Middle Schools in Reeths-Puffer Schools

The Reeths-Puffer Schools district in Muskegon, Michigan, contains two middle-level schools serving grades 5-8: Reeths-Puffer Middle School (grades 6-8, 537 students) and Reeths-Puffer Intermediate School (grades 5-6, 479 students), together enrolling about 1,016 students.

The two schools show starkly different performance pictures. Reeths-Puffer Middle School has earned consistent 3-star ratings over the past three years and shows genuine strengths in 8th grade: Social Studies proficiency (52.1%) actually exceeds the state average (50.3%), and PSAT ELA proficiency (61.6%) nearly matches the state rate (64.8%). The 8th grade cohort improved across every subject from last year, including a notable +5.7 point jump in Social Studies and +3.9 points in PSAT Math. However, 7th grade performance declined in both ELA (31.3% vs. 36.2%) and Math (25.1% vs. 28.1%). By contrast, Reeths-Puffer Intermediate School shows pervasive struggles, with proficiency rates running 12-19 points below state averages in nearly every subject. Most alarming, the Intermediate School declined in every single subject and grade level from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, including a dramatic 10.8-point drop in 6th grade ELA and a fall in 5th grade Social Studies from 16.6% to just 8.4% — a staggering 19.1 points below the state average.

Compounding the concern, Reeths-Puffer Intermediate School spends $18,077 per student — $4,186 more than the Middle School's $13,891 — yet achieves far lower outcomes. Both schools struggle with chronic absenteeism (Middle School at 29.2%, Intermediate at 26.3%, both near or above the state's 27.9%), and the Intermediate School serves a slightly higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (50.5% vs. 46.4% free/reduced lunch). The Intermediate School's 6th graders also perform worse than its 5th graders in both ELA and Math, suggesting the transition to more rigorous coursework compounds existing challenges. While the Middle School's 8th grade success offers a foundation to build upon, the district's 2-star rating reflects the systemic issues at the Intermediate level that warrant immediate attention to instructional practices and resource allocation.