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Alumni: what's one memory from Western Middle School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
594
Middle
DISTRICT 448 · STATE 502
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WESTERN SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 263594007201
Western Middle School
1400 S DEARING RD, PARMA, MI 49269 · (517) 841-8370 · Jackson County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL594 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.3:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
41%
246 students
DISTRICT 49% · 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 6 | 187 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 206 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 201 | 34% |
Student demographics
28%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 28% · 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
Based on grade levels within Western School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
46.9%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
46.9%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 47 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
48.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.9%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for Michigan schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Michigan's top nor bottom 10%.
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 Western Middle School
Western Middle School's state test result (48.1% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Middle School this school | 594 | 41.4% | 48.1% |
| Rolland Warner Campus 67 LAPEER | 610 | 43.4% | 42.8% |
| Western Middle School AUBURN | 681 | 40.2% | 43.9% |
| Coopersville Middle School COOPERSVILLE | 584 | 39.9% | 48.7% |
| Milan Middle School MILAN | 526 | 38.2% | 39.8% |
| Thornapple Kellogg Middle School MIDDLEVILLE | 693 | 39.1% | 43.3% |
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 Western Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Jackson County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.1% | #140 of 397 | #1 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 46.9% | #101 of 380 | #1 of 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.9% | #142 of 377 | #1 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 594 | #184 of 491 | #3 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.2:1 | #109 of 436 | #4 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 28.3% | #261 of 437 | #3 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 41.4% | #274 of 477 | #5 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -16.5% | #127 of 339 | #2 of 6 |
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
594
-51 (-8%) vs 2020
+26% since 1990-91, when it was 471
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
was 19.0:1
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 | 594 | 36.7 | 16.2:1 | 41% (246) |
| 2023-24 | 595 | 37.2 | 16.0:1 | 40% (238) |
| 2022-23 | 586 | 36.5 | 16.1:1 | 41% (241) |
| 2020-21 | 645 | 34 | 19.0:1 | 37% (240) |
| 2017-18 | 711 | 39.7 | 17.9:1 | 37% (260) |
| 2015-16 | 689 | 37 | 18.6:1 | 36% (249) |
| 2010-11 | 707 | 37 | 19.1:1 | 40% (285) |
| 2000-01 | 644 | 34 | 18.9:1 | 30% (196) |
| 1990-91 | 471 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Western Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 16% (711 to 594); teachers down 7% (39.7 to 36.7).
About Western Middle School
The public middle-grades school Western Middle School is located in PARMA, Michigan. In all, 594 students attend the school in grades 6 through 8.
Besides Western Middle School, Western School District runs 5 other schools. The district enrolls 2,688 students.
At Western Middle School, 84% of students are White. Other students are 7% multiracial, 5% Hispanic, and 2% Black. Census estimates put Jackson County at about 83% White, close to the school's figure. The diversity index for Western Middle School is 28%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The school lists 36.7 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.2:1. Statewide, middle schools in Michigan average 17.5:1. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 41% of the student body. For comparison, public schools in Jackson County average 53%.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Western Middle School would be expected to post about 47.9%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 48.1%.
In the surrounding county, Jackson County, median household income comes to about $66,073, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 23% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 8%. The county has 68 public schools and about 21,681 students.
Measured in a straight line, Western High School is less than a tenth of a mile from Western Middle School. Around the school, 7 other public schools are within five miles. Of 6 schools in the immediate area with test results, Western Middle School ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Rural: Fringe, meaning it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
In 2020-21, Western Middle School enrolled 645 students. By 2024-25, that number had fallen to 594. The student-to-teacher ratio dropped from 19.0:1 in 2020-21 to 16.2:1 in 2024-25.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on athletics, class schedules, and weather closures here. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Jackson County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
160,060
Census ACS
Median income
$66,073
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
68
21,681 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Western School District
- Western High SchoolHigh · 809 students
- Bean Elementary SchoolElementary · 409 students
- Parma Elementary SchoolElementary · 408 students
- Warner Elementary SchoolElementary · 371 students
- Woodville Community CenterHigh · 97 students
Other schools in PARMA
- Western High SchoolHigh · 809 students
- Parma Elementary SchoolElementary · 408 students
Other Western Middle schools
3 other US public schools in 3 states are named Western Middle. Western Middle School is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- Western Middle SchoolAUBURN, MI · 681 students
- Western Middle SchoolRussiaville, IN · 589 students
- Western Middle SchoolGreenwich, CT · 563 students
Nearby schools
- Western High School0.0 mi · 809
- Bean Elementary School2.1 mi · 409
- Warner Elementary School2.8 mi · 371
- Parma Elementary School3.0 mi · 408
- Woodville Community Center3.8 mi · 97
- Paragon Charter Academy3.8 mi · 627
Frequently asked questions
About Western Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Western Middle School?
Western Middle School enrolls approximately 594 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Western Middle School serve?
Western Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Western Middle School?
Approximately 16.2:1 students per teacher at Western Middle School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Western Middle School?
At Western Middle School, the student body is approximately 84% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Western Middle School?
Western Middle School is overseen by Western School District in Jackson County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.