The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sashabaw Middle School
Sashabaw Middle School sits on Pine Knob Road in Clarkston, within the Clarkston Community School District in northern Oakland County. It is a regular public school serving middle grades, and its enrollment reflects students in sixth and seventh grade, even though the district lists a broader grade band on paper. The school draws from a community where the village of Clarkston is a tiny, historically rooted place surrounded by the more suburban Independence Township.
The academic picture is solid. On Michigan's M-STEP assessment, sixth and seventh graders show proficiency rates in English language arts that sit comfortably above the halfway mark, with a slight rise from sixth to seventh grade. Math results are more mixed, with sixth graders reaching proficiency at a rate above the ELA-math midpoint and seventh graders dipping below that. A science proficiency result appears in the data, but it comes from an older testing year and does not reflect current performance, so it is not a reliable read on where the school stands today. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects places it above the midpoint among districts in Oakland County, a county with a large set of districts for comparison. That positioning suggests Sashabaw is delivering academic results that outperform a good share of its peers in a county known for strong public schools.
The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population forming the next largest group, followed by smaller representations of students identifying as two or more races, Black, and Asian. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school did not report data on students with individualized education programs or English learners, so those populations are a gap in the publicly available picture. A parent wanting to understand special education or language support services would need to ask the school directly.
The surrounding community shapes what life is like for families here. Clarkston, officially the City of the Village of Clarkston, is the smallest city by land area in Michigan, a compact historic mill village centered on a Mill Pond along the Clinton River. The village core has a walkable street grid with small shops and a converted Ford mill building that now houses art galleries and offices. A nationally recognized historic district protects many structures along Main Street and adjacent roads, which limits large-scale redevelopment and preserves the small-town character. The broader Independence Township area, which uses the Clarkston mailing address, is more car-dependent and suburban. Publicly reported information notes that most residents drive alone to work and that average car ownership is about two vehicles per household.
The housing market in the school's zip code sits above the state benchmark for home values but below the national benchmark, reflecting Oakland County's generally higher-cost real estate environment. Rents are moderate relative to local incomes. Oakland County's broader market has seen a recent increase in active listings alongside a slight softening of median listing prices, suggesting buyers may have a bit more room than in tighter prior periods. Homes in the county are moving at a moderate pace, with listings spending roughly a month on market.
For families looking ahead, the Clarkston district recently completed a major capital project: Clarkston Junior High School, which serves grades eight and nine, was rebuilt and reopened, a publicly reported improvement that directly affects students aging out of Sashabaw. That kind of facility investment signals a district putting resources into the transition years that follow middle school.
What Sashabaw offers is a mid-sized middle school with above-average proficiency for its county, a relatively homogeneous student population, and a setting that blends a walkable historic village with suburban township surroundings. Families seeking a structured academic environment in a community with deep local roots and moderate housing costs relative to the region will find much to like. Those wanting information about special populations, advanced course access, or discipline data will find little in the available public record and should go straight to the district for answers.
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