school, and it faces some clear academic challenges. Proficiency rates in English Language Arts and math are below the state average across all grade levels. For example, in the most recent testing year, 5th-grade ELA proficiency was 29.8% compared to the state average of 43.8%. One area that stands out is a significant drop in ELA proficiency between 5th and 6th grade—falling from 29.8% to 18.4%—which is a steeper decline than the state trend and may signal a difficult transition for students within the school itself. About 48% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, a figure that has been declining from a high of over 64% a few years ago, which is a positive sign for the community.

There are some encouraging trends worth noting. Owen has made substantial progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, dropping from 42.5% in the 2021-2022 school year to 30.9% recently. While that rate is still high, it is notably better than many nearby schools, including McBride Middle School (42.6%), Benjamin Franklin Middle School (58.6%), and Ypsilanti Community Middle School (59.7%). Owen also spends about $17,259 per student, which is mid-range for the area—lower than Romulus Middle School ($21,362) yet achieving better test results. The unique grade configuration (4-6) makes direct comparisons tricky, but for parents, Owen appears to be a school working diligently on attendance and resource efficiency, even as it tackles the core challenge of raising academic proficiency.