Hemlock Middle School, Hemlock MI

Original Research by School Decision on Hemlock Middle School

Hemlock Middle School serves grades five through eight in the Hemlock Public School District, a regular public school sitting along M-46 in a small unincorporated community in Richland Township, Saginaw County. The school draws from a rural crossroads area where residential properties and small commercial establishments line the main highway, and where the broader township relies on Hemlock as a local service center. Retail trade is a meaningful employment sector here, and the community holds an annual Sawdut Days festival each September, a tradition dating to the late 1970s. The district recently benefited from a bond issue voters approved to renew and improve facilities, a capital investment that shapes the school environment families currently experience.

The enrollment is modest for a middle school spanning four grades, with students spread fairly evenly across the grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic presence and a small share of students identifying as two or more races. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on special education enrollment and English learners was not available, so those populations could not be characterized.

On state assessments, the most recent results paint a mixed but generally solid picture. In math, fifth graders performed well, with a clear majority reaching proficiency. Sixth and seventh graders landed near the midpoint, with roughly half proficient. Eighth grade math, measured through the PSAT rather than M-STEP, dipped below that level. English language arts showed a more uneven pattern: fifth graders posted a strong result with most proficient, but sixth and seventh graders slipped to where fewer than half met the bar. Eighth grade ELA then rebounded sharply, with a large majority proficient on the PSAT, the strongest single result across all tested grades and subjects. Science proficiency hovered around the midpoint for both tested grades, and social studies followed a similar pattern, with eighth graders slightly stronger than fifth graders.

Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Saginaw County, well above the county median. That positioning is a real strength. At the same time, the dip in the middle grades, particularly in ELA for sixth and seventh graders, is a pattern a parent may want to look into further with the school, especially if their child is entering those grades. The rebound in eighth grade suggests something shifts by the time students prepare for high school, but the data does not explain what drives the swing.

Because Hemlock Middle School does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report; that measure belongs to the high school level. Chronic absenteeism data was not available for this school, and no discipline, course access, staffing, or attendance figures were provided. Program offerings were also absent from the available data, so families would need to contact the school directly to understand what extracurriculars, electives, or specialized supports exist beyond the core curriculum.

The housing market around Hemlock is relatively affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks. Home values sit below the Michigan state benchmark and well below the national figure, with a price-to-income ratio that suggests buying is within reach for working families in the area. Rent data was not available, so the rental picture could not be assessed. Population trends in the community show mixed signals depending on the source, with some indicating a modest decline and others suggesting slight growth since the last census, but no major new housing developments were identified in the available research.

Walkability information was not found. Given that Hemlock is a rural community along a state highway, families should expect that getting around relies on driving rather than a pedestrian-friendly street network. Specific details about how the school campus relates to any town center were not available.

For a family considering this school, the core academic results are encouraging at the bookends of the middle school experience and competitive within the county. The middle grades present a softer stretch, particularly in reading and writing. The community is small, rural, and affordable, with a recently refreshed district infrastructure. What the data does not cover, from program offerings to absenteeism to staffing ratios, would be worth asking about directly.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 40% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 42% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 70% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 49% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 57%

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

This schoolHemlock Public School District, 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 5Lower-income35%Higher-income72%37 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income49%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income47%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income60%Higher-income77%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income68%33 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income61%33 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income55%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income17%Higher-income54%38 pp gap