Summary:
In zip code 49004, there is just one middle school option: Parchment Middle School, part of the Parchment School District, serving grades 6 through 8 with 352 students in a community where about half of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Parchment Middle School faces significant academic challenges, particularly in mathematics. In the most recent school year, only 9.2% of 6th graders and 13.9% of 7th graders were proficient in math on the M-Step, which is less than one-third of the state average. This math struggle persists into 8th grade, where just 17.6% of students scored proficient on the PSAT math section. The school’s strongest subject is 8th grade English Language Arts on the PSAT, where 59.3% of students are proficient—much closer to the state average of 64.8%. Overall, the school ranks in the lower third of Michigan schools, with a state ranking that has remained stagnant between the 29th and 32nd percentile over the past three years.
A major concern is the chronic absenteeism rate of 34.1%, which is more than 6 percentage points above the state average and likely contributes to the low test scores. The school spends $16,225 per student, a substantial amount, yet outcomes remain poor, suggesting that resource allocation and targeted interventions—especially in math and attendance—are more critical than overall spending. The school’s performance closely mirrors the district’s, indicating these issues are systemic across the Parchment School District rather than isolated to this campus. For parents, this means that while the school offers a standard middle school experience, they should be prepared to seek additional math support and monitor attendance closely to help their child succeed.
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