Summary:
Zip code 49117 is home to just one middle school, New Buffalo Middle School, which serves grades 6-8 and is part of the highly-rated New Buffalo Area Schools district in a small lakeshore community.
New Buffalo Middle School is an exceptional academic performer, consistently ranking in the top 5% of all Michigan middle schools over the past three years. Its best year came in 2023-2024 when it ranked #2 in the state, and it currently sits at #36 out of nearly 900 schools. The school's test scores are remarkable across the board. In 6th and 7th grade English Language Arts, proficiency rates hover around 78%, more than double the state average of roughly 38%. Math proficiency is similarly impressive at 72% and 67% for those grades, compared to state averages in the low 30s. The standout metric is 8th-grade PSAT Math, where 80.5% of students are proficient versus just 33.2% statewide—a testament to a strong math pipeline. Even in science and social studies, the school outperforms state averages by 17 and 15 percentage points, respectively.
The school benefits from extraordinary resources, including per-student spending of $33,586 and a very low student-teacher ratio of 9.4:1, which allows for small classes and individualized attention. About 31% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, adding some economic diversity. However, one area of concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 20.4%—higher than the district's 16.5% average, though still below the state's 27.9%. This disconnect between high achievement and attendance is worth noting. Since this is the only middle school in the district, its performance is the sole driver of the district's perfect 5-star rating, making it the clear centerpiece of the community's educational reputation.
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