Springport Middle School

Springport Middle School in Springport, MI, serves 222 students in grades 6-8 within the Springport Public Schools district, a rural community where nearly half of the students (47.3%) qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has shown meaningful improvement recently, jumping from the 33rd to 40th percentile statewide between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, with particularly strong gains in 8th-grade science and social studies.

The most striking pattern at Springport is the contrast between subjects. In 8th-grade social studies, 59.7% of students are proficient—well above the state average of 50.3% and better than several nearby schools. However, math proficiency is a serious concern: only 11% of 6th graders, 20% of 7th graders, and 14.7% of 8th graders meet state standards, which is roughly half or less than half of state averages. This math struggle persists despite the school spending $15,355 per student—more than higher-performing neighbors like Western Middle School ($14,560) and Olivet Middle School ($13,926)—and maintaining a reasonable student-teacher ratio of 18.3. A comparison with Homer Middle School, just 17 miles away, is telling: Homer has a similar enrollment and even more students from low-income families (57.5%), yet ranks in the 72nd percentile with dramatically higher proficiency in both ELA and math, suggesting that factors beyond funding and demographics—like instructional approaches—play a critical role.

Chronic absenteeism is a growing concern, rising from 21.5% in 2021-22 to 29.8% in 2024-25, now above the state average and second-highest among immediate peers. On a positive note, the 8th-grade cohort stands out as a bright spot, performing at or above state averages in both science (41.8% vs. 39.2%) and social studies, which may point to an effective teaching team or a particularly strong group of students that could serve as a model for improving outcomes in the lower grades.