The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in Math. The lowest is 15% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Blesch Intermediate School
Blesch Intermediate School sits in Menominee, a small Upper Peninsula city on the north bank of the Menominee River where it meets Green Bay. The school serves grades three through six as part of Menominee Area Public Schools. Following a 2024 consolidation that closed Central Elementary and moved kindergarten through second grade into the Blesch building, the facility was renamed Menominee Elementary. The district now operates just two school buildings, a reconfiguration that reshaped attendance patterns and is a lasting structural change families should be aware of when thinking about where their young children will attend school.
The school's enrollment is modest for its grade band, with fairly even distribution across the four grades it serves. The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic presence and a handful of students from other racial backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and special education populations was not available in the records reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports in place for those groups.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments, the most recent results show a mixed but generally modest academic picture. Math proficiency in third and fourth grade landed in the upper thirties by percentage, then dropped notably in fifth grade. English language arts results fluctuated across grades, with fourth grade the weakest and fifth grade the strongest of the three tested. Science proficiency in fifth grade was in the low thirties, while social studies was the softest spot, with only a small fraction of fifth graders reaching proficiency. A flag in the data indicates the social studies cut score changed this cycle, which complicates year-to-year comparison. Trend data was not available for any subject, so it is not possible to say from these records whether performance is improving or declining over time. Participation rates were missing across all tested grades and subjects.
Against its neighbors, Blesch's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint among districts in Menominee County. The county comparison set includes seven districts with reported proficiency, and Blesch's composite falls below the county median. This is a fact worth taking seriously, and a parent considering the school may want to look into this further with the district, particularly what interventions and supports are in place for the grade levels and subjects where results are weakest.
Because Blesch serves only intermediate grades, it has no graduation rate, and the graduation metric does not apply. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available for this school. Information on course access, staffing levels, discipline, and attendance programs was absent from the records reviewed, so those dimensions of school environment could not be assessed here.
Menominee itself is a community shaped by its waterfront and its industrial base. The downtown runs along Green Bay and has seen restoration of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century buildings in the First Street Historic District, now holding restaurants, shops, and galleries. The Great Lakes Memorial Marina and park anchor the waterfront, and the Menominee Bandshell hosts concerts, art shows, car shows, and a multi-day community festival in summer. The broader economy draws on manufacturing, including paper products, auto supplies, and helicopter production at Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, which is headquartered in the city. Menominee is paired with Marinette, Wisconsin across the river as part of a micropolitan area. Publicly reported data describes the city's population as in long-term decline, and some local employers have reported difficulty finding skilled workers during strong economic periods.
Housing in the school's zip code is quite affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks. The typical home value sits well below the Michigan statewide figure and roughly half the national level. The price-to-income ratio is favorable, and mortgage rates have been hovering in the mid-six-percent range. Rental data was not available for this area. The district also reported substantial construction expenditures in a recent fiscal year, indicating capital investment in school facilities that may affect the physical learning environment.
For a family weighing Blesch, the picture is one of a small, consolidated intermediate school in an affordable waterfront community with a working industrial base. Academic results are present but modest, with particular soft spots in fifth-grade math and social studies, and the school sits below the middle of its county cohort on overall proficiency. The data gaps in special populations, staffing, and attendance practices mean a family would benefit from direct conversations with the school to fill in what the records do not cover.
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