Summary:
Zip code 49006 in Kalamazoo, MI, is served by a single middle school, Hillside Middle School, which enrolls 476 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Kalamazoo Public Schools district.
For parents considering this school, the most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism. At 45.5% for the 2024-2025 school year, this rate is significantly higher than the state average of 27.9% and the district average of 39.1%. This means nearly half of the student body is missing substantial amounts of school, which can hinder academic progress. On a positive note, the school has shown signs of improvement. Its state ranking jumped from the 32nd percentile in 2024-2025 to the 44th percentile in 2025-2026. This improvement is reflected in several subjects, most notably 8th-grade Social Studies, where proficiency soared from 29.9% to 46%, and 8th-grade PSAT Math, which jumped from 14.6% to 24.1%. However, gains are inconsistent; 7th-grade Math proficiency actually dipped by 3 percentage points over the same period.
Academically, performance is mixed. In the most recent school year, 8th-grade students showed relative strength in Social Studies (46% proficient) and Science (38.7% proficient), both nearly matching state averages. However, proficiency in core subjects like Math and ELA for 6th and 7th graders generally lags behind state benchmarks. For instance, 6th-grade Math proficiency was 25.8% versus the state's 31.9%. The school spends a substantial $18,808 per student, which is a high figure, yet this investment has not fully translated into top-tier test scores. With 60% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school faces significant socioeconomic challenges. While the upward trend in rankings and specific subjects is encouraging, addressing the high absenteeism rate will likely be essential for achieving more uniform and sustained academic growth across all grades.
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