Chesaning Middle School, Chesaning MI

Original Research by School Decision on Chesaning Middle School

Chesaning Middle School sits in the heart of a small Saginaw County village, serving grades four through eight as part of Chesaning Union Schools. The school draws from a large rural district that spreads across portions of ten townships, making the village of Chesaning a community hub for an agricultural hinterland. The Shiawassee River runs through the village, and the historic downtown sits along Broad Street on the west side of the river. State Highway M-57 passes through the center of town, with Interstate 75 roughly eighteen miles to the east. The community is compact, with established residential neighborhoods clustered around the commercial core.

The school's enrollment is moderate for a middle school serving five grade levels, with students spread fairly evenly across grades. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the working-class and rural character of the surrounding area. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic presence and minimal representation from other racial or ethnic groups. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so those populations could not be characterized here.

On state assessments, Chesaning Middle shows a mixed but generally solid profile. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in Saginaw County, which is a respectable standing for a rural school with a high share of economically disadvantaged students. English language arts results are the standout. Eighth-grade ELA proficiency on the PSAT is strong, and fifth-grade ELA on the M-STEP is also solid. Fourth-grade ELA is the weakest point in that subject, with fewer than four in ten students reaching proficiency. Math results tell a more uneven story. Fourth and fifth grades show about half of students proficient, but proficiency drops in the upper grades, with eighth-grade math on the PSAT falling to a lower level. Science results are steady across the two tested grades, with about half of students proficient. Social studies follows a similar pattern. A parent may want to look into the middle-grade math decline further with the school, particularly as students transition from elementary to upper-grade coursework and assessments shift from M-STEP to PSAT.

Because this school does not serve high school grades, it has no graduation rate. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available. Multi-year trend data was not provided, so it is not possible to say whether these proficiency levels are improving or declining over time.

The housing market in Chesaning's zip code is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks. Home values sit well below the Michigan statewide figure and roughly forty percent below the national benchmark, with a price-to-income ratio that suggests homeownership is within reach for many local families. The area has seen modest year-over-year home value growth. Rental data was not available. The village's population has been in decline, and no major new housing developments or commercial construction projects were identified in available sources. The local economy lacks a documented base of large employers, though the village hosts broadcast transmitter towers, a short-line railroad, and a small public airport.

Chesaning Union Schools searched for recent district-level changes turned up little of lasting impact, so there is nothing concrete to report on strategic initiatives or program shifts at the district level.

For a family considering this school, the academic picture is one of real strength in English language arts and adequate performance in science and social studies, set against a softer trajectory in mathematics as students move through the upper grades. The rural setting, affordable housing, and small-town character are plain characteristics that will appeal to some families and not to others. The school serves a community where economic need is common, and the test results hold up reasonably well within that context.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 743%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolChesaning Union Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income38%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income63%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income49%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income54%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income60%Higher-income86%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income52%Higher-income50%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income59%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income42%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income54%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income19%Higher-income50%31 pp gap