The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Comstock Middle School
Comstock Middle School sits on Kalamazoo's north side as part of Comstock Public Schools, serving grades six through eight. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is modest for a middle school spanning three grade levels. The student body is diverse, with white students forming the largest group and Black students the second largest. A sizable portion of students identify as two or more races, and there is a smaller Hispanic population. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, pointing to concentrated economic need within the enrollment.
On Michigan's state assessments, the most recent results paint a difficult picture in mathematics. Proficiency rates across all three grades are very low, with the eighth grade results particularly far behind statewide expectations. English language arts tells a more split story. Sixth and seventh grade proficiency rates remain low, but eighth grade ELA results jump to a considerably higher level, with a meaningful share of students reaching proficiency. That single bright spot is worth noting, though the overall academic profile across tested grades and subjects places the school in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Kalamazoo County on a composite proficiency index. Science and social studies, tested only at eighth grade, both show low proficiency. A parent considering this school may want to ask how the building is responding to these results, what intervention systems are in place, and whether the eighth grade ELA strength reflects something the lower grades can build toward.
Some data a parent might look for is simply not available here. Individualized education program rates and English learner rates were not reported, so we cannot describe those populations. Chronic absenteeism figures were also missing from the comparison set. These gaps do not necessarily reflect on the school's quality. They may reflect reporting variations or data availability at this level. The school does not have a graduation rate, which is expected because it serves only middle grades.
The surrounding community is Kalamazoo, a mid-sized city in southwestern Michigan with a varied economic base. Publicly reported sources describe a place shaped by three higher education institutions: Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Healthcare and pharmaceutical employers are prominent, and the city's once-dominant paper industry has given way to diversified manufacturing. Downtown Kalamazoo is built around a pedestrian shopping area along Burdick Street, and the city has parks, creeks, and civic spaces such as Bronson Park and the Kalamazoo Nature Center. The city is accessible by interstate and serves as the county seat. The Kalamazoo Promise, a well-known scholarship program covering tuition at Michigan public colleges and universities for graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools, is a major civic institution, though Comstock Public Schools is a separate district and its graduates would not participate in that program.
Housing in the school's zip code is relatively affordable. Home values sit below both the statewide and national benchmarks, and rents are similarly moderate. The estimated monthly mortgage cost is close to the typical rent, so families weighing purchase versus rental face a fairly narrow gap. Both housing values and rents have been rising modestly year over year, tracking with broader regional trends but remaining accessible compared with pricier parts of the county.
The district brief turned up little in the way of recent referendums, bond elections, curriculum overhauls, or property-tax shifts, so there is nothing concrete to report on that front. We looked for the district's strategic priorities and found little, so we left it out rather than guess.
Taken together, Comstock Middle School is a small, economically diverse middle school in an affordable part of a college town with a mixed industrial and service economy. Its state assessment results are a concern, especially in mathematics, and the school sits near the bottom of its county comparison group on overall proficiency. The eighth grade ELA results stand out as a relative strength within the building's own profile. Families considering this school would be well served by asking directly what academic supports and growth strategies the building is putting in place, and how leadership plans to address the gap between current results and broader county performance.
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