Summary:
Zip code 49837 is home to just one middle school, Gladstone Area Middle School, which serves grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Gladstone Area Schools district in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
For parents considering this school, the standout finding is a clear split in academic strengths. Gladstone Area Middle School is a strong performer in science and math, significantly outpacing state averages—8th-grade science proficiency hits 54.2% versus the state’s 39.2%, and 8th-grade PSAT math also beats the state (37.4% vs. 33.2%). However, English language arts (ELA) on the M-Step is a relative weakness, with 6th and 7th graders scoring below state averages (34.5% vs. 37.5% and 30.4% vs. 38.4%, respectively). Interestingly, 8th graders reverse this trend on the PSAT, achieving 69.2% proficiency in ELA compared to the state’s 64.8%, suggesting either a stronger cohort or better preparation for that test format. The school has also shown impressive year-over-year gains, including a 10-point jump in 6th-grade ELA proficiency from 24.6% to 34.5%.
One area of concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 20.3%—well below the state average of 27.9% but notably higher than the district’s own 12.6% average, indicating this is a middle-school-specific challenge. With 32% of students receiving free/reduced lunch, the school’s strong science and math results are particularly noteworthy, though the ELA gap may warrant attention. Per-student spending is $11,794 with a student-teacher ratio of 19.5:1. The district ranks in the 69th percentile statewide, and the school’s overall state ranking has fluctuated between the 63rd and 70th percentiles over recent years, currently sitting at the 69th percentile—a solidly above-average performance for families in this area.
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