Centennial Middle School, South Lyon MI

Original Research by School Decision on Centennial Middle School

Centennial Middle School sits on Nine Mile Road in South Lyon, a small city in the southwest corner of Oakland County. It is one of two middle schools serving the South Lyon Community Schools district, a sprawling system that covers a large geographic area across three counties and townships. The school serves grades six through eight and draws from a community that blends a historic downtown with suburban residential neighborhoods and a growing manufacturing base.

On state assessments, Centennial posts solid results that place it in the top quartile of Oakland County districts for overall proficiency. In English language arts, the school's strongest showing comes in eighth grade, where the proportion of students scoring proficient or above is remarkably high. Sixth and seventh grade ELA results land near the midpoint, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency. Mathematics follows a similar pattern across all three grades, with proficiency rates hovering around the halfway mark. Eighth grade science and social studies round out the tested subjects, with social studies showing a stronger result than science. A parent may want to look into science outcomes further with the school, as that subject shows the lowest proficiency among the tested areas. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results are improving, holding steady, or declining over time. Participation rates were not reported.

The student body is predominantly white, with smaller but present Asian, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial populations. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively low compared with many Michigan schools, which aligns with the broader economic profile of the surrounding community. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations was not available in the provided records, so those characteristics cannot be described here.

South Lyon itself offers a distinct small-town feel despite its location within one of Michigan's most populous counties. The downtown consists of about a dozen walkable blocks at the intersection of Lake and Lafayette Streets, lined with shops, restaurants, and services. A paved bicycle trail converted from a former rail line runs through town, and McHattie Park serves as a civic anchor with playgrounds, ball diamonds, a sledding hill, and a historic village including the Witch's Hat Depot Museum. The city hosts summer concerts and an annual Depot Days festival in early autumn. Publicly reported sources note the city's proximity to I-96 and US-23, placing it roughly an hour from Lansing and about forty-five miles from Detroit.

The housing market in the school's zip code sits well above both state and national benchmarks for typical home values, reflecting the broader affluence of this part of Oakland County. County-level market data shows a healthy supply of active listings with moderate year-over-year growth in new listings, and homes are moving at a pace consistent with a balanced suburban market. Rents in the area are comparatively moderate relative to local incomes.

The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes of lasting impact, such as recent referendums, curriculum shifts, or property-tax adjustments. No data was provided on course access, staffing levels, discipline patterns, attendance, or chronic absenteeism. Title I status was not reported. Civil rights data was also absent from the available records. Because Centennial is a middle school serving only grades six through eight, it has no graduation rate, and that metric does not apply here.

For families considering Centennial, the academic picture is one of generally above-average performance within a competitive county, with a particular strength in eighth grade English language arts. The school serves a relatively advantaged student population in a community that markets itself on small-town character and commuter convenience. Parents weighing this school may want to ask about science instruction, trend data over time, and supports for diverse learners, since the available data does not speak to those areas.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 53% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 55% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 54% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 51% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 83% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Science

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 55% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 70% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

This schoolSouth Lyon Community Schools, 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 6Lower-income33%Higher-income56%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income55%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income66%Higher-income83%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income55%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income58%36 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income14%Higher-income53%39 pp gap