Thompson Middle School

Summary:

Thompson Middle School is a public middle school located in Saginaw, Michigan, serving grades 7-8 with a student population of 397. The school is part of the Saginaw School District, which is ranked 481 out of 610 districts in Michigan and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Thompson Middle School faces significant challenges, including a predominantly African American student population (67%), extremely low academic performance with proficiency rates well below state and district averages, and a chronic absenteeism crisis with rates ranging from 61.5% to 83.4% over the past 5 years. Despite spending significantly more per student ($17,767 in 2022-2023) compared to the state average and nearby schools, the school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing middle schools in Michigan for over a decade, with no signs of significant improvement. This suggests that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution, and the district and school should examine how resources are being allocated and explore more effective strategies to support student learning.

In contrast, neighboring schools such as EF Rittmueller Middle School, Cramer Junior High School, and Hemlock Middle School demonstrate significantly higher academic performance, lower chronic absenteeism, and more favorable student demographics. Understanding the factors that contribute to the success of these schools could provide valuable insights for Thompson Middle School as it works to address its persistent challenges and support the unique needs of its student population.


Detail:

Public 7-8

 3021 Court St
       Saginaw, MI  48602-3620


(989) 399-5600

District: Saginaw School District of the City of

SchoolDigger Rank:
859th of 897 Michigan Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $17,767 Help


Students who attend Thompson Middle School usually attend:

High:    Arthur Hill High School
    Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy

Feeder schools for Thompson Middle School:

Elementary:    Chester F Miller School
    Herig School
    Kempton Elementary School
    Merrill Park Elementary School
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  18.4 Help
Number of students:  397

Racial breakdown:

African American:
67.0%
White:
14.6%
Hispanic:
14.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  93.2% Help


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 Compare Thompson Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Thompson Middle School ranks worse than 95.8% of middle schools in Michigan. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.57. (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 Thompson Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (67%), White (14.6%), Hispanic (14.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 93.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Thompson Middle School is 18.4. (See more...)
Help
Compare Thompson Middle School employs 21.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Thompson Middle School is $17,767.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Thompson Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Thompson Middle School 859th of 897 Michigan public middle schools. (See Thompson Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
White students:


Saginaw School District of the City of:

SchoolDigger ranks Saginaw School District of the City of 481st of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Thompson Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Thompson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 9.57 756th 806 6.2%
2007 6.82 783rd 823 4.9%
2008 6.46 800th 839 4.6%
2009 12.71 786th 847 7.2%
2010 13.67 783rd 851 8.0%
2011 13.49 795th 858 7.3%
2012 10.51 837th 900 7.0%
2013 7.58 877th 919 4.6%
2014 5.17 899th 921 2.4%
2015 6.82 891st 919 3.0%
2016 5.13 877th 894 1.9%
2018 9.10 806th 838 3.8%
2019 4.12 776th 792 2.0%
2022 3.43 775th 776 0.1%
2023 5.18 869th 883 1.6%
2024 7.57 859th 897 4.2%
See the entire list of Michigan Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Thompson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 27.13 122nd 154 20.8%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Thompson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 20.06 353rd 377 6.4%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 12.36 749th 815 8.1%
2019 4.75 662nd 672 1.5%
2022 4.06 685th 691 0.9%
2023 5.85 812th 825 1.6%
2024 8.60 806th 836 3.6%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Thompson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 8.05 749th 794 5.7%
2019 2.48 655th 658 0.5%
2022 2.87 655th 657 0.3%
2023 5.54 753rd 770 2.2%
2024 8.83 735th 771 4.7%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Thompson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 9.59 745th 797 6.5%
2019 4.40 630th 639 1.4%
2024 4.96 778th 786 1.0%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Thompson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 21.60 309th 366 15.6%
2019 12.29 185th 196 5.6%
2022 11.77 174th 182 4.4%
2023 12.76 297th 310 4.2%
2024 15.90 284th 300 5.3%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Thompson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 10.50 261st 266 1.9%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Thompson Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 10.40 638th 678 5.9%
2019 5.28 616th 624 1.3%
2024 6.42 690th 701 1.6%
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.

Thompson 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: 5)
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Reviews:
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Enrollment information for Thompson Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 549 174 5 176 9 n/a n/a 0 913
1989 530 170 5 157 6 n/a n/a 0 868
1990 527 191 7 150 4 n/a n/a 0 879
1991 522 188 7 135 2 n/a n/a 0 854
1992 476 176 8 134 3 n/a n/a 0 797
1993 461 189 9 166 2 n/a n/a 0 827
1994 424 225 9 143 3 n/a n/a 0 804
1995 367 224 11 169 4 n/a n/a 0 775
1996 367 224 11 169 4 n/a n/a 0 775
1997 367 216 11 170 3 n/a n/a 0 767
1998 391 210 13 181 4 n/a n/a 0 799
1999 313 186 15 194 3 n/a n/a 0 711
2000 331 212 13 178 2 n/a n/a 0 736
2001 304 260 9 186 1 n/a n/a 0 760
2002 261 342 0 195 2 n/a n/a 0 800
2003 261 342 0 195 2 n/a n/a 0 800
2004 216 371 0 212 1 n/a n/a 0 800
2005 180 339 0 193 3 n/a n/a 0 715
2006 130 364 1 160 2 n/a n/a 0 657
2007 152 465 5 191 3 n/a n/a 0 816
2008 124 467 2 168 1 n/a n/a 0 762
2009 156 590 4 197 1 n/a n/a 0 948
2010 136 455 3 144 1 n/a n/a 0 739
2011 124 404 2 141 1 0 0 0 672
2012 113 374 2 129 2 0 1 0 621
2013 108 358 1 100 2 2 1 0 572
2014 96 325 1 98 1 3 2 0 526
2015 75 451 1 77 0 2 3 0 609
2016 59 402 0 68 1 1 2 0 533
2017 56 329 1 79 0 2 1 0 468
2018 54 300 0 86 0 5 1 0 446
2019 53 289 0 67 0 6 3 0 418
2020 67 263 0 51 0 6 2 0 389
2021 68 270 2 47 2 4 8 0 401
2022 74 267 1 54 2 7 8 0 413
2023 58 266 0 57 2 4 10 0 397

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 Thompson Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 913 n/a n/a n/a
1989 868 n/a n/a 16.4
1990 879 73.0 12.0 17.6
1991 854 n/a n/a n/a
1992 797 n/a n/a 18.2
1993 827 n/a 0.0 25.6
1994 804 39.0 20.6 40
1995 775 44.0 17.6 45.8
1996 775 44.0 17.6 45.8
1997 767 45.0 17.0 44.3
1998 799 46.0 17.4 46.2
1999 711 48.0 14.8 51.1
2000 736 47.0 15.7 57.9
2001 760 44.0 17.3 60.3
2002 800 46.0 17.4 69.4
2003 800 46.0 17.4 69.4
2004 800 46.0 17.4 74.5
2005 715 45.0 15.9 77.3
2006 657 42.5 15.5 81.7
2007 816 50.0 16.3 86.6
2008 762 45.2 16.9 89.6
2009 948 48.9 19.4 90.4
2010 739 38.0 19.4 90.3
2011 672 37.0 18.1 91.7
2012 621 39.0 15.9 93.4
2013 572 30.0 19.0 92.8
2014 526 28.2 18.6 94.1
2015 609 29.0 21.0 73.1
2016 533 30.0 17.7 79.9
2017 468 25.0 18.7 83.1
2018 446 24.0 18.5 93.3
2019 418 26.3 15.8 95.9
2020 389 23.6 16.4 91.5
2021 401 24.1 16.6 90.5
2022 413 26.0 15.8 93.9
2023 397 21.5 18.4 93.2

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 Thompson Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 913 n/a n/a n/a
1989 868 n/a n/a 16.4
1990 879 73.0 12.0 17.6
1991 854 n/a n/a n/a
1992 797 n/a n/a 18.2
1993 827 n/a 0.0 25.6
1994 804 39.0 20.6 40
1995 775 44.0 17.6 45.8
1996 775 44.0 17.6 45.8
1997 767 45.0 17.0 44.3
1998 799 46.0 17.4 46.2
1999 711 48.0 14.8 51.1
2000 736 47.0 15.7 57.9
2001 760 44.0 17.3 60.3
2002 800 46.0 17.4 69.4
2003 800 46.0 17.4 69.4
2004 800 46.0 17.4 74.5
2005 715 45.0 15.9 77.3
2006 657 42.5 15.5 81.7
2007 816 50.0 16.3 86.6
2008 762 45.2 16.9 89.6
2009 948 48.9 19.4 90.4
2010 739 38.0 19.4 90.3
2011 672 37.0 18.1 91.7
2012 621 39.0 15.9 93.4
2013 572 30.0 19.0 92.8
2014 526 28.2 18.6 94.1
2015 609 29.0 21.0 73.1
2016 533 30.0 17.7 79.9
2017 468 25.0 18.7 83.1
2018 446 24.0 18.5 93.3
2019 418 26.3 15.8 95.9
2020 389 23.6 16.4 91.5
2021 401 24.1 16.6 90.5
2022 413 26.0 15.8 93.9
2023 397 21.5 18.4 93.2

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 Thompson Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,906 (21.7%) $10,473 (78.3%) $13,379
2020 $2,499 (19.2%) $10,490 (80.8%) $12,989
2021 $3,111 (20.9%) $11,793 (79.1%) $14,904
2022 $6,929 (44.8%) $8,529 (55.2%) $15,458
2023 $7,522 (42.3%) $10,244 (57.7%) $17,766

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Thompson 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 776th of 792 Middle schoolsRanks 869th of 883 Middle schools
 0.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts (Thompson Middle School)12.811.6
 1.2%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Saginaw School District of the City of)30.126.1
 4%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)42.736.9
 5.8%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Thompson Middle School)22.822.2
 0.6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Saginaw School District of the City of)4339.7
 3.3%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)61.959.7
 2.2%
8th Grade Mathematics (Thompson Middle School)6.72.8
 3.9%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Saginaw School District of the City of)27.720.7
 7%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Michigan)41.436.3
 5.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students418397
 5%
African American289266
 8%
American Indian02
Asian00
Hispanic6757
 14.9%
Pacific Islander64
 33.3%
White5358
 9.4%
Two or More Races310
 233.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients95.9%93.2%
 2.7%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Thompson Middle School

Students at Thompson Middle School are 67% African American, 15% White, 14% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

Thompson Middle School ranks in the bottom 4.2% of Michigan middle schools.

In the 2022-23 school year, 397 students attended Thompson Middle School.

Students who attend Thompson Middle School usually go on to attend Arthur Hill High School


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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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