Middle Schools in Southgate Community School District

The Southgate Community School District has only one middle school, Davidson Middle School, which serves students in grades 6-8. The school faces significant academic and socioeconomic challenges, with declining performance on standardized tests and a high chronic absenteeism rate compared to the state average.

Academically, Davidson Middle School's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math on the M-Step assessments are well below the state averages, ranging from 22.1% to 27.3% in ELA and 11.1% to 28.2% in Math, compared to state averages of 37.5% to 37.9% in ELA and 31% to 32.1% in Math. The school's statewide ranking has also declined over the past three years, from 579 out of 776 Michigan middle schools in 2021-2022 to 614 out of 897 in 2023-2024. The Southgate Community School District as a whole is ranked 453 out of 610 districts in Michigan and is rated 1 star out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Socioeconomic factors also appear to be impacting the school's performance, with 52.3% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and a high chronic absenteeism rate of 37.1%. The school's per-student spending of $18,519 and student-teacher ratio of 20.8 suggest that resources may not be effectively allocated to support student learning and achievement. Addressing these challenges will likely require a comprehensive approach that addresses both academic and non-academic factors impacting student success.