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Ring Lardner Middle School

Q: Is Ring Lardner Middle School a good school?

Ring Lardner Middle School ranks 338 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

338^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 62% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Ring Lardner Middle School in Niles, MI, serves 510 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Niles Community Schools district, which holds a 3-star rating.

Ring Lardner is a school on the rise. After a few challenging years, it has climbed from a 2-star rating to a solid 3-star rating, and its statewide ranking jumped from the 49th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 62nd percentile in 2025-2026. This improvement is especially notable given that nearly 60% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, a higher rate than many top-performing schools in the area. Despite this, the school's proficiency rates in 6th and 7th-grade English Language Arts are right at the state average, and its 8th-grade PSAT scores are a standout—68.7% of students were proficient in ELA and 38.1% in math, both exceeding state averages. The school is particularly effective with its low-income students, who rank in the 66th percentile statewide, suggesting that the school is doing a strong job of supporting students who often face additional challenges.

When compared to nearby schools, Ring Lardner sits in the middle of a divided educational landscape. Higher-performing schools like Upton Middle School and FC Reed Middle School rank in the 90th percentile or higher but serve far fewer economically disadvantaged students. On the other end, schools like Cassopolis Middle School and Dowagiac Middle School have higher poverty rates and lower rankings. Ring Lardner's performance is most comparable to Berrien Springs Middle School, which has a similar demographic profile. One area of concern is chronic absenteeism, which, while improved to 23.5%, remains above the district average. The school also shows inconsistent results for certain student groups, particularly its Multi-racial and Special Education populations, which have struggled in recent years. Still, with rising test scores, strong 8th-grade readiness, and a clear upward trend, Ring Lardner is demonstrating that it can help its students succeed.

510

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,765

Per pupil spending ?

59.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

801 N 17th St
Niles, MI 49120-1921

(269) 683-6610

District: Niles Community Schools

Students who attend Ring Lardner Middle School usually attend:

High:

Niles Senior High School

Feeder schools for Ring Lardner Middle School:

Elementary:	Ballard Elementary School
	HowardEllis Elementary School
	Northside Child Development Center

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.3%

Two or more races:

11.6%

African American:

11.4%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Ring Lardner Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 64th percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg43%

Michigan avg41%

338^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 38%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

250^th of 625Niles Community Schools among Michigan districts

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
2026	56.7	338 of 896	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.4	338 of 890	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	454 of 897	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.8	471 of 883	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.6	464 of 776	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.2	403 of 675	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.9	425 of 792	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.9	348 of 838	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	37.4	478 of 821	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	60.7	320 of 894	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	73.7	189 of 919	79.4%	★★★★☆
2014	41.6	590 of 921	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.9	537 of 919	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.1	435 of 900	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.0	345 of 858	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	73.8	204 of 851	76.0%	★★★★☆
2009	74.5	198 of 847	76.6%	★★★★☆
2008	65.1	341 of 839	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	64.3	347 of 823	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	71.2	241 of 806	70.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	154 of 337	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.7	106 of 338	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	79 of 300	73.7%	★★★★☆
2023	64.4	81 of 310	73.9%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	19 of 196	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	55.8	133 of 366	63.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	312 of 789	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.8	289 of 789	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.5	369 of 771	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.1	492 of 770	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.9	479 of 657	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.0	393 of 521	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	417 of 658	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.2	370 of 794	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	54.5	111 of 260	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.9	88 of 265	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.5	144 of 257	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	151 of 246	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.6	79 of 138	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.1	47 of 69	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	81 of 137	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	129 of 266	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	58.0	286 of 834	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.0	226 of 832	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	51.6	343 of 836	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.0	411 of 825	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.6	448 of 691	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.1	319 of 523	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.9	383 of 672	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	66.5	224 of 815	72.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	50.8	351 of 813	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.9	373 of 798	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.7	486 of 786	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.2	414 of 776	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.1	400 of 658	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.7	319 of 540	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.2	354 of 639	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.3	273 of 797	65.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	154 of 195	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.2	158 of 190	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.0	130 of 176	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.5	126 of 163	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	48 of 65	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.8	43 of 51	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.3	84 of 156	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	34.7	156 of 236	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.1	176 of 244	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	66.1	74 of 377	80.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	56.5	257 of 687	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.3	295 of 696	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.0	386 of 701	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.3	393 of 688	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.4	362 of 638	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.8	279 of 577	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.2	377 of 624	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.9	278 of 678	59.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)63rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)60th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)57th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)57th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2026)54th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2026)34th percentile-28 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)21st percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science43%+3 vs state

Social Studies41%-10 vs state

English Language Arts38%~ state avg

Mathematics38%+5 vs state

Math31%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Ring Lardner Middle School

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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)	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 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
Ring Lardner Middle School	Public	6-8	801 N 17th St	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Niles Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 683-6610	510	29	17.4	59.8%	333 (65.3%)	58 (11.4%)	55 (10.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (11.6%)	56.7	338^th of 896 public middle schools	62.3%		56.4	338^th of 890 public middle schools	62.0%		68.7	38.1		39.2	37.4		28.8	33.0		42.6		40.8	$14,765	$1,195	$13,569
Brandywine Middle School	Public	7-8	1700 Bell Rd	Niles	49120	Berrien County	Brandywine Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 683-4800	183	11	16.9	62.3%	144 (78.7%)	8 (4.4%)	9 (4.9%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.6%)	1 (0.5%)	17 (9.3%)	45.5	459^th of 896 public middle schools	48.8%		40.4	523^rd of 890 public middle schools	41.2%	64	68.2	23.5			26.5			14.3		40.0		56.5	$13,822	$946	$12,876
Buchanan Middle School	Public	5-7	610 W 4th St	Buchanan	49107	Berrien County	Buchanan Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 695-8406	358	18	19.4	62.3%	311 (86.9%)	8 (2.2%)	13 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.7%)	58.4	317^th of 896 public middle schools	64.6%		67.2	237^th of 890 public middle schools	73.4%	80			55.2	34.1	45.2	32.8	32.6	35.7	44.8		35.2		$11,749	$344	$11,405
Edwardsburg Middle School	Public	6-8	69230 Section St	Edwardsburg	49112	Cass County	Edwardsburg Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 663-1031	612	32	19.3	36.9%	552 (90.2%)	3 (0.5%)	30 (4.9%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.3%)	84	114^th of 896 public middle schools	87.3%		87.5	89^th of 890 public middle schools	90.0%	25	83.9	53.3		52.9	50.0		47.7	42.4		52.5		67.0	$13,058	$538	$12,521
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%)	61.5	281^st of 896 public middle schools	68.6%		55.7	342^nd of 890 public middle schools	61.6%	61	62.8	38.5		38.5	40.5		30.7	37.4		42.9		55.1	$15,753	$874	$14,879
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%)	16.2	746^th of 896 public middle schools	16.7%		14.2	764^th of 890 public middle schools	14.2%	18	35.6	343.6		15.8	13.2		1565.9	18.4		22.2		26.7	$14,119	$1,406	$12,713
Dowagiac Middle School	Public	6-8	57072 Riverside Dr	Dowagiac	49047	Cass County	Dowagiac Union School District	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 782-4440	393	21	18.5	70.7%	222 (56.5%)	29 (7.4%)	83 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (12.7%)	34.7	569^th of 896 public middle schools	36.5%		47.2	443^rd of 890 public middle schools	50.2%	126	55.0	21.7		29.9	27.2		19.5	17.6		33.9		43.0	$14,312	$1,227	$13,085
Cassopolis Middle School	Public	6-8	725 Center St	Cassopolis	49031	Cass County	Cassopolis Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(269) 445-0506	188	13	14.1	62.2%	115 (61.2%)	15 (8.0%)	13 (6.9%)	4 (2.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (20.7%)	22.1	678^th of 896 public middle schools	24.3%		23.5	656^th of 890 public middle schools	26.3%	22	54.5	15.2		19.4	11.7		12.9	6.7		30.3		33.3	$14,973	$1,974	$12,999
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%)	86.4	97^th of 896 public middle schools	89.2%		91.2	62^nd of 890 public middle schools	93.0%	35	85.2	67.2	61.0	47.8	61.2	54.2	43.3	40.3	55.9	60.7	37.3	82.0	$19,661	$459	$19,202
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%)	83.8	115^th of 896 public middle schools	87.2%		84.7	103^rd of 890 public middle schools	88.4%	12	74.2	47.4		54.5	44.5		56.5	49.5		62.1		63.7	$14,484	$947	$13,537

Frequently Asked Questions about Ring Lardner Middle School

How many students attend Ring Lardner Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 510 students attended Ring Lardner Middle School.

Is Ring Lardner Middle School a good school?

Ring Lardner Middle School ranks 338^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Ring Lardner Middle School in?

Niles Community Schools

What high school do graduates of Ring Lardner Middle School attend?

Students who attend Ring Lardner Middle School usually go on to attend Niles Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Ring Lardner Middle School?

Students at Ring Lardner Middle School are 65% White, 12% Two or more races, 11% African American, 11% Hispanic.

Rate Ring Lardner Middle School!

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Schools in Niles, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

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.