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Best Public Schools in Spring Lake, MI

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Michigan rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

3,166

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedHolmes Elementary School7^th of 1,492 Michigan elementary schools

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Biggest riser

West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics up 63 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics 12.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

3★

2★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Michigan cities →See the top-ranked Michigan schools →

Summary:

The city of Spring Lake, Michigan, is served by 9 schools across 4 districts, including Spring Lake Public Schools, Grand Haven Area Public Schools, and two charter districts, offering education from elementary through high school for roughly 3,166 students.

The standout story is Spring Lake Public Schools, which ranks #7 in Michigan and earns 5 stars across all its schools. Holmes Elementary School is the top performer, ranking #7 in the state with 84% 3rd-grade ELA proficiency and 90.6% 4th-grade math proficiency—both more than double the state average. Jeffers Elementary School follows closely at #12, while Spring Lake High School ranks #28 with a 100% graduation rate and 82% SAT reading/writing proficiency. The district maintains excellence from 3rd through 11th grade, with 8th-grade science at 64.3% proficiency versus the state's 39.2%. Among alternatives, Walden Green Montessori achieves 5-star status (95th percentile) while spending just $9,368 per student—the lowest in the area—though it has a higher 19.6:1 student-teacher ratio. In contrast, West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics struggles at the 43rd percentile with proficiency rates 30-50 points below top schools and a 39.6% chronic absenteeism rate.

Chronic absenteeism strongly tracks performance: high-achieving schools like Holmes and Jeffers have rates under 8%, while Lake Hills Elementary School (in Grand Haven Area Public Schools) shows 24.2% absenteeism and volatile test scores, dropping from 71.2% to 30.8% in 4th-grade ELA. Spring Lake Alternative Education serves just 13 high-needs students (69% free/reduced lunch) with the highest per-student spending at $26,063 and a 10:1 ratio, yet achieves a 94.1% graduation rate. Spring Lake Middle School and Spring Lake Intermediate School show a typical middle-school math dip (56.9% and 63.6% proficiency) but remain well above state averages. For parents, Spring Lake Public Schools offers the most consistent excellence, while Walden Green Montessori provides a cost-effective alternative worth considering.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)			PSAT Mathematics (2026)			SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)			M-Step Social Studies (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 9th Grade	PSAT English Language Arts 10th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 9th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Walden Green Montessori	Public, Charter	K-8	17339 Roosevelt Rd	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	Walden Green Montessori	Yes	No	No	Yes	(616) 842-4523	251	13	19.6	25.5%	229 (91.2%)	4 (1.6%)	10 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.2%)	93.5	78^th of 1492 public elementary schools	94.8%		95.6	48^th of 1488 public elementary schools	96.8%	30	487.3			26.7					73.3	66.7	73.1	83.3	1715.1	70.0	66.7	46.2	70.0	40.0	65.4	53.3		69.2	80.0		$9,368	$379	$8,989
West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics	Public, Charter	K-8	17350 Hazel St	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics	Yes	No	No	Yes	(616) 844-9961	371	29	12.7	57.7%	265 (71.4%)	20 (5.4%)	44 (11.9%)	5 (1.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.6%)	40.7	848^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.2%		36.9	911^th of 1488 public elementary schools	38.8%	63	81.5			44.4					48.8	31.7	37.5	35.3	45.5	41.5	19.5	16.7	23.5	24.2	43.8	61.5		22.9	73.1		$13,284	$1,396	$11,889
Lake Hills Elementary School	Public	K-4	18181 Dogwood Dr	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	Grand Haven Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 850-5600	273	20	13.6	46.5%	204 (74.7%)	19 (7.0%)	23 (8.4%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.3%)	54.9	629^th of 1492 public elementary schools	57.8%		71.2	399^th of 1488 public elementary schools	73.2%	230									51.2	30.8				70.7	30.8										$16,994	$704	$16,291
Spring Lake Middle School	Public	7-8	345 Hammond St	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	Spring Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 846-5502	345	21	16.2	16.8%	316 (91.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.1%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.2%)	93.3	50^th of 896 public middle schools	94.4%		95.8	32^nd of 890 public middle schools	96.4%	18	84.5			56.9									69.8					59.6		64.3			70.3		$16,261	$256	$16,005
Spring Lake Intermediate School	Public	5-9	345 Hammond St	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	Spring Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 846-6845	330	22	15.3	19.7%	297 (90.0%)	2 (0.6%)	13 (3.9%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.9%)								(n/a)											73.4	69.0				63.6	71.3		71.7			52.0			$15,852	$256	$15,596
Spring Lake Alternative Education	Public	9-12	14707 Leonard Rd	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	Spring Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 847-7587	13	1	10.0	69.2%	11 (84.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (15.4%)								(n/a)																									$26,063	$256	$25,808
Holmes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	426 River St	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	Spring Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 846-5504	409	32	12.9	23.0%	359 (87.8%)	4 (1.0%)	24 (5.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.6%)	98.8	7^th of 1492 public elementary schools	99.5%		97.6	19^th of 1488 public elementary schools	98.7%	12									85.5	78.8				86.7	90.6										$18,284	$689	$17,596
Jeffers Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	16031 144th Ave	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	Spring Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 846-5503	379	29	13.0	22.2%	336 (88.7%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.7%)	6 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.2%)	98	12^th of 1492 public elementary schools	99.2%		97.1	22^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	98.5%	10									82.5	81.7				83.8	75.6										$18,986	$1,039	$17,947
Spring Lake High School	Public	9-12	16140 148th Ave	Spring Lake	49456	Ottawa County	Spring Lake Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 846-5501	795	39	20.5	16.6%	726 (91.3%)	4 (0.5%)	27 (3.4%)	17 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.5%)	94.1	28^th of 800 public high schools	96.5%		97	15^th of 739 public high schools	98.0%	13		90.9	80.7		73.1	51.9	82.0	53.5													57.1			62.9	$15,789	$388	$15,401

Cities Near Spring Lake

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Grand Haven	2.26 mi	13	122^nd
Fruitport	3.2 mi	6	272^nd
Muskegon	6.34 mi	52	372^nd
Muskegon Heights	8.81 mi	1
Norton Shores	9.38 mi	1	238^th

See the top MI Michigan cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.