The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Holly Middle School
Holly Middle School serves grades six through eight as part of Holly Area School District, a regular public school sitting in the small village of Holly in northern Oakland County. The village blends a residential base with a tourism-oriented downtown, sitting among several lakes and parks about a short drive south of Flint and roughly an hour northwest of Detroit. Annual events like the Holly Dickens Festival and the nearby Michigan Renaissance Festival bring regional visitors, and the village carries a rural-to-suburban texture rather than a dense suburban one. Publicly reported sources note the village's population has been declining, and no major new housing developments surfaced in the available research.
The school's enrollment is mid-sized for a middle school, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with small Hispanic and multiracial populations and very small Black, Asian, and American Indian groups. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On state assessments from the most recent school year, the academic picture is mixed. English language arts stands out as the stronger area. Sixth and seventh grade ELA proficiency sits in a moderate range on the M-STEP, but eighth grade ELA on the PSAT jumps to a clear majority of students testing proficient, which is a bright spot. Science and social studies proficiency in eighth grade both land in a middling band, with roughly four in ten students reaching proficiency.
Math is the softer area. Sixth grade math proficiency is low, seventh grade improves somewhat, and eighth grade math on the PSAT dips back down. Across all three grades, fewer than a third of students reach proficiency. Compared to the rest of Oakland County, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint among the county's districts. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking how math instruction is structured and what supports exist for students working below grade level.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability. Participation rates were also missing from the state data. Because this is a middle school serving grades six through eight, there is no graduation rate to report, and that measure does not apply to this grade band. Chronic absenteeism data was not available either. Discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance information were all absent from the provided data.
The housing market in the school's zip code shows typical home values below the national benchmark but above the state benchmark, placing Holly in a relatively affordable position for Oakland County. The broader county market has seen listing inventory grow year over year, with median listing prices in the county sitting well above the school's local zip code values. Homes in the area move at a moderate pace, and mortgage rates remain elevated. Rent appears modestly more affordable than ownership when measured against local income. The price-to-income ratio suggests buying a home here is within reach for many households compared to denser parts of the county, though it still requires careful budgeting.
The district research returned a reference to a bond for facility improvements, but no details were available about what projects it funds or which buildings it touches. Without specifics, there is little to say about how that investment might affect Holly Middle School. The locale research did not identify major employers in the village, and some residents likely commute for work.
Holly Middle School fits families looking for a small-town setting within commuting distance of larger job centers, where the peer environment is relatively homogeneous and the community has a distinct recreational identity. The school's ELA results in eighth grade are a genuine strength, and the science and social studies performance is adequate. Math is the area where a family would want to ask the most questions before enrolling, and the absence of trend data makes it hard to know which direction the school is headed.
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