Middle Schools in West Ottawa Public School District

The West Ottawa Public School District in Michigan is home to two middle schools: Harbor Lights Middle School and Macatawa Bay Middle School. These schools serve diverse student populations, with significant Hispanic and Asian representation, and provide education for grades 6-8.

Based on the data analysis, Harbor Lights Middle School appears to be the stronger performer of the two, consistently achieving higher test scores across various subjects and grade levels compared to Macatawa Bay Middle School and the district/state averages. Macatawa Bay Middle School, on the other hand, has lower test scores, a lower SchoolDigger rating, and a higher chronic absenteeism rate, suggesting it may face more challenges in academic performance.

The data also reveals that Macatawa Bay Middle School has a higher percentage of Hispanic students (50%) compared to Harbor Lights Middle School (40.88%), and a higher rate of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (64.55% vs. 52.26%), which may contribute to its lower academic outcomes. Despite the funding differences, the similar per-student spending at the two schools suggests that other factors, such as teaching quality, curriculum, and school leadership, may play a more significant role in driving the performance gap between the two middle schools in the West Ottawa Public School District.