Summary:
Middle Schools in zip code 48091 consist of a single institution, PD Chatterton Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 within the Fitzgerald Public Schools district, an area characterized by a high-poverty student population where nearly three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
PD Chatterton Middle School faces significant academic challenges, consistently scoring well below Michigan state averages across nearly all subjects and grade levels. In the 2025-2026 school year, only 14.5% of 6th graders and 16.1% of 7th graders were proficient in math, compared to state averages of 31.9% and 33.3% respectively. ELA proficiency tells a similar story, with 6th grade at 19.7% and 7th grade at 16.1% versus state averages of 37.5% and 38.4%. The school's state ranking has improved slightly over three years, moving from the 12th percentile to the 22nd percentile, but it remains in the bottom quarter of Michigan schools at 700th out of 896 schools.
The most pressing issue is chronic absenteeism, which stands at 46.1%—1.65 times the state average of 27.9%—making it difficult for students to receive consistent instruction. However, there is a notable bright spot: 8th-grade PSAT English Language Arts proficiency reached 47.5%, more than double the 7th-grade M-Step ELA rate, suggesting potential improvement in reading and writing skills by the time students reach 8th grade. Math remains a persistent weakness across all grades, with 8th-grade PSAT math proficiency at just 14.0%. The school spends $15,676 per student with a student-teacher ratio of 16.4, yet these resources have not translated into strong academic outcomes, indicating that targeted interventions around attendance and math instruction may be more effective than increased funding alone.
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