Summary:
Zip code 48661 is home to just one middle school, Surline Middle School, which serves grades 5 through 8 in the West Branch, Michigan area with an enrollment of 580 students.
For parents considering this area, Surline Middle School is part of the West Branch-Rose City Area Schools district, which ranks in the 64th percentile statewide. The school has shown steady improvement over three years, climbing from the 40th to the 57th percentile in state rankings. In the most recent school year, 5th and 7th graders outperformed state averages in both English Language Arts and math, with 7th grade math proficiency at 38.4% compared to the state's 33.3%. However, 6th grade appears to be a challenging transition year, with ELA proficiency at just 28% versus the state's 37.5%, and math at 24.8% versus 31.9%. Science scores trail state averages in both 5th and 8th grades, and 8th grade PSAT math proficiency is notably low at 23.9% compared to the state's 33.2%.
One of the school's standout strengths is attendance: the chronic absenteeism rate is 19.5%, significantly better than the state average of 27.9%, which is especially notable given that nearly 65% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school also shows strong 8th grade social studies performance, nearly matching state averages. Test scores have fluctuated dramatically year-over-year, with some grades improving by over 20 percentage points while 6th grade declined sharply, suggesting that progress may not be consistent across all cohorts. With per-student spending of $13,680 and a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.4:1, the school has reasonable resources. Overall, Surline Middle School demonstrates positive momentum and solid attendance, but math proficiency and the 6th grade transition year remain key areas needing attention.
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