Summary:
Zip code 48134 is home to just one middle school, Thomas Simpson Middle School, which serves grades 6-8 within the Flat Rock Community Schools district, enrolling 417 students in a suburban setting.
For parents considering this area, Thomas Simpson Middle School shows a promising upward trajectory. The school improved its state ranking significantly, moving from 613th (31st percentile) in 2024-2025 to 482nd (46th percentile) in 2025-2026, earning a 2-star rating. This improvement is reflected in nearly every subject area, with the most dramatic gains in 8th-grade Social Studies (jumping 13 percentage points to 42.7% proficiency) and 8th-grade Science (up 7.2 points to 34.6%). While proficiency rates still trail state averages in most subjects, the gap is narrowing. A notable exception is 8th-grade PSAT ELA, where 63.1% of students are proficient, nearly matching the state average of 64.8%. However, a clear weakness exists in math—only 30% of 8th graders are proficient on the PSAT math portion, a 33-point gap compared to their ELA performance within the same cohort.
A significant concern is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 37.8%, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the state average of 27.9%. This is particularly striking given the academic gains, suggesting that improvements could be even stronger if attendance were addressed. The school serves a population where 44.84% of students are economically disadvantaged, and per-student spending is $17,104 with a student-teacher ratio of 17.6. Since this is the only middle school in the district, its performance directly reflects the district's overall middle school strategy. Parents should view this school as one making steady progress, with particular strengths in literacy and clear opportunities for growth in math and attendance.
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