The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Eau Claire Middle School
Eau Claire Middle School sits in a very small rural village in Berrien County, in Michigan's fruit belt, where rolling hills are covered with fruit trees and grape vines. The village itself is tiny in area, with a Main Street corridor that anchors both civic life and the schools. Village Hall sits on the east end of Main Street, while the school district sits on the west end, so school and community life are woven together along a single street rather than separated on distant campuses. The village hosts an annual Cherry Festival near the Fourth of July with parades, sidewalk sales, and tournaments, and Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm draws visitors for pick-your-own fruit and the International Cherry Pit and Spit Competition. Beyond that, commercial activity is limited. The village's own community vision centers on attracting more retailers and industrial entrepreneurs, and residents hope the completion of the nearby U.S. 31 Bypass might bring a bed and breakfast or motel. No public parks, library, or transit system were identified in publicly reported sources.
The village is car-dependent. Most residents drove alone to work, with an average of two cars per household. Walkability data was not found, and pedestrian activity appears limited to events along Main Street. The local economy is small-scale, with the largest employment sectors being health care and social assistance, manufacturing, and retail trade. Eau Claire is also experiencing population decline, with projections showing a continued downward trend, and median property values dropped between recent years. That said, the housing market data available for the school's zip code tells a somewhat different story, with home values showing year-over-year growth and sitting close to the state benchmark, though still below the national figure. The price-to-income ratio is moderate, and with current mortgage rates, the estimated monthly mortgage is within reach for households earning near the national median income.
Eau Claire Middle School is a regular public school serving grades six through eight, part of Eau Claire Public Schools. Enrollment is small, with roughly equal numbers across the three grade levels. The student body is majority Hispanic, with Black and white students each making up a smaller share, and a handful of students identifying as two or more races. A very large proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the limited local economy. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those figures are not available here.
On state assessments, proficiency rates are low across most subjects and grades. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was in the low teens for sixth and eighth grade and lower still for seventh grade. English language arts showed a similar pattern for sixth and seventh grade, but eighth-grade ELA proficiency jumped to a considerably higher level, with nearly half of tested students meeting the bar. Science and social studies, both tested only in eighth grade, landed in the mid-teens to low twenties for proficiency. Participation rates were not reported. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Berrien County. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results are improving or declining over time. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand what supports are in place for math and what drove the stronger eighth-grade ELA results.
No data was available on chronic absenteeism, graduation rate, course access, staffing, discipline, or school programs. The school does not serve high school grades, so a graduation rate would not apply here. The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or budget actions in recent reporting. For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a very small, close-knit rural community with an integrated school-and-civic setting along Main Street, a student body facing real economic challenges, and state test results that are currently well below county medians, with a bright spot in eighth-grade English.
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