Summary:
The two public middle schools serving zip code 48047, which covers New Baltimore and Chesterfield, MI, are both part of the Anchor Bay School District and serve grades 5 through 8 with a combined enrollment of 1,180 students.
Anchor Bay Middle School North is the clear standout in this area. It holds a 5-star rating and ranks in the 91st percentile of Michigan middle schools, while Anchor Bay Middle School South holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the 69th percentile. North has improved its state ranking for three consecutive years, while South has plateaued. In nearly every subject and grade level, North's proficiency rates are dramatically higher. For example, in 7th-grade Math, North achieved 60.3% proficiency versus South's 32%, and in 8th-grade Social Studies, North hit 70.9% compared to South's 52.3%. North also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (14.2% vs. 25.4%), and both schools are below the state average of 27.9%.
Interestingly, the lower-performing South actually spends more per student ($16,436 vs. $14,510) and has a more favorable student-teacher ratio (15.5 vs. 20.3) than North, suggesting the academic gap is not due to a lack of resources. South does have a significantly higher percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch (37.13% vs. 14.61%), which often correlates with attendance challenges. North excels particularly in 8th-grade PSAT English Language Arts (81.3% proficiency) and 8th-grade Social Studies (70.9%). South's best subject is also 8th-grade PSAT English Language Arts at 68.4%, but it still trails North by 13 percentage points. For parents, North is the higher-performing school with a stronger upward trajectory, while South offers smaller class sizes but faces more significant socioeconomic and attendance challenges.
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