The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bendle Middle School
Bendle Middle School sits on East Bristol Road in Burton, a sprawling suburb of Flint with no traditional downtown. The city's civic life clusters on a municipal campus along South Center Road, and its recreational anchors include Kelly Lake Park, Settlement Park along Thread Creek, and the For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum. Burton grew from the Atherton Settlement into a car-dependent residential community, and its population has edged downward slowly over recent years. Three school districts, Bendle among them, sit entirely within the city limits, while four others partially overlap. The housing market here is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks, with typical home values well below what most Michigan communities show, and rents that take up a modest slice of household income.
Bendle Middle School is a regular public school serving grades six through eight, part of Bendle Public Schools. The enrollment is small for a middle school, with each grade level carrying roughly the same number of students. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller Black, Hispanic, and multiracial groups also represented. An overwhelming share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the economic conditions of the surrounding community. Data on English learners and special education populations was not available in the records we reviewed.
Academically, the most recent state assessment results paint a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In math, proficiency was very low across all three grades, with sixth and eighth grade results falling in the lowest reported range and seventh grade only slightly above it. English language arts showed a different arc: sixth grade proficiency was low, but it climbed meaningfully by seventh grade and rose further in eighth grade, where nearly half of tested students reached proficiency on the PSAT. Science and social studies, both tested in eighth grade, showed proficiency rates in the low teens. Participation rates were not reported for any of these assessments.
Against the comparison set of districts in Genesee County, Bendle Middle School's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile. The county's districts span a wide range of performance, and Bendle lands below the median by a comfortable margin. A parent weighing this school may want to look into how the school supports students performing below grade level, particularly in math, and what interventions or tutoring options are available. The upward trend in ELA proficiency from sixth to eighth grade suggests some students do build skills across their middle school years, even if the starting point is low.
We looked for recent district-level changes that might affect families, such as program launches, facility updates, or strategic initiatives, but found little that has been publicly reported, so we left it out rather than guess. Information on course access, staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, and chronic absenteeism was also not available in the data provided. Title I status was not reported either, though the high rate of free and reduced-price lunch eligibility would typically align with such a designation.
Burton itself is a community where housing costs remain low and the market has shown modest recent appreciation. The county-level market has seen listing prices rise and homes moving somewhat faster than a year ago, though the local zip code remains well below state and national price levels. For families already in the area or those drawn by affordability, Bendle Middle School offers a small, community-rooted option with clear academic challenges in math and stronger signals in upper-grade ELA. What it does not offer, based on available data, is much visibility into extracurriculars, specialized programs, or school climate measures, so a parent would need to contact the school directly for those details.
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