Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 49120

Middle Schools in zip code 49120, serving the Niles, Michigan area, include two public schools that together cover grades 6 through 8 and enroll roughly 693 students across the Niles Community Schools and Brandywine Community Schools districts.

For parents comparing options, Ring Lardner Middle School is the clear standout academically. It ranks in the 62nd percentile statewide (338th of 896 Michigan middle schools) with a 3-star rating, while Brandywine Middle School sits in the 49th percentile (459th) with a 2-star rating. Ring Lardner serves grades 6-8 with 510 students, whereas Brandywine is smaller (183 students) and only covers grades 7-8. The performance gap is most striking in 7th-grade math, where Ring Lardner's proficiency rate (33%) is more than double Brandywine's (14.3%). Ring Lardner also leads in 7th-grade English Language Arts (37.4% vs. 26.5%) and 8th-grade PSAT math (38.1% vs. 23.5%). Notably, Ring Lardner has shown strong improvement, jumping from the 49th to 62nd percentile over two years, while Brandywine's ranking has remained stagnant.

However, Brandywine has one notable bright spot: its 8th-grade social studies proficiency (56.5%) significantly exceeds Ring Lardner's (40.8%), suggesting a potential area of strength worth investigating. Both schools face similar socioeconomic challenges, with free/reduced lunch rates near 60-62%, and chronic absenteeism is a concern at both—Brandywine's rate (28.9%) exceeds the state average, while Ring Lardner's (23.5%) is slightly better. Per-student spending is comparable ($14,765 at Ring Lardner vs. $13,822 at Brandywine). For parents, Ring Lardner offers stronger overall academics and a positive trajectory, but Brandywine's social studies program and smaller class environment may appeal to some families despite its lower overall performance.