Summary:
Harbor Springs School District is home to a single middle school, Harbor Springs Middle School, which serves grades 5 through 8 and enrolls 233 students in the lakeside community of Harbor Springs, Michigan.
Harbor Springs Middle School is a standout performer, recently jumping to the 90th percentile in state rankings (5 stars) for the 2025-2026 school year. The school consistently outperforms state averages by wide margins across nearly every subject and grade level. For example, 8th graders scored 84.3% proficient in PSAT ELA (19.5 points above the state) and 70.6% proficient in Social Studies (20.3 points above the state). Even in its weakest area—5th-grade math at 39.1% proficiency—the school still beats the state average by nearly 7 points. The school benefits from a low poverty rate (21% free/reduced lunch) and a favorable 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio, though per-student spending is very high at $24,211.
While overall performance is excellent, there are a few areas to watch. Chronic absenteeism sits at 12.1%, which is 30% higher than the district average of 9.3%, suggesting some students are missing significant school days. Additionally, math proficiency lags behind ELA and science, particularly in 5th grade and on the 8th-grade PSAT. Year-over-year data also shows a notable cohort effect in 7th grade, where ELA scores dropped 16.4 points while math improved 5.6 points, indicating the specific group of students, not a school-wide trend. Despite these minor concerns, Harbor Springs School District ranks 91st out of 625 districts in Michigan, and this middle school is clearly a top-tier option, especially for families prioritizing strong literacy and college-readiness skills.
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