Middle Schools in Southfield Public School District

The Southfield Public School District in Michigan is home to two middle schools: Glenn W Levey Middle School and University Middle School Academy. While both schools serve a predominantly African American student population, the data reveals a significant performance gap between the two, with University Middle School Academy emerging as the standout institution.

University Middle School Academy, a public magnet school, consistently outperforms its counterpart across key metrics. It boasts a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranks 197 out of 897 Michigan middle schools, compared to Glenn W Levey Middle School's 1-star rating and 787th ranking. University Middle School Academy's students demonstrate significantly higher proficiency rates on state assessments, with 52.3% of 6th graders proficient in ELA, compared to the district and state averages of 24% and 37.5%, respectively. Additionally, the school's chronic absenteeism rate is much lower at 13.9%, in contrast to the 53.7% rate at Glenn W Levey Middle School.

Interestingly, despite Glenn W Levey Middle School spending over twice as much per student ($25,189) compared to University Middle School Academy ($11,556), the latter achieves significantly stronger academic outcomes. This raises questions about the efficiency and effectiveness of the Southfield Public School District's resource allocation and spending decisions, as well as the potential advantages of the magnet school model employed by University Middle School Academy.