Is Shepherd Middle School a good school?

Shepherd Middle School ranks 250 th of 897 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Shepherd Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 417 students attended Shepherd Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Shepherd Middle School?

Students at Shepherd Middle School are 84% White, 6% Hispanic, 5% American Indian, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Shepherd Middle School attend?

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

Shepherd Middle School

Summary:

Shepherd Middle School is a public middle school serving 417 students in grades 6-8 in Shepherd, Michigan, which is part of the Shepherd Public Schools district. The school generally outperforms state and district averages in academic proficiency, particularly in math and English language arts, and has a higher percentage of white and Native American students compared to nearby schools like TS Nurnberger Middle School and Donald L Pavlik Middle School, which have more diverse student populations.

Shepherd Middle School's academic performance is a strength, with 41.6% of 6th graders and 42.6% of 7th graders proficient or better in M-Step Math, compared to state averages of 31% and 32.1%, respectively. The school also performs well for certain student subgroups, ranking 192 out of 786 Michigan middle schools for male students and 192 out of 836 for low socioeconomic status students. However, the school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 5.5% in 2020-2021 to 25.7% in 2022-2023, which is an area of concern that the school should address.

While Shepherd Middle School's overall performance is solid, its statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, ranging from 250 out of 897 Michigan middle schools in 2023-2024 to 591 out of 921 in 2013-2014. This suggests the school's performance has been inconsistent, and it should focus on maintaining a consistently high level of academic achievement across all student groups, including its special education population, whose performance has also fluctuated in recent years.

Detail:

Public 6-8

350 S Chippewa St
Shepherd, MI 48883-8662

(989) 828-6601

District: Shepherd Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
250^th of 897 Michigan Middle Schools

Students who attend Shepherd Middle School usually attend:

High:

Shepherd High School

Feeder schools for Shepherd Middle School:

Elementary:	Shepherd Elementary School
	Winn Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 17.8

Number of students: 417

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.2%

Hispanic:

6.0%

American Indian:

5.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 52.5%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Shepherd Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Shepherd Middle School ranks better than 72.1% of middle schools in Michigan. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 64.48. (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 (84.2%), Hispanic (6%), American Indian (5.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 52.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Shepherd Middle School is 17.8. (See more...)

Compare Shepherd Middle School employs 23.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Shepherd Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Shepherd Middle School 250^th of 897 Michigan public middle schools. (See Shepherd 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:

Shepherd Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Shepherd Public Schools 202^nd of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Shepherd Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2006	84.79	66^th	806	91.8%
2007	81.12	106^th	823	87.1%
2008	78.63	136^th	839	83.8%
2009	73.64	209^th	847	75.3%
2010	73.76	205^th	851	75.9%
2011	71.54	239^th	858	72.1%
2012	70.24	238^th	900	73.6%
2013	64.50	286^th	919	68.9%
2014	41.41	591^st	921	35.8%
2015	38.36	590^th	919	35.8%
2016	41.85	524^th	894	41.4%
2017	35.60	499^th	821	39.2%
2018	56.82	375^th	838	55.3%
2019	63.90	233^rd	792	70.6%
2021	34.20	439^th	675	35.0%
2022	50.34	337^th	776	56.6%
2023	62.43	270^th	883	69.4%
2024	64.48	250^th	897	72.1%

See the entire list of Michigan Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	57.67	104^th	377	72.4%
2023	34.98	135^th	199	32.2%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	57.34	318^th	815	61.0%
2019	63.75	184^th	672	72.6%
2021	38.28	330^th	523	36.9%
2022	60.61	208^th	691	69.9%
2023	64.44	206^th	825	75.0%
2024	67.22	192^nd	836	77.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	58.77	306^th	794	61.5%
2019	59.38	230^th	658	65.0%
2021	26.83	405^th	521	22.3%
2022	44.51	329^th	657	49.9%
2023	51.07	317^th	770	58.8%
2024	52.00	301^st	771	61.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	50.30	371^st	797	53.5%
2019	59.73	216^th	639	66.2%
2021	30.45	374^th	540	30.7%
2022	45.92	319^th	658	51.5%
2023	62.42	225^th	776	71.0%
2024	67.91	192^nd	786	75.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Shepherd Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MI State Percentile
2018	41.91	389^th	678	42.6%
2019	55.01	249^th	624	60.1%
2021	29.52	408^th	577	29.3%
2022	37.23	387^th	638	39.3%
2023	52.09	284^th	688	58.7%
2024	51.44	293^rd	701	58.2%

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 Shepherd Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	371	1	2	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	379
1989	378	2	1	3	4	n/a	n/a	0	388
1990	393	1	1	9	3	n/a	n/a	0	407
1991	428	2	0	10	3	n/a	n/a	0	443
1992	411	3	2	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	426
1993	420	2	3	10	4	n/a	n/a	0	439
1994	445	4	3	8	3	n/a	n/a	0	463
1995	455	3	1	9	7	n/a	n/a	0	475
1996	455	3	1	9	7	n/a	n/a	0	475
1997	443	1	3	7	12	n/a	n/a	0	466
1998	436	1	2	5	23	n/a	n/a	0	467
1999	442	2	5	8	15	n/a	n/a	0	472
2000	430	2	3	12	14	n/a	n/a	0	461
2001	398	3	4	20	15	n/a	n/a	0	440
2002	395	7	2	15	15	n/a	n/a	0	434
2003	395	7	2	15	15	n/a	n/a	0	434
2004	408	7	2	15	14	n/a	n/a	0	446
2005	392	4	1	6	12	n/a	n/a	0	415
2006	369	2	4	6	15	n/a	n/a	0	396
2007	336	1	3	11	21	n/a	n/a	0	372
2008	326	2	3	5	23	n/a	n/a	0	359
2009	307	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	33	340
2010	335	3	0	5	11	n/a	n/a	13	367
2011	388	3	0	15	22	0	5	0	433
2012	381	2	0	8	32	0	6	0	429
2013	358	3	0	5	37	0	2	0	405
2014	331	5	0	13	28	0	12	0	389
2015	333	7	0	16	23	0	16	0	395
2016	348	5	0	16	18	1	18	0	406
2017	362	2	0	13	19	0	19	0	415
2018	386	0	0	14	19	1	17	0	437
2019	377	1	0	15	21	1	15	0	430
2020	381	2	0	16	16	2	11	0	428
2021	358	4	1	14	18	1	6	0	402
2022	357	5	1	16	17	2	7	0	405
2023	351	8	1	25	22	3	7	0	417

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 Shepherd Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	379	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	388	n/a	n/a	0
1990	407	20.0	20.3	n/a
1991	443	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	426	n/a	n/a	30.3
1993	439	n/a	0.0	28.7
1994	463	19.0	24.4	0
1995	475	25.6	18.6	0
1996	475	25.6	18.6	0
1997	466	25.0	18.6	0
1998	467	25.0	18.7	0
1999	472	25.0	18.9	0
2000	461	25.4	18.1	0
2001	440	23.8	18.5	0
2002	434	23.4	18.5	n/a
2003	434	23.4	18.5	n/a
2004	446	24.4	18.3	n/a
2005	415	22.6	18.4	n/a
2006	396	20.8	19.0	0
2007	372	20.0	18.6	30.6
2008	359	21.1	17.0	32.9
2009	340	21.2	16.0	26.1
2010	367	19.5	18.8	39.5
2011	433	20.7	20.8	39.7
2012	429	23.1	18.5	44.8
2013	405	22.0	18.3	39.5
2014	389	21.1	18.3	43.4
2015	395	21.0	18.8	47.6
2016	406	23.0	17.6	46.3
2017	415	23.3	17.7	50.6
2018	437	24.6	17.7	48.5
2019	430	22.4	19.1	44
2020	428	22.8	18.7	44.9
2021	402	24.9	16.1	46
2022	405	24.1	16.8	49.1
2023	417	23.3	17.8	52.5

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 Shepherd Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	379	n/a	n/a	n/a
1989	388	n/a	n/a	0
1990	407	20.0	20.3	n/a
1991	443	n/a	n/a	n/a
1992	426	n/a	n/a	30.3
1993	439	n/a	0.0	28.7
1994	463	19.0	24.4	0
1995	475	25.6	18.6	0
1996	475	25.6	18.6	0
1997	466	25.0	18.6	0
1998	467	25.0	18.7	0
1999	472	25.0	18.9	0
2000	461	25.4	18.1	0
2001	440	23.8	18.5	0
2002	434	23.4	18.5	n/a
2003	434	23.4	18.5	n/a
2004	446	24.4	18.3	n/a
2005	415	22.6	18.4	n/a
2006	396	20.8	19.0	0
2007	372	20.0	18.6	30.6
2008	359	21.1	17.0	32.9
2009	340	21.2	16.0	26.1
2010	367	19.5	18.8	39.5
2011	433	20.7	20.8	39.7
2012	429	23.1	18.5	44.8
2013	405	22.0	18.3	39.5
2014	389	21.1	18.3	43.4
2015	395	21.0	18.8	47.6
2016	406	23.0	17.6	46.3
2017	415	23.3	17.7	50.6
2018	437	24.6	17.7	48.5
2019	430	22.4	19.1	44
2020	428	22.8	18.7	44.9
2021	402	24.9	16.1	46
2022	405	24.1	16.8	49.1
2023	417	23.3	17.8	52.5

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 Shepherd Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$438 (5.0%)	$8,349 (95.0%)	$8,788
2020	$479 (5.1%)	$8,935 (94.9%)	$9,414
2021	$522 (5.3%)	$9,420 (94.7%)	$9,942
2022	$735 (7.0%)	$9,757 (93.0%)	$10,492
2023	$00 (NaN)	$00 (NaN)	$00

Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Shepherd 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 233^rd of 792 Middle schools	Ranks 270^th of 883 Middle schools	1.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Shepherd Middle School)	45.2	29.1	16.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Shepherd Public Schools)	45.2	29.1	16.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)	41.7	37.5	4.2%
6th Grade Math (Shepherd Middle School)	30.4	37.8	7.4%
6th Grade Math (Shepherd Public Schools)	30.4	37.8	7.4%
6th Grade Math (Michigan)	35.1	29.6	5.5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Shepherd Middle School)	44.7	33.3	11.4%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Shepherd Public Schools)	43.6	32.6	11%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)	42.7	36.9	5.8%
7th Grade Math (Shepherd Middle School)	44.7	26.8	17.9%
7th Grade Math (Shepherd Public Schools)	43.6	26.2	17.4%
7th Grade Math (Michigan)	35.7	31	4.7%
8th Grade Social Studies (Shepherd Middle School)	37.8	39.1	1.3%
8th Grade Social Studies (Shepherd Public Schools)	35.7	37	1.3%
8th Grade Social Studies (Michigan)	28	26.7	1.3%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Shepherd Middle School)	68.1	69.5	1.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Shepherd Public Schools)	66.7	67.4	0.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)	61.9	59.7	2.2%
8th Grade Mathematics (Shepherd Middle School)	51.3	46.1	5.2%
8th Grade Mathematics (Shepherd Public Schools)	48.8	43.7	5.1%
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	430	417	3%
African American	1	8	700%
American Indian	21	22	4.8%
Asian	0	1
Hispanic	15	25	66.7%
Pacific Islander	1	3	200%
White	377	351	6.9%
Two or More Races	15	7	53.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	44%	52.5%	8.6%

Schools Near Shepherd 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 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Shepherd Middle School	Public	6-8	350 S Chippewa St	Shepherd	48883	Isabella County	Shepherd Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 828-6601	417	23	17.8	52.5%	351 (84.2%)	8 (1.9%)	25 (6.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.3%)	3 (0.7%)	7 (1.7%)	64.5	250^th of 897 public middle schools	72.1%		62.4	270^th of 883 public middle schools	69.4%	20	67.2	44.8	37.8	43.4	41.6	42.6	39.6	24.6	$00	$00	$00
Mt Pleasant Middle School	Public	6-8	440 S Bradley St	Mount Pleasant	48858	Isabella County	Mt. Pleasant City School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 775-2221	702	49	14.3	49.4%	511 (72.8%)	14 (2.0%)	49 (7.0%)	13 (1.9%)	60 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (7.8%)	58.3	299^th of 897 public middle schools	66.7%		49.1	399^th of 883 public middle schools	54.8%	100	67.0	35.3	44.6	36.8	28.5	28.4	42.5	32.7	$15,328	$1,270	$14,058
TS Nurnberger Middle School	Public	6-8	312 Union St	Saint Louis	48880	Gratiot County	St. Louis Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 681-5155	225	15	15.5	66.7%	184 (81.8%)	3 (1.3%)	29 (12.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.6%)	32.1	595^th of 897 public middle schools	33.7%		34.1	570^th of 883 public middle schools	35.4%	25	53.8	23.1	16.1	36.0	9.7	20.0	30.8	25.0	$14,354	$1,804	$12,550
Donald L Pavlik Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 Pine Ave	Alma	48801	Gratiot County	Alma Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 463-3111	449	24	18.4	69.0%	361 (80.4%)	3 (0.7%)	67 (14.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.7%)	11 (2.4%)	42.5	492^nd of 897 public middle schools	45.2%		48	414^th of 883 public middle schools	53.1%	78	65.5	28.4	27.0	31.2	20.8	16.6	37.0	31.8	$12,687	$1,047	$11,641
Merrill Middle School	Public	6-8	755 W Alice St	Merrill	48637	Saginaw County	Merrill Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 643-7231	127	8	16.7	56.7%	115 (90.6%)	1 (0.8%)	8 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	37.4	539^th of 897 public middle schools	39.9%		27.6	630^th of 883 public middle schools	28.7%	91	61.4	25.0	23.7	32.4	10.5	23.5	36.4	22.7	$13,833	$1,763	$12,070

Shepherd Middle School

Shepherd Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Shepherd Public Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Shepherd Middle School

Rank History for all students at Shepherd Middle School

Rank History for Special Education students at Shepherd Middle School

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

Rank History for Female students at Shepherd Middle School

Rank History for Male students at Shepherd Middle School

Rank History for White students at Shepherd Middle School

Enrollment information for Shepherd Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Shepherd Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio Shepherd Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Shepherd Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on Shepherd Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Shepherd Middle School