Summary:
The Saginaw School District of the City of Saginaw, Michigan, has only one middle school, Thompson Middle School, which serves students in grades 6-8. The school's performance data paints a concerning picture, with consistently low academic proficiency rates, high chronic absenteeism, and a bottom 10% ranking among Michigan middle schools.
Thompson Middle School's student population is predominantly African American (67%), with smaller percentages of White (14.61%) and Hispanic (14.36%) students. The school's academic performance, as measured by state assessments, is significantly below the district and state averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 10.7% of 7th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 20.8% for the Saginaw School District and 37.9% for the state of Michigan. Additionally, the school has a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 77.2%, which is much higher than the state average.
Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending of $17,767, which is above the state average, the academic outcomes remain poor, suggesting that the additional funding may not be effectively targeted towards improving teaching and learning. The data indicates that socioeconomic factors, such as the high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (93.2%), may be playing a significant role in the school's persistent underperformance. Addressing the complex challenges facing Thompson Middle School, including chronic absenteeism and resource allocation, will be crucial for the Saginaw School District to improve educational outcomes for its students.
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