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Fair Plain Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

877^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 890 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 1% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Fair Plain Middle School is a public middle school located in Benton Harbor, Michigan, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 249 students. The school is part of the Benton Harbor Area Schools district. Unfortunately, Fair Plain Middle School has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing middle schools in Michigan over the past several years, with rankings ranging from 739 out of 900 schools in 2011-2012 to 896 out of 897 schools in 2023-2024. The school has received 0 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger for its overall performance.

Fair Plain Middle School's academic performance is significantly below the state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 10.7% of 6th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 38.6%. Similarly, the school's proficiency rates in math, science, and social studies are all well below the state averages. Additionally, Fair Plain Middle School has extremely high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 29.5% to 77.7% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing Fair Plain Middle School to nearby schools, such as Buchanan Middle School and Lakeshore Middle School, it becomes clear that Fair Plain Middle School is an outlier in terms of academic performance and other key metrics. These nearby schools have significantly higher proficiency rates and are ranked much higher in the state. The persistent underperformance and equity concerns at Fair Plain Middle School suggest that the school is facing significant challenges that will require a comprehensive approach to address the unique needs and challenges faced by its student population.

240

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,339

Per pupil spending ?

96.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

120 E Napier Ave
Benton Harbor, MI 49022

(269) 605-1400

District: Benton Harbor Area Schools

Students who attend Fair Plain Middle School usually attend:

High:

Benton Harbor High School

Feeder schools for Fair Plain Middle School:

Elementary:	Discovery Enrichment Center
	Fair Plain East Elementary
	Martin Luther King Junior Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

91.3%

Hispanic:

4.2%

Two or more races:

2.9%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Fair Plain Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2011 → 1st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (10% vs 44% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (67% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school10%

District avg9%

Michigan avg44%

877^th of 890

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 9% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	877 of 890	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	896 of 897	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.1	881 of 883	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	837 of 838	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.1	880 of 894	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.6	839 of 919	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.7	893 of 921	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.4	818 of 919	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	23.8	739 of 900	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	83.2	65 of 858	92.4%	★★★★★
2010	43.1	625 of 851	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	73.9	205 of 847	75.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	11.2	330 of 338	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	299 of 300	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	309 of 310	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.8	358 of 366	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	4.9	780 of 789	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.1	787 of 794	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	6.0	820 of 832	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.3	834 of 836	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.8	825 of 825	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.4	812 of 815	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	3.8	792 of 798	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.3	784 of 786	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.0	790 of 797	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies10%-37 vs state

Science9%-32 vs state

English Language Arts8%-31 vs state

Mathematics4%-26 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

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3★0

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Sunday, November 13, 2011

Creative Arts/Gifted and Talented Academy has added 7th grade this year(2011-2012 school year) and is scheduled to add 8th grade next year.
The school has had high MEAP scores and exceeds state averages for at least 7 years. The expectations at CAA/GT are high. Staff, students and families recognize the value of family involvement and student success, and work together to ensure students succeed.
Though the district is currently undergoing challenges and loss of students, CAA/GT has continued to increase student population while continuing the high standards and MEAP scores. MEAP Reading average scores for all students, grades 3-6 is 92%. MEAP Math average scores for all students, grades 3-6 is 94%.
This school deserves better than a three star rating! The scores, assessments and outcome of students that receive a CAA/GT education are better than many other neighboring schools and neighboring districts, (and school of choice schools) consistently year after year. Close Quote

Schools Near Fair Plain Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)			M-Step Math (2025)			M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th 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 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Fair Plain Middle School	Public	6-8	120 E Napier Ave	Benton Harbor	49022	Berrien County	Benton Harbor Area Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 605-1400	240	22	10.9	96.3%	4 (1.7%)	219 (91.3%)	10 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.9%)	5.1	877^th of 890 public middle schools	1.5%		4	896^th of 897 public middle schools	0.1%	19	16.9	4.5		10.7	5.4					9.0		10.1	$25,339	$14,880	$10,459
Upton Middle School	Public	6-8	800 Maiden Ln	Saint Joseph	49085	Berrien County	St. Joseph Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 926-3400	690	36	19.0	20.7%	510 (73.9%)	57 (8.3%)	54 (7.8%)	34 (4.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (4.8%)	89.8	73^rd of 890 public middle schools	91.8%		90.2	70^th of 897 public middle schools	92.2%	3	88.0	55.8		56.3	66.1		51.3	50.9		56.1		65.7	$13,786	$499	$13,287
Lakeshore Middle School	Public	6-8	1459 W John Beers Rd	Stevensville	49127	Berrien County	Lakeshore School District (Berrien)	No	No	No	No	(269) 428-1408	612	36	17.0	33.2%	498 (81.4%)	30 (4.9%)	43 (7.0%)	19 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.3%)	84.7	103^rd of 890 public middle schools	88.4%		84.4	102^nd of 897 public middle schools	88.6%	1	79.2	49.2		48.1	53.5		51.0	48.0		61.4		62.5	$14,802	$1,191	$13,611
Coloma Junior High School	Public	6-8	302 W Saint Joseph St	Coloma	49038	Berrien County	Coloma Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 468-2405	228	13	17.0	76.8%	144 (63.2%)	18 (7.9%)	49 (21.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.5%)	35.1	556^th of 890 public middle schools	37.5%		37.9	534^th of 897 public middle schools	40.5%	22	60.2	32.5		23.8	35.6		17.9	19.7		30.6		24.7	$15,895	$1,519	$14,376
Eau Claire Middle School	Public	6-8	7450 Hochberger Rd	Eau Claire	49111	Berrien County	Eau Claire Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 461-6997	139	10	13.9	91.4%	28 (20.1%)	39 (28.1%)	68 (48.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	14.2	764^th of 890 public middle schools	14.2%		10.9	818^th of 897 public middle schools	8.8%	54	44.7	13.2		16.3	16.3		11.6	6.8		20.5		17.5	$12,512	$1,205	$11,308
Berrien Springs Middle School	Public	6-8	502 Middle School Drive	Berrien Springs	49103	Berrien County	Berrien Springs Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 471-2796	424	27	15.6	58.5%	163 (38.4%)	136 (32.1%)	67 (15.8%)	18 (4.2%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)	33 (7.8%)	55.7	342^nd of 890 public middle schools	61.6%		53.4	355^th of 897 public middle schools	60.4%	13	69.0	22.1		35.8	40.7		32.5	32.9		40.0		52.3	$15,273	$1,220	$14,053
FC Reed Middle School	Public	5-8	10254 California	Bridgman	49106	Berrien County	Bridgman Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 465-5410	261	20	13.1	38.3%	222 (85.1%)	3 (1.1%)	21 (8.0%)	4 (1.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.8%)	91.2	62^nd of 890 public middle schools	93.0%		91.1	66^th of 897 public middle schools	92.6%	4	88.9	63.5	57.6	53.5	64.5	53.0	40.8	59.7	47.7	73.4	47.7	81.3	$20,012	$898	$19,114
Watervliet Middle School	Public	6-8	450 E Saint Joseph St	Watervliet	49098	Berrien County	Watervliet School District	No	No	No	No	(269) 463-0780	309	19	16.1	64.7%	216 (69.9%)	4 (1.3%)	69 (22.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.9%)	53	374^th of 890 public middle schools	58.0%		55.6	325^th of 897 public middle schools	63.8%	49	69.1	43.9		34.6	27.3		26.9	23.6		52.4		48.1	$15,054	$1,326	$13,728
Covert Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	35323 M 140 Hwy	Covert	49043	Van Buren County	Covert Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(269) 764-3739	79	5	15.2	70.9%	12 (15.2%)	7 (8.9%)	55 (69.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.3%)	14.1	765^th of 890 public middle schools	14.0%		26.8	640^th of 897 public middle schools	28.7%	125	30.4			14.8	12.0			11.1		24.0		28.0	$19,739	$2,261	$17,478
Hartford Middle School	Public	6-8	141 School St	Hartford	49057	Van Buren County	Hartford Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 621-7200	321	15	21.4	80.7%	120 (37.4%)	5 (1.6%)	190 (59.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	16.4	734^th of 890 public middle schools	17.5%		13.4	784^th of 897 public middle schools	12.6%	50	48.9	4.4		20.8	17.5		8.2	14.6		16.3		27.4	$13,249	$961	$12,288

Frequently Asked Questions about Fair Plain Middle School

How many students attend Fair Plain Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 240 students attended Fair Plain Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Fair Plain Middle School attend?

Students who attend Fair Plain Middle School usually go on to attend Benton Harbor High School

Is Fair Plain Middle School a good school?

Fair Plain Middle School ranks in the bottom 1.5% of Michigan middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Fair Plain Middle School?

Students at Fair Plain Middle School are 91% African American, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

What district is Fair Plain Middle School in?

Benton Harbor Area Schools

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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.