1
What tradition at Pennfield Middle School should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
471
Middle
DISTRICT 375 · STATE 502
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PENNFIELD SCHOOLS·NCES 262781006359
Pennfield Middle School
8587 PENNFIELD RD, BATTLE CREEK, MI 49017 · (269) 961-9784 · Calhoun County
GRADES 05–07MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL471 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 1% of Michigan public middle schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Michigan public middle schools
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.5:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
58%
272 students
DISTRICT 60% · STATE 55%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 160 | 34% |
| Grade 6 | 136 | 29% |
| Grade 7 | 175 | 37% |
Student demographics
37%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 56% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Pennfield Middle School→Pennfield Senior High School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Pennfield Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
23.1%
MI avg 47.7%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 23 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level. The Michigan average is about 48 of 100.
Source: M-STEP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of MI schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
22.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.7%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-18.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 22% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 41% 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 →
Schools most like Pennfield Middle School
Pennfield Middle School's state test result (22.0% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennfield Middle School this school | 471 | 57.7% | 22.0% |
| KuehnHaven Middle School MONTROSE | 420 | 56.2% | 33.3% |
| Chippewa Hills Middle School REMUS | 503 | 58.1% | 38.1% |
| Fremont Middle School FREMONT | 456 | 57.5% | 49.9% |
| Charlotte Upper Elementary School CHARLOTTE | 527 | 53.3% | 33.2% |
| CroswellLexington Middle School CROSWELL | 508 | 54.1% | 44.0% |
Matched among Michigan middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Pennfield Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Calhoun County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 22.0% | #389 of 397 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 23.1% | #367 of 377 | #6 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 471 | #264 of 491 | #5 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.6:1 | #382 of 436 | #7 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 36.8% | #202 of 437 | #5 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 57.7% | #159 of 477 | #5 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.8% | #152 of 339 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
471
+3 (+1%) vs 2020
+22% since 1990-91, when it was 386
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
was 17.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 471 | 24.1 | 19.6:1 | 58% (272) |
| 2023-24 | 327 | 16.2 | 20.1:1 | 64% (208) |
| 2022-23 | 446 | 21.3 | 20.9:1 | 58% (258) |
| 2020-21 | 468 | 27 | 17.3:1 | 52% (245) |
| 2017-18 | 553 | 28.5 | 19.4:1 | 51% (283) |
| 2015-16 | 593 | 27 | 22.0:1 | 45% (265) |
| 2010-11 | 482 | 24 | 20.1:1 | 48% (232) |
| 2000-01 | 430 | 25 | 17.2:1 | 19% (82) |
| 1990-91 | 386 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pennfield Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (553 to 471); teachers down 16% (28.5 to 24.1).
About Pennfield Middle School
Pennfield Middle School operates as a mid-sized middle school in BATTLE CREEK, Michigan. The school serves grades 5 through 7. Enrollment is 471 students.
Pennfield Schools has 5 schools and 1,877 students, and Pennfield Middle School is one of those schools.
Of every 100 students at Pennfield Middle School, about 79 are White. Beyond that, enrollment is 9% multiracial, 6% Hispanic, and 5% Black. Among Calhoun County residents, the White share is about 76%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Pennfield Middle School scores 37%.
Its staff includes 24.1 full-time-equivalent teachers, for about 19.6 students per teacher. The gap from the 17.5:1 average for middle schools in Michigan is 2.0 students per teacher. Roughly 58% of students at Pennfield Middle School can receive free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Calhoun County is similar, at 56%.
On the allk12 Grade, Pennfield Middle School lands at F, ahead of 1% of Michigan public middle schools.
Pennfield Middle School is 18.7 points below expectations on state tests, given its student poverty level, placing it in the bottom 10% in Michigan.
In Calhoun County, home to about 133,778 people, median household income comes to about $63,177, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 23%, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. There are 56 public schools in the county, enrolling about 18,982, Pennfield Middle School among them.
Among nearby public schools, Pennfield Dunlap Elementary is closest at about 0.1 miles. Pennfield Middle School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. The school's 22.0% average proficiency ranks 4th among 4 nearby schools.
Pennfield Middle School is in rural territory close to an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Fringe.
There was little change in enrollment from 2020-21 (468) to 2024-25 (471). Federal data show the ratio rising from 17.3:1 to 19.6:1.
You can use this page to share news and ask questions about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Calhoun County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
133,778
Census ACS
Median income
$63,177
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
56
18,982 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pennfield Schools
- Pennfield Senior High SchoolHigh · 748 students
- Pennfield Dunlap ElementaryElementary · 273 students
- Pennfield Purdy SchoolElementary · 197 students
- North Pennfield ElementaryElementary · 188 students
Other schools in BATTLE CREEK
- Lakeview High SchoolHigh · 1,241 students
- Lakeview Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,082 students
- Battle Creek Central High SchoolHigh · 978 students
- Harper Creek Middle SchoolMiddle · 896 students
- Harper Creek High SchoolHigh · 823 students
- Pennfield Senior High SchoolHigh · 748 students
Other Pennfield Middle schools
One other US public school is named Pennfield Middle. Pennfield Middle School is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Pennfield Middle SchoolHatfield, PA · 865 students
Nearby schools
- Pennfield Dunlap Elementary0.1 mi · 273
- Pennfield Senior High School0.3 mi · 748
- Pennfield Purdy School2.4 mi · 197
- North Pennfield Elementary2.7 mi · 188
- Verona Elementary School3.0 mi · 201
- Doris Klaussen Dev Center3.4 mi · 204
Frequently asked questions
About Pennfield Middle SchoolHow many students attend Pennfield Middle School?
Pennfield Middle School enrolls approximately 471 students in grades 05-07.
What age range does Pennfield Middle School serve?
Pennfield Middle School serves students from grade 05 through grade 07.
How many students per teacher at Pennfield Middle School?
Approximately 19.6:1 students per teacher at Pennfield Middle School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Pennfield Middle School?
At Pennfield Middle School, the student body is approximately 79% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% Black, 0% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is Pennfield Middle School public or private?
Pennfield Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Pennfield Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.