Is Kalkaska Middle School a good school?

Kalkaska Middle School ranks 515 th of 897 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Kalkaska Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 309 students attended Kalkaska Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Kalkaska Middle School?

Students at Kalkaska Middle School are 94% White, 5% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Kalkaska Middle School attend?

Students who attend Kalkaska Middle School usually go on to attend Kalkaska High School

Kalkaska Middle School

Summary:

Kalkaska Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Kalkaska, Michigan, with 304 students, the majority of whom are White (93.75%). However, the school faces significant challenges, consistently underperforming the state averages in academic proficiency, experiencing high chronic absenteeism, and serving a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Kalkaska Middle School's academic performance is a major concern, with only 17.7% of 6th graders proficient in English Language Arts and 13.3% and 29.5% of 6th and 7th graders, respectively, proficient in math, all well below the state averages. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has also risen dramatically, from 8.9% in 2018-2019 to 33.8% in 2022-2023, indicating a potential issue with student engagement. Additionally, 66.45% of Kalkaska Middle School students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the nearby East Middle School (37.91%) and Cherryland Middle School (29.18%).

When compared to nearby middle schools, the academic performance gap at Kalkaska Middle School is quite significant. For example, in 2023-2024, the percentage of 6th graders proficient in English Language Arts at East Middle School (53.7%) and Cherryland Middle School (45.4%) was more than double the rate at Kalkaska Middle School (17.7%). This suggests that the students at Kalkaska Middle School are not receiving the same level of educational opportunities as their peers in the surrounding Traverse City Area Public Schools, Elk Rapids Schools, Mancelona Public Schools, and Forest Area Community Schools districts.

Detail:

Public 6-8

1700 W Kalkaska Rd
Kalkaska, MI 49646-9147

(231) 258-4040

District: Kalkaska Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
515^th of 897 Michigan Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,845

Students who attend Kalkaska Middle School usually attend:

High:

Kalkaska High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.4

Number of students: 309

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.9%

Hispanic:

4.5%

Two or more races:

1.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 56.6%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Kalkaska Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Kalkaska Middle School ranks worse than 57.4% of middle schools in Michigan. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 39.97. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (93.9%), Hispanic (4.5%), two or more races (1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 56.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Kalkaska Middle School is 16.4. (See more...)

Compare Kalkaska Middle School employs 18.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Kalkaska Middle School is $14,845.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Kalkaska Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Kalkaska Middle School 515^th of 897 Michigan public middle schools. (See Kalkaska Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Kalkaska Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Kalkaska Public Schools 323^rd of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Kalkaska Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Kalkaska Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2006	39.31	621^st	806	23.0%
2007	51.94	517^th	823	37.2%
2008	59.53	448^th	839	46.6%
2009	40.09	635^th	847	25.0%
2010	54.47	525^th	851	38.3%
2011	55.68	494^th	858	42.4%
2012	36.76	624^th	900	30.7%
2013	35.43	633^rd	919	31.1%
2014	45.15	550^th	921	40.3%
2015	35.24	613^th	919	33.3%
2016	24.16	676^th	894	24.4%
2017	11.15	745^th	821	9.3%
2018	29.26	635^th	838	24.2%
2019	26.45	597^th	792	24.6%
2021	24.32	530^th	675	21.5%
2022	37.41	475^th	776	38.8%
2023	35.03	565^th	883	36.0%
2024	39.97	515^th	897	42.6%

See the entire list of Michigan Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Kalkaska Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	22.23	337^th	377	10.6%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	30.97	596^th	815	26.9%
2019	29.92	504^th	672	25.0%
2021	43.73	277^th	523	47.0%
2022	42.58	403^rd	691	41.7%
2023	44.96	427^th	825	48.2%
2024	45.21	423^rd	836	49.4%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Kalkaska Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	28.18	582^nd	794	26.7%
2019	24.42	521^st	658	20.8%
2021	22.45	434^th	521	16.7%
2022	31.82	458^th	657	30.3%
2023	42.22	419^th	770	45.6%
2024	33.55	512^th	771	33.6%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Kalkaska Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	27.85	591^st	797	25.8%
2019	20.70	538^th	639	15.8%
2021	18.21	476^th	540	11.9%
2022	35.33	415^th	658	36.9%
2023	25.05	580^th	776	25.3%
2024	38.13	481^st	786	38.8%

See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Kalkaska Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	13.22	626^th	678	7.7%
2019	15.27	561^st	624	10.1%
2021	16.68	512^th	577	11.3%
2022	25.84	491^st	638	23.0%
2023	20.41	578^th	688	16.0%
2024	25.81	543^rd	701	22.5%

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.

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Kalkaska Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	469	1	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	473
1989	464	0	1	1	2	n/a	n/a	468
1990	460	0	0	1	4	n/a	n/a	465
1991	506	1	0	1	1	n/a	n/a	509
1992	575	2	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	577
1993	551	4	0	0	2	n/a	n/a	557
1994	518	2	0	0	2	n/a	n/a	522
1995	537	1	2	3	3	n/a	n/a	546
1996	537	1	2	3	3	n/a	n/a	546
1997	505	2	2	4	6	n/a	n/a	519
1998	477	1	4	2	7	n/a	n/a	491
1999	476	1	2	3	11	n/a	n/a	493
2000	471	1	1	2	6	n/a	n/a	481
2001	455	1	0	1	7	n/a	n/a	464
2002	409	1	1	1	1	n/a	n/a	413
2003	409	1	1	1	1	n/a	n/a	413
2004	395	1	2	2	4	n/a	n/a	404
2005	356	1	2	1	4	n/a	n/a	364
2006	380	3	5	1	8	n/a	n/a	397
2007	341	2	4	1	12	n/a	n/a	360
2008	335	2	5	1	9	n/a	n/a	352
2009	318	0	2	2	11	n/a	n/a	333
2010	314	1	2	5	7	n/a	n/a	329
2011	313	2	1	4	7	0	0	327
2012	335	3	1	3	2	0	3	347
2013	351	4	0	6	1	0	3	365
2014	330	4	0	7	2	0	4	347
2015	326	3	1	6	1	0	2	339
2016	319	5	2	6	2	0	1	335
2017	332	0	1	5	2	0	5	345
2018	316	1	1	6	2	0	9	335
2019	333	1	0	8	2	0	8	352
2020	322	3	0	9	2	0	4	340
2021	313	2	0	8	1	0	2	326
2022	271	5	0	10	1	0	4	291
2023	285	2	0	13	1	0	3	304
2024	290	1	0	14	1	0	3	309

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 Kalkaska Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	473	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	468	n/a	n/a	25.2
1990	465	28.0	16.6	20.4
1991	509	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	577	n/a	n/a	n/a
1993	557	n/a	0.0	0
1994	522	29.7	17.6	26.8
1995	546	29.1	18.8	26.4
1996	546	29.1	18.8	26.4
1997	519	28.0	18.5	29.1
1998	491	27.0	18.2	27.1
1999	493	27.0	18.3	27.4
2000	481	27.0	17.8	32
2001	464	28.0	16.6	38.6
2002	413	n/a	n/a	49.2
2003	413	n/a	n/a	49.2
2004	404	24.2	16.7	51
2005	364	21.3	17.1	50.3
2006	397	20.3	19.6	52.1
2007	360	17.0	21.2	51.1
2008	352	16.8	21.0	55.1
2009	333	15.2	21.9	58
2010	329	18.2	18.0	57.1
2011	327	16.9	19.3	60.9
2012	347	18.4	18.8	63.4
2013	365	18.4	19.8	67.7
2014	347	19.0	18.2	62.8
2015	339	19.0	17.8	63.4
2016	335	20.0	16.7	59.1
2017	345	17.4	19.8	66.1
2018	335	18.6	18.0	60.6
2019	352	18.5	19.0	65.9
2020	340	19.7	17.2	63.2
2021	326	19.4	16.8	74.2
2022	291	19.0	15.3	63.2
2023	304	19.3	15.7	66.4
2024	309	18.8	16.4	56.6

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 Kalkaska Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	473	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	468	n/a	n/a	25.2
1990	465	28.0	16.6	20.4
1991	509	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	577	n/a	n/a	n/a
1993	557	n/a	0.0	0
1994	522	29.7	17.6	26.8
1995	546	29.1	18.8	26.4
1996	546	29.1	18.8	26.4
1997	519	28.0	18.5	29.1
1998	491	27.0	18.2	27.1
1999	493	27.0	18.3	27.4
2000	481	27.0	17.8	32
2001	464	28.0	16.6	38.6
2002	413	n/a	n/a	49.2
2003	413	n/a	n/a	49.2
2004	404	24.2	16.7	51
2005	364	21.3	17.1	50.3
2006	397	20.3	19.6	52.1
2007	360	17.0	21.2	51.1
2008	352	16.8	21.0	55.1
2009	333	15.2	21.9	58
2010	329	18.2	18.0	57.1
2011	327	16.9	19.3	60.9
2012	347	18.4	18.8	63.4
2013	365	18.4	19.8	67.7
2014	347	19.0	18.2	62.8
2015	339	19.0	17.8	63.4
2016	335	20.0	16.7	59.1
2017	345	17.4	19.8	66.1
2018	335	18.6	18.0	60.6
2019	352	18.5	19.0	65.9
2020	340	19.7	17.2	63.2
2021	326	19.4	16.8	74.2
2022	291	19.0	15.3	63.2
2023	304	19.3	15.7	66.4
2024	309	18.8	16.4	56.6

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 Kalkaska Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$624 (6.1%)	$9,683 (93.9%)	$10,307
2020	$501 (4.6%)	$10,475 (95.4%)	$10,976
2021	$1,090 (8.8%)	$11,343 (91.2%)	$12,433
2022	$1,172 (8.3%)	$12,985 (91.7%)	$14,157
2023	$1,234 (8.3%)	$13,610 (91.7%)	$14,845

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Kalkaska 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.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 597^th of 792 Middle schools	Ranks 565^th of 883 Middle schools	11.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Kalkaska Middle School)	20.3	22.3	2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Kalkaska Public Schools)	20.3	22.3	2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)	41.7	37.5	4.2%
6th Grade Math (Kalkaska Middle School)	20.9	17	3.9%
6th Grade Math (Kalkaska Public Schools)	20.9	17	3.9%
6th Grade Math (Michigan)	35.1	29.6	5.5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Kalkaska Middle School)	18.9	26	7.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Kalkaska Public Schools)	18.9	26	7.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)	42.7	36.9	5.8%
7th Grade Math (Kalkaska Middle School)	17.9	28.1	10.2%
7th Grade Math (Kalkaska Public Schools)	17.9	28.1	10.2%
7th Grade Math (Michigan)	35.7	31	4.7%
8th Grade Social Studies (Kalkaska Middle School)	18.9	18.9
8th Grade Social Studies (Kalkaska Public Schools)	18.9	18.9
8th Grade Social Studies (Michigan)	28	26.7	1.3%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Kalkaska Middle School)	60.6	45.9	14.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Kalkaska Public Schools)	60.6	45.9	14.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)	61.9	59.7	2.2%
8th Grade Mathematics (Kalkaska Middle School)	41.3	37.8	3.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Kalkaska Public Schools)	41.3	37.8	3.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Michigan)	41.4	36.3	5.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	352	304	13.6%
African American	1	2	100%
American Indian	2	1	50%
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	8	13	62.5%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	333	285	14.4%
Two or More Races	8	3	62.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	65.9%	66.4%	0.5%

Schools Near Kalkaska Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				PSAT English Language Arts (2024)	PSAT Mathematics (2024)	M-Step English Language Arts (2024)				M-Step Math (2024)				M-Step Science (2024)		M-Step Social Studies (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kalkaska Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 W Kalkaska Rd	Kalkaska	49646	Kalkaska County	Kalkaska Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 258-4040	309	19	16.4	56.6%	290 (93.9%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	40	515^th of 897 public middle schools	42.6%		35	565^th of 883 public middle schools	36.0%	50	55.4	35.9			17.7	26.1			13.3	29.5		41.3		30.0	$14,845	$1,234	$13,610
Forest Area Middle School	Public	4-8	7661 Shippy Rd SW	Fife Lake	49633	Kalkaska County	Forest Area Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 369-2884	190	12	15.3	64.7%	167 (87.9%)	5 (2.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.3%)	13.8	779^th of 897 public middle schools	13.2%		36.8	545^th of 883 public middle schools	38.3%	234	46.3	14.6	36.1	28.2	8.3	8.8	25.0	23.7		11.8	20.5	15.4		10.3	$12,814	$1,311	$11,503
Mancelona Middle School	Public	5-8	112 St Johns Ave	Mancelona	49659	Antrim County	Mancelona Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 587-9869	236	15	15.9	78.4%	220 (93.2%)	3 (1.3%)	9 (3.8%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	51.7	381^st of 897 public middle schools	57.5%		63.8	258^th of 883 public middle schools	70.8%	123	58.6	43.1		31.5	25.9	40.4		16.4	14.8	26.9	28.8	39.7	6.8	37.9	$15,846	$2,362	$13,484
Cherryland Middle School	Public	6-8	707 E 3rd St	Elk Rapids	49629	Antrim County	Elk Rapids Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 264-8991	285	17	16.7	30.2%	254 (89.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.2%)	2 (0.7%)	11 (3.9%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.8%)	79.1	136^th of 897 public middle schools	84.8%		82.5	115^th of 883 public middle schools	87.0%	21	79.3	47.8			45.4	44.0			47.4	38.8		48.4		51.1	$00	$00	$00
East Middle School	Public	6-8	1776 3 Mile Rd N	Traverse City	49696	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-7300	779	38	20.7	33.2%	677 (86.9%)	9 (1.2%)	46 (5.9%)	9 (1.2%)	13 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.2%)	83.1	109^th of 897 public middle schools	87.8%		74.9	165^th of 883 public middle schools	81.3%	56	81.6	49.0			53.7	52.6			47.1	41.6		51.1		44.7	$14,153	$604	$13,549

Kalkaska Middle School

Kalkaska Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Kalkaska Public Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Kalkaska Middle School

Rank History for all students at Kalkaska Middle School

Rank History for Special Education students at Kalkaska Middle School

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

Rank History for Female students at Kalkaska Middle School

Rank History for Male students at Kalkaska Middle School

Rank History for White students at Kalkaska Middle School

Enrollment information for Kalkaska Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Kalkaska Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio Kalkaska Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Kalkaska Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on Kalkaska Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Kalkaska Middle School