Northwestern Middle School

Summary:

Northwestern Middle School is a public middle school located in Battle Creek, Michigan, serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 202. The school is part of the Battle Creek Public Schools district, which is ranked 575 out of 610 districts in Michigan and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Northwestern Middle School faces significant challenges, with consistently low academic performance, a high percentage of African American students (49.01%) compared to the state average (17.6%), and an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate ranging from 46.8% to 70% over the past 5 years. The school's proficiency rates in M-Step/PSAT assessments are significantly lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. Despite the school's high spending per student (over $22,000 per student) and low student-teacher ratio (10:1), the outcomes do not reflect the investment. In comparison, nearby schools like Battle Creek STEM Innovation Center and Springfield Middle School perform significantly better across various metrics, including test scores, chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic status.

The challenges faced by Northwestern Middle School appear to be systemic, with the school consistently ranking among the lowest-performing middle schools in Michigan over the past several years. Addressing the racial disparities, high chronic absenteeism, and overall low academic performance will require a comprehensive and targeted approach to improve outcomes for the students. The school's unique challenges, compared to its neighboring schools, highlight the need for a focused effort to address the underlying issues and provide a quality education for the students of Northwestern Middle School.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 176 Limit St
       Battle Creek, MI  49037-2139


(269) 965-9607

District: Battle Creek Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
895th of 897 Michigan Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $22,435 Help


Students who attend Northwestern Middle School usually attend:

High:    Battle Creek Central High School

Feeder schools for Northwestern Middle School:

Elementary:    Ann J Kellogg School
    Dudley School
    Lamora Park School
    Post Franklin School
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  10.0 Help
Number of students:  202

Racial breakdown:

African American:
49.0%
White:
22.8%
Two or more races:
18.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  84.2% Help


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 Compare Northwestern Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Northwestern Middle School ranks worse than 99.8% of middle schools in Michigan. It also ranks last among 3 ranked middle schools in the Battle Creek Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 4.18. (See more...)
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Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Northwestern Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (49%), White (22.8%), two or more races (18.3%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 84.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Battle Creek Public Schools District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Northwestern Middle School is 10, which is the lowest among 3 middle schools in the Battle Creek Public Schools District! (See more...)
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Compare Northwestern Middle School employs 20.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Northwestern Middle School is $22,435, which is the highest among 3 middle schools in the Battle Creek Public Schools District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Northwestern Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Northwestern Middle School 895th of 897 Michigan public middle schools. (See Northwestern Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
White students:


Battle Creek Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Battle Creek Public Schools 575th of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Northwestern Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Northwestern Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 21.60 704th 806 12.7%
2007 25.60 698th 823 15.2%
2008 18.59 746th 839 11.1%
2009 13.36 783rd 847 7.6%
2010 9.53 798th 851 6.2%
2011 18.78 765th 858 10.8%
2012 14.50 813th 900 9.7%
2013 13.47 815th 919 11.3%
2014 8.31 861st 921 6.5%
2015 9.59 841st 919 8.5%
2016 5.84 865th 894 3.2%
2017 3.26 820th 821 0.1%
2018 6.34 833rd 838 0.6%
2022 6.70 748th 776 3.6%
2023 6.25 854th 883 3.3%
2024 4.18 895th 897 0.2%
See the entire list of Michigan Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Northwestern Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.85 154th 156 1.3%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Northwestern Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.32 800th 815 1.8%
2023 7.38 799th 825 3.2%
2024 4.80 831st 836 0.6%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Northwestern Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 5.89 777th 794 2.1%
2023 5.73 752nd 770 2.3%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Northwestern Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 6.51 784th 797 1.6%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Northwestern Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 15.39 357th 366 2.5%
2023 14.58 289th 310 6.8%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Northwestern Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 4.43 266th 266 0.0%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Northwestern Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 2.46 675th 678 0.4%
2024 25.32 546th 701 22.1%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Northwestern Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a teacher
Friday, March 1, 2019

Open Quote Absolutely horrible. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Northwestern Middle School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 292 208 3 3 1 n/a n/a 0 507
1989 311 190 1 4 1 n/a n/a 0 507
1990 306 201 5 5 0 n/a n/a 0 517
1991 287 178 7 8 0 n/a n/a 0 480
1992 314 183 7 4 2 n/a n/a 0 510
1993 327 176 4 7 0 n/a n/a 0 514
1994 327 191 3 7 2 n/a n/a 0 530
1995 312 170 5 3 2 n/a n/a 0 492
1996 312 170 5 3 2 n/a n/a 0 492
1997 348 187 7 7 1 n/a n/a 0 550
1998 329 167 5 12 5 n/a n/a 0 518
1999 329 185 1 8 9 n/a n/a 0 532
2000 327 185 3 9 7 n/a n/a 0 531
2001 320 173 0 10 7 n/a n/a 0 510
2002 265 239 4 6 11 n/a n/a 0 525
2003 265 239 4 6 11 n/a n/a 0 525
2004 245 225 0 6 6 n/a n/a 0 482
2005 221 204 0 10 5 n/a n/a 0 440
2006 198 168 0 13 5 n/a n/a 0 384
2007 180 167 1 16 4 n/a n/a 0 368
2008 149 121 n/a 4 6 n/a n/a 17 297
2009 138 118 1 4 2 n/a n/a 20 283
2010 133 120 1 7 2 n/a n/a 25 288
2011 130 112 0 7 2 1 18 0 270
2012 192 224 0 40 0 1 38 0 495
2013 185 235 2 44 4 1 33 0 504
2014 170 210 0 39 3 0 34 0 456
2015 143 183 0 51 1 0 50 0 428
2016 134 194 1 38 2 0 53 0 422
2017 100 208 2 30 3 0 40 0 383
2018 124 203 4 32 2 0 45 0 410
2019 127 177 0 30 1 0 36 0 371
2020 100 138 0 37 0 0 31 0 306
2021 87 114 2 31 1 0 24 0 259
2022 69 107 0 20 0 0 30 0 226
2023 46 99 0 19 1 0 37 0 202

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Northwestern Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 507 n/a n/a n/a
1989 507 n/a n/a 28
1990 517 39.0 13.2 27.3
1991 480 n/a n/a n/a
1992 510 n/a n/a 33.9
1993 514 n/a 0.0 36.8
1994 530 30.6 17.3 41.5
1995 492 30.1 16.3 39.4
1996 492 30.1 16.3 39.4
1997 550 32.0 17.2 40.9
1998 518 31.0 16.7 40.7
1999 532 37.0 14.4 35.5
2000 531 38.4 13.8 43.9
2001 510 28.0 18.2 47.8
2002 525 33.0 15.9 62.9
2003 525 33.0 15.9 62.9
2004 482 36.9 13.1 56.4
2005 440 35.6 12.4 72.7
2006 384 31.6 12.2 70.6
2007 368 31.1 11.8 77.4
2008 297 23.5 12.6 81.1
2009 283 21.1 13.4 87.1
2010 288 19.9 14.4 89.7
2011 270 16.2 16.6 81.1
2012 495 35.3 14.0 81.6
2013 504 35.9 14.0 72.4
2014 456 33.9 13.4 64.3
2015 428 29.0 14.7 61.4
2016 422 32.0 13.1 60.7
2017 383 25.5 15.0 77.8
2018 410 30.7 13.3 87.6
2019 371 27.9 13.2 92.7
2020 306 28.0 10.9 78.8
2021 259 21.5 12.0 83.8
2022 226 18.7 12.0 82.3
2023 202 20.1 10.0 84.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Northwestern Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 507 n/a n/a n/a
1989 507 n/a n/a 28
1990 517 39.0 13.2 27.3
1991 480 n/a n/a n/a
1992 510 n/a n/a 33.9
1993 514 n/a 0.0 36.8
1994 530 30.6 17.3 41.5
1995 492 30.1 16.3 39.4
1996 492 30.1 16.3 39.4
1997 550 32.0 17.2 40.9
1998 518 31.0 16.7 40.7
1999 532 37.0 14.4 35.5
2000 531 38.4 13.8 43.9
2001 510 28.0 18.2 47.8
2002 525 33.0 15.9 62.9
2003 525 33.0 15.9 62.9
2004 482 36.9 13.1 56.4
2005 440 35.6 12.4 72.7
2006 384 31.6 12.2 70.6
2007 368 31.1 11.8 77.4
2008 297 23.5 12.6 81.1
2009 283 21.1 13.4 87.1
2010 288 19.9 14.4 89.7
2011 270 16.2 16.6 81.1
2012 495 35.3 14.0 81.6
2013 504 35.9 14.0 72.4
2014 456 33.9 13.4 64.3
2015 428 29.0 14.7 61.4
2016 422 32.0 13.1 60.7
2017 383 25.5 15.0 77.8
2018 410 30.7 13.3 87.6
2019 371 27.9 13.2 92.7
2020 306 28.0 10.9 78.8
2021 259 21.5 12.0 83.8
2022 226 18.7 12.0 82.3
2023 202 20.1 10.0 84.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Northwestern Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,170 (13.9%) $13,461 (86.1%) $15,630
2020 $2,104 (11.8%) $15,754 (88.2%) $17,859
2021 $2,881 (15.9%) $15,200 (84.1%) $18,080
2022 $4,081 (20.2%) $16,093 (79.8%) $20,174
2023 $4,537 (20.2%) $17,898 (79.8%) $22,435

Data source: Michigan Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Northwestern Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Northwestern Middle School)6.37.8
 1.5%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Battle Creek Public Schools)13.814.6
 0.8%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)41.737.6
 4.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Northwestern Middle School)21.718.7
 3%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Battle Creek Public Schools)33.725.3
 8.4%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)61.959.7
 2.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students371202
 45.6%
African American17799
 44.1%
American Indian11
Asian00
Hispanic3019
 36.7%
Pacific Islander00
White12746
 63.8%
Two or More Races3637
 2.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients92.7%84.2%
 8.6%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Northwestern Middle School

Students who attend Northwestern Middle School usually go on to attend Battle Creek Central High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 202 students attended Northwestern Middle School.

Students at Northwestern Middle School are 49% African American, 23% White, 18% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic.

Northwestern Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Michigan middle schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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