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Harbor Lights Middle School

Q: Is Harbor Lights Middle School a good school?

Harbor Lights Middle School ranks 368 th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

368^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 59% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Harbor Lights Middle School in Holland, MI, is a large school serving 903 students in grades 6-8 as part of the West Ottawa Public School District, where over half of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch.

Harbor Lights posts academic results that are generally on par with or slightly above state averages, which is notable given that more than half of its students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, its 8th-grade science proficiency (40.3%) and PSAT English Language Arts proficiency (65.7%) both edged out state averages in the most recent school year. This is a meaningful accomplishment when compared to nearby schools like Riley Street Middle School or Cityside Middle School, which serve far fewer low-income students (under 20%) yet achieve similar or only slightly better results. The school also shows a consistent strength in science, outperforming both district and state averages in multiple years. However, the school faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism at 28.8%, which is much higher than nearby high-performing schools like Creekside Middle School (8.1%) or Hamilton Middle School (10.9%).

While Harbor Lights earns a solid 3-star rating, it sits in a region where many neighboring districts—such as Hudsonville Public School District, Zeeland Public Schools, and Hamilton Community Schools—consistently rank in the top 15-20% of the state. The school's state ranking has also declined over the past decade, from the 85th percentile in 2015-2016 to the 59th percentile recently. Interestingly, Harbor Lights achieves better outcomes than Holland Middle School, which spends significantly more per pupil ($25,570 vs. $15,165) but serves an even higher percentage of low-income students. For parents, this suggests Harbor Lights is effectively serving its general population despite economic hurdles, though the school has clear room for improvement in addressing absenteeism and ensuring all student groups receive the support they need to thrive.

903

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,165

Per pupil spending ?

52.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1024 136th Ave
Holland, MI 49424-9467

(616) 786-1000

District: West Ottawa Public School District

Students who attend Harbor Lights Middle School usually attend:

High:

West Ottawa High School Campus

Feeder schools for Harbor Lights Middle School:

Elementary:	Great Lakes Elementary School
	Lakeshore Elementary School
	Pine Creek Elementary School
	Sheldon Woods Elementary School
	More...
	Waukazoo Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.9%

White:

38.8%

Two or more races:

7.3%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Harbor Lights Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2016 → 59th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Michigan median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg38%

Michigan avg41%

368^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Top 41%▼ down 26 pts since 2016

From top 15% (2016) to top 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the West Ottawa Public School District

249^th of 625West Ottawa Public School District 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	54.4	368 of 896	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.2	406 of 890	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.5	343 of 897	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.7	307 of 883	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.8	221 of 776	71.5%	★★★★☆
2021	57.7	231 of 675	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.1	258 of 792	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.8	209 of 838	75.1%	★★★★☆
2017	65.7	223 of 821	72.8%	★★★★☆
2016	79.7	138 of 894	84.6%	★★★★☆
2015	71.2	211 of 919	77.0%	★★★★☆
2014	63.5	313 of 921	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.4	303 of 919	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.5	293 of 900	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.1	246 of 858	71.3%	★★★★☆
2010	67.9	321 of 851	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.1	262 of 847	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	59.6	444 of 839	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	62.3	382 of 823	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.6	413 of 806	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.2	89 of 337	73.6%	★★★★☆
2025	59.8	97 of 338	71.3%	★★★★☆
2023	68.5	70 of 310	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	47.5	162 of 366	55.7%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	76 of 87	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.5	73 of 85	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	69 of 88	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	66 of 87	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	45 of 57	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.9	30 of 39	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	38 of 48	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	84 of 104	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	16.6	98 of 108	9.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	146 of 154	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	53.5	317 of 789	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.5	371 of 789	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.7	326 of 771	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	332 of 770	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.9	261 of 657	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.5	275 of 521	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.7	269 of 658	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.8	192 of 794	75.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	22.3	218 of 260	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.4	224 of 265	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	204 of 257	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	186 of 246	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.5	85 of 138	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.6	54 of 69	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.5	92 of 137	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.5	160 of 266	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	34.1	547 of 834	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.6	538 of 832	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	535 of 836	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	520 of 825	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.4	339 of 691	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.0	251 of 523	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.2	356 of 672	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.1	267 of 815	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	47.9	379 of 813	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.9	419 of 798	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	344 of 786	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.5	288 of 776	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.3	168 of 658	74.5%	★★★★☆
2021	61.9	159 of 540	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	58.7	219 of 639	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.5	187 of 797	76.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	93 of 195	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.4	96 of 190	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.7	103 of 176	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.5	89 of 163	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.4	51 of 156	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	48.7	157 of 377	58.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	77.0	126 of 687	81.7%	★★★★☆
2025	73.3	150 of 696	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.3	118 of 701	83.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.0	119 of 688	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	87.4	67 of 638	89.5%	★★★★☆
2021	86.7	52 of 577	91.0%	★★★★★
2019	81.5	93 of 624	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	88.3	59 of 678	91.3%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)82nd percentile+23 vs school

African American (2026)74th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)60th percentile~ school

Special Education (2018)58th percentile-17 vs school

Male (2026)53rd percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)52nd percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)34th percentile-25 vs school

Hispanic (2026)16th percentile-43 vs school

Asian (2026)13th percentile-46 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)9th percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies47%-3 vs state

Science40%~ state avg

English Language Arts35%-3 vs state

Math32%~ state avg

Mathematics32%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Harbor Lights 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
Harbor Lights Middle School	Public	6-8	1024 136th Ave	Holland	49424	Ottawa County	West Ottawa Public School District	No	No	No	No	(616) 786-1000	903	51	17.8	52.8%	350 (38.8%)	43 (4.8%)	396 (43.9%)	45 (5.0%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (7.3%)	54.4	368^th of 896 public middle schools	58.9%		50.2	406^th of 890 public middle schools	54.4%	38	65.7	32.0		34.6	36.4		32.1	32.1		40.3		46.9	$15,165	$888	$14,277
Macatawa Bay Middle School	Public	6-8	3700 140th Ave	Holland	49424	Ottawa County	West Ottawa Public School District	No	No	No	No	(616) 786-2000	632	42	14.9	62.7%	221 (35.0%)	17 (2.7%)	316 (50.0%)	42 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.5%)	45.6	458^th of 896 public middle schools	48.9%		51.1	392^nd of 890 public middle schools	56.0%	66	56.9	29.4		22.8	32.7		29.5	34.2		35.1		47.2	$16,814	$890	$15,924
Holland Middle School	Public	6-8	373 E 24th St	Holland	49423	Ottawa County	Holland City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 494-5085	605	39	15.3	62.5%	232 (38.3%)	71 (11.7%)	257 (42.5%)	16 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.8%)	33.4	573^rd of 896 public middle schools	36.0%		32.9	579^th of 890 public middle schools	34.9%	6	61.9	21.8		29.0	23.7		17.8	21.3		28.3		36.4	$25,570	$1,544	$24,026
Creekside Middle School	Public	5-8	179 W Roosevelt Ave	Zeeland	49464	Ottawa County	Zeeland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 748-3300	577	37	15.5	21.5%	426 (73.8%)	4 (0.7%)	104 (18.0%)	18 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.3%)	72.8	198^th of 896 public middle schools	77.9%		79.4	142^nd of 890 public middle schools	84.0%	56	77.3	43.6		40.9	40.8		39.7	40.2		48.3		68.0	$15,464	$248	$15,216
Cityside Middle School	Public	6-8	320 E Main Ave	Zeeland	49464	Ottawa County	Zeeland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 748-3200	771	46	16.6	17.6%	574 (74.4%)	18 (2.3%)	125 (16.2%)	20 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.4%)	79.4	143^rd of 896 public middle schools	84.0%		80.9	131^st of 890 public middle schools	85.3%	12	79.2	41.5		58.7	46.1		44.8	44.1		52.5		60.1	$14,731	$454	$14,277
Hamilton Middle School	Public	5-8	4845 136th Ave	Hamilton	49419	Allegan County	Hamilton Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 751-4436	707	42	16.6	26.0%	614 (86.8%)	5 (0.7%)	50 (7.1%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.2%)	85.1	107^th of 896 public middle schools	88.1%		81.1	128^th of 890 public middle schools	85.6%	21	76.2	50.3	61.4	54.5	47.1	50.8	65.1	46.9	61.9	56.0	45.2	66.3	$14,479	$918	$13,561
Allendale Middle School	Public	6-8	7161 Pleasant View Ct	Allendale	49401	Ottawa County	Allendale Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 892-5595	564	34	16.4	28.7%	437 (77.5%)	14 (2.5%)	84 (14.9%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.4%)	80.8	135^th of 896 public middle schools	84.9%		80.9	130^th of 890 public middle schools	85.4%	5	80.3	46.5		53.3	41.4		50.0	37.3		53.8		71.2	$14,790	$1,074	$13,716
Saugatuck Middle School	Public	6-8	401 Elizabeth St	Saugatuck	49453	Allegan County	Saugatuck Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(269) 857-2133	186	10	17.8	27.4%	168 (90.3%)	2 (1.1%)	10 (5.4%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	86.4	96^th of 896 public middle schools	89.3%		87.8	88^th of 890 public middle schools	90.1%	8	79.7	49.3		56.0	51.9		48.0	51.9		56.5		71.0	$9,180	$874	$8,306
Baldwin Street Middle School	Public	7-8	3835 Baldwin St	Hudsonville	49426	Ottawa County	Hudsonville Public School District	No	No	No	No	(616) 669-7750	610	36	17.0	14.6%	521 (85.4%)	6 (1.0%)	36 (5.9%)	9 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.9%)	88.7	80^th of 896 public middle schools	91.1%		90.9	63^rd of 890 public middle schools	92.9%	17	81.6	58.5			53.7			48.1		60.1		69.2	$14,451	$195	$14,256
Riley Street Middle School	Public	6-8	2745 Riley St	Hudsonville	49426	Ottawa County	Hudsonville Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 896-1920	688	39	17.6	19.8%	563 (81.8%)	12 (1.7%)	64 (9.3%)	22 (3.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (3.5%)	88.9	77^th of 896 public middle schools	91.4%		89.9	70^th of 890 public middle schools	92.1%	7	87.7	57.0		59.4	53.0		53.0	51.7		56.8		64.6	$13,371	$270	$13,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Harbor Lights Middle School

Is Harbor Lights Middle School a good school?

Harbor Lights Middle School ranks 368^th of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Harbor Lights Middle School in?

West Ottawa Public School District

What high school do graduates of Harbor Lights Middle School attend?

Students who attend Harbor Lights Middle School usually go on to attend West Ottawa High School Campus

How many students attend Harbor Lights Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 903 students attended Harbor Lights Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Harbor Lights Middle School?

Students at Harbor Lights Middle School are 44% Hispanic, 39% White, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 5% African American.

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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.