Orchard View Schools, MI

Original Research by School Decision on Orchard View Schools

Orchard View Schools is a public district in Muskegon County serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It operates five schools: Early Elementary, Cardinal Elementary, Middle School, High School, and a Community Education center. The enrollment is moderate for the area, and the student body reflects a mix of backgrounds. A little over half of students identify as white, with a substantial Black population and smaller Hispanic and multiracial groups rounding out the enrollment. Data on free or reduced-price lunch, special education, and English learner populations was not available, so the economic and linguistic profile of the student body could not be assessed here. A parent seeking that information would want to ask the district directly.

On state assessments, Orchard View's results sit below the midpoint among Muskegon County's districts in overall proficiency. The clearest pattern across grade levels is a gap between English language arts and mathematics. ELA results are modest in the elementary and early middle grades but rise noticeably by eighth grade, where proficiency reaches a relative high point. Math, by contrast, starts low in third grade and trends downward through eighth grade, with the weakest results concentrated in seventh and eighth grade. Science and social studies proficiency is mixed, with stronger showings in eighth grade than in fifth. The district's recent strategic plan, publicly reported as approved in spring of last year, names student achievement as a priority area alongside social-emotional learning, staff recruitment and retention, facilities, and community engagement. That plan was developed through community input, and parents may want to ask how the achievement priorities are translating into classroom-level changes, particularly in math instruction at the middle grades.

One concern the data does surface is chronic absenteeism. Orchard View's rate is elevated, sitting below the midpoint among county districts in a category where lower is better. This is the kind of figure that can affect both individual learning and schoolwide culture, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports or interventions are in place.

On the resource side, Orchard View spends in the upper range among Muskegon County districts on a per-pupil basis. That level of investment gives the district room to address the academic and attendance challenges the data reflects. The strategic plan's focus on staff recruitment and retention suggests the district is thinking about building stable teaching capacity, which parents often see as a foundation for improvement.

The housing market in the district's attendance area is affordable relative to both state and national benchmarks. Home values in the primary Muskegon zip code that accounts for most of the district are well below the state median, and rents are modest. A small share of the district extends into Norton Shores and Twin Lake, where home values are higher. For families considering the area, housing costs are unlikely to be a barrier to entry, and the price-to-income ratio sits at a level most working families in the region would find manageable. Home values have been creeping upward year over year, but the increases are modest.

The district does not have a graduation rate available in this dataset, so no read on that outcome is possible here. Nor was locale-level community context provided beyond the housing data. What the assembled picture does show is a district with real academic challenges, particularly in math, paired with above-average spending and a recently adopted strategic plan that names those challenges directly. Families considering Orchard View would be choosing a district that is affordable, diverse, and self-aware about where it stands, with work ahead on proficiency and attendance. The right questions for a parent to bring would focus on how the new plan is changing instruction day to day, especially in the grades and subjects where results are weakest.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

2,146

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 10%

Black 28%

White 52%

Asian 1%

Two+ 9%

Am. Indian / AK Native 1%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

15%

30%

Gr 4

23%

27%

Gr 5

22%

33%

Gr 6

18%

15%

Gr 7

18%

28%

Gr 8

41%

69%

Math

Gr 3

18%

38%

Gr 4

13%

30%

Gr 5

18%

21%

Gr 6

17%

16%

Gr 7

13%

Gr 8

15%

Science

Gr 5

20%

24%

Gr 8

22%

40%

Social studies

Gr 5

11%

14%

Gr 8

20%

44%

Schools in this District

5 schools are officially reported under this district.

Orchard View Community Education

Orchard View Middle School

Orchard View High School

Orchard View Early Elementary

Cardinal Elementary

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

23%

Grade 3

17%

Grade 4

19%

Grade 5

16%

Grade 6

10%

Grade 7

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

19%

Grade 3

24%

Grade 4

26%

Grade 5

18%

Grade 6

21%

Grade 7

49%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

21%

Grade 5

27%

Grade 8

Social Studies

2 grades reported

12%

Grade 5

27%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$180,133

Year-over-year change+2.4%

Range across 3 ZIP codes$179K to $278K

vs. state typical0.68x

vs. national typical0.49x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (3 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
49442	Muskegon	$179K	+2.3%	94.9%
49444	Norton Shores	$189K	+3.8%	4.8%
49457	Twin Lake	$278K	+5.1%	0.2%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,185/mo

Year-over-year change+4.8%

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
49442	Muskegon	$1,185	+4.8%	94.9%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$909/mo

Home price / national median income2.1x

Annual rent / national median income17.0%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$276/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$263,590 (+4.2% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.