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Schools›Michigan›PAW PAW
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PAW PAW PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 262766006351

Paw Paw Middle School

313 W MICHIGAN AVE, PAW PAW, MI 49079 · (269) 415-5500 · Van Buren County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE31-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL498 STUDENTS
Enrollment
498
Middle
DISTRICT 429 · STATE 502
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
38%
187 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 55%
Community
3
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Grade 6
167
Grade 7
159
Grade 8
172
Student demographics
White
41183%
DISTRICT 80% · STATE 63%
Hispanic
5812%
DISTRICT 12% · STATE 9%
Black
31%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 18%
Asian
10%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 4%
Two+
224%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 5%
Native American
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 1%
Pacific Islander
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
26954%
Female
22946%

School pathway

Students here typically continue to
Paw Paw Middle School→Paw Paw High School
Based on grade levels within Paw Paw Public School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

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Test scores

M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + Proficient
English Language Arts
30.5%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
32.9%
MI avg 44.8%

What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 31 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 33 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Michigan schools, those numbers are about 48 and 45.

Source: M-STEP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of MI schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
34.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
49.6%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-15.5pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 50% typical for Michigan schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
498
-17 (-3%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
was 19.1:1
% White
83%
was 89%
% Hispanic
12%
was 7%
% Black
1%
was 1%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About Paw Paw Middle School

Paw Paw Middle School is a medium-sized middle school in PAW PAW, Michigan, part of Paw Paw Public School District. The school hosts 498 students in grades 6 through 8.

Within Paw Paw Public School District, which oversees 5 schools and 2,146 students, Paw Paw Middle School is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Paw Paw Middle School logs that nearly all students (83%) are White; the rest looks like 12% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. That composition is broadly in line with Van Buren County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.9:1 students per teacher. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 38% of students at Paw Paw Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Van Buren County (around 52%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Paw Paw Middle School is in the bottom 10% of Michigan public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 49.6%; Paw Paw Middle School posts 34.1%, -15.5 points below that line.

Around the school, Van Buren County reports that the typical household earns roughly $68,114 per year, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Van Buren County runs 45 public schools (combined enrollment of about 14,850 students), of which Paw Paw Middle School is one.

The closest other public school is Paw Paw Early Elementary School, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Paw Paw Middle School at 5th of 5; the average score across the group is 47.4%.

Paw Paw Middle School operates from a small-town location.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Paw Paw Middle School has declined 3%, going from 515 students in 2018 to 498 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share contracted from 89% to 83%. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 19.1:1 in 2018 to 17.9:1 today.

On allk12, members of the Paw Paw Middle School community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.

Van Buren County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
75,795
Census ACS
Median income
$68,114
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
45
14,850 students

Quick facts

School name
Paw Paw Middle School
District
Paw Paw Public School District
Address
313 W MICHIGAN AVE, PAW PAW, MI 49079
Phone
(269) 415-5500
County
Van Buren County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
498
Teachers (FTE)
28
Student–teacher ratio
17.9:1
Free/Reduced lunch
187 (38%)
Locale
31-Town: Fringe
NCES ID
262766006351
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Paw Paw Public School District
Other schools in PAW PAW
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Paw Paw Middle School
What is the total enrollment at Paw Paw Middle School?
Paw Paw Middle School enrolls approximately 498 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Paw Paw Middle School serve?
Paw Paw Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Paw Paw Middle School?
Approximately 17.9:1 students per teacher at Paw Paw Middle School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Paw Paw Middle School?
At Paw Paw Middle School, the student body is approximately 83% White, 12% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Paw Paw Middle School in?
Paw Paw Middle School is part of Paw Paw Public School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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