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Upton Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

87^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 90% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Upton Middle School in Saint Joseph, MI, serves 690 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the highly-rated St. Joseph Public Schools district, which ranks in the 93rd percentile statewide.

Upton is a consistently high-performing school, ranking in the top 10% of Michigan middle schools for over a decade. In the most recent school year, students scored dramatically above state averages in every subject, with the largest advantages in math (roughly 17-21 points higher) and 8th-grade science (62.7% proficient vs. 39.2% statewide). The school also keeps chronic absenteeism low at 15.9%—nearly half the state average of 27.9%—a strong sign of student engagement. Upton achieves these results while spending about $13,256 per student, notably less than several nearby schools that don't perform as well, suggesting efficient use of resources.

For parents comparing options, Upton holds its own against its closest academic peers. Lakeshore Middle School, just 2.5 miles away, shows a very similar performance profile, with Upton ahead in 8th-grade PSAT ELA (88% vs. 74.2%). Meanwhile, FC Reed Middle School in Bridgman (9 miles away) edges out Upton in a few areas like 7th-grade ELA and 8th-grade PSAT Math, despite serving a higher percentage of students from low-income households. It's also worth noting that Upton has seen a gradual decline from its peak state ranking of 21st in 2017-2018 to 87th today, though it remains a 5-star school. The school is particularly effective at serving Hispanic and male students relative to statewide peers, and its recovery from pandemic-era absenteeism (down from 44.5% to 15.9%) shows strong resilience in getting kids back to class.

690

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,256

Per pupil spending ?

20.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

800 Maiden Ln
Saint Joseph, MI 49085-9587

(269) 926-3400

District: St. Joseph Public Schools

Students who attend Upton Middle School usually attend:

High:

St Joseph High School

Feeder schools for Upton Middle School:

Elementary:	Brown School
	Clarke School
	Lincoln School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.9%

African American:

8.3%

Hispanic:

7.8%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Upton Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 96th percentile in 2016 → 90th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (59% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of Michigan middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg59%

Michigan avg41%

87^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 4% (2016) to top 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

44^th of 625St. Joseph Public 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	87.8	87 of 896	90.3%	★★★★★
2025	89.8	73 of 890	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	90.2	70 of 897	92.2%	★★★★★
2023	91.1	64 of 883	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	91.3	53 of 776	93.2%	★★★★★
2021	89.4	50 of 675	92.6%	★★★★★
2019	94.4	31 of 792	96.1%	★★★★★
2018	96.5	21 of 838	97.5%	★★★★★
2017	94.7	33 of 821	96.0%	★★★★★
2016	94.3	37 of 894	95.9%	★★★★★
2015	93.2	43 of 919	95.3%	★★★★★
2014	83.9	106 of 921	88.5%	★★★★☆
2013	87.7	74 of 919	91.9%	★★★★★
2012	81.9	127 of 900	85.9%	★★★★☆
2011	81.0	101 of 858	88.2%	★★★★☆
2010	81.5	87 of 851	89.8%	★★★★☆
2009	82.2	95 of 847	88.8%	★★★★☆
2008	83.2	79 of 839	90.6%	★★★★★
2007	84.3	60 of 823	92.7%	★★★★★
2006	82.0	96 of 806	88.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	61.9	91 of 337	73.0%	★★★★☆
2025	65.9	76 of 338	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	65.2	62 of 300	79.3%	★★★★☆
2023	70.9	63 of 310	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.3	27 of 196	86.2%	★★★★☆
2018	81.4	40 of 366	89.1%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	61.0	39 of 87	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.7	51 of 85	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.2	48 of 88	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.3	57 of 87	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	71.6	29 of 104	72.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	83.0	97 of 789	87.7%	★★★★☆
2025	86.8	78 of 789	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.2	74 of 771	90.4%	★★★★★
2023	86.8	73 of 770	90.5%	★★★★★
2022	81.6	81 of 657	87.7%	★★★★☆
2021	86.9	47 of 521	91.0%	★★★★★
2019	87.4	63 of 658	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	94.6	27 of 794	96.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	81.4	33 of 260	87.3%	★★★★☆
2025	74.7	46 of 265	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	41 of 257	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	86.5	15 of 246	93.9%	★★★★★
2022	94.9	2 of 138	98.6%	★★★★★
2021	88.2	3 of 69	95.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	68.4	182 of 834	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	70.3	165 of 832	80.2%	★★★★☆
2024	62.8	237 of 836	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	68.6	166 of 825	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	135 of 691	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	73.6	68 of 523	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	90.4	24 of 672	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	96.0	9 of 815	98.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	88.1	67 of 813	91.8%	★★★★★
2025	88.7	69 of 798	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	88.8	67 of 786	91.5%	★★★★★
2023	91.2	54 of 776	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	94.2	31 of 658	95.3%	★★★★★
2021	86.4	56 of 540	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	95.6	21 of 639	96.7%	★★★★★
2018	96.4	22 of 797	97.2%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	51 of 195	73.8%	★★★★☆
2025	80.9	26 of 190	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	64.0	54 of 176	69.3%	★★★★☆
2023	49.8	77 of 163	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	75 of 236	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.9	98 of 244	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.9	59 of 201	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	27 of 199	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	67.0	73 of 377	80.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	86.0	76 of 687	88.9%	★★★★☆
2025	90.6	54 of 696	92.2%	★★★★★
2024	91.0	41 of 701	94.2%	★★★★★
2023	92.0	38 of 688	94.5%	★★★★★
2022	91.1	39 of 638	93.9%	★★★★★
2021	89.2	43 of 577	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	94.5	20 of 624	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	95.8	18 of 678	97.3%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2026)92nd percentile~ school

White (2026)89th percentile~ school

Female (2026)88th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)87th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)78th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)74th percentile-16 vs school

African American (2026)73rd percentile-17 vs school

Special Education (2026)68th percentile-22 vs school

Asian (2026)55th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies70%+20 vs state

Science63%+24 vs state

Mathematics53%+20 vs state

Math52%+19 vs state

English Language Arts51%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Upton 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
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%)	87.8	87^th of 896 public middle schools	90.3%		89.8	73^rd of 890 public middle schools	91.8%	14	88.0	52.9		51.2	50.0		52.7	50.4		62.7		70.2	$13,256	$536	$12,720
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
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%)								(n/a)	20.3	310.4		1561.3	6.6		1546.4	1650.5		1765.1		1772.4	$27,660	$10,092	$17,568
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
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
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
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%)	27.4	635^th of 896 public middle schools	29.1%		35.1	556^th of 890 public middle schools	37.5%	79	60.9	18.8		24.4	23.5		12.0	12.2		23.4		42.2	$16,100	$1,686	$14,414
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%)	47.3	439^th of 896 public middle schools	51.0%		53	374^th of 890 public middle schools	58.0%	65	63.0	26.9		36.6	41.0		18.8	31.4		33.3		41.7	$15,086	$1,153	$13,934
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Upton Middle School

What district is Upton Middle School in?

St. Joseph Public Schools

Is Upton Middle School a good school?

Yes. Upton Middle School ranks in the top 9.7% of Michigan middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Upton Middle School attend?

Students who attend Upton Middle School usually go on to attend St Joseph High School

What is the racial makeup of Upton Middle School?

Students at Upton Middle School are 74% White, 8% African American, 8% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Upton Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 690 students attended Upton Middle School.

Rate Upton Middle School!

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Schools in Saint Joseph, 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.