The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in Social studies. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Cherryland Middle School
Cherryland Middle School serves grades six through eight as the sole middle school in the Elk Rapids Schools district, a regular public school sitting within village limits on the eastern side of the building that also houses the district's other schools. The enrollment is modest for its grade band, spread fairly evenly across the three grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small representation from American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and a sliver of Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The data did not include individualized education program rates or English learner counts, so those pieces of the student support picture are missing here.
On state assessments from the most recent year, Cherryland's results paint a mixed but generally encouraging profile, with real strength in English language arts. Sixth-grade ELA proficiency landed near the halfway mark, seventh grade ticked up solidly above that, and eighth grade stood out as a clear strength, with the large majority of tested students meeting proficiency on the PSAT. That eighth-grade ELA result is the school's brightest academic signal. Social studies proficiency among eighth graders was also strong, with well over half of tested students proficient. Science results for eighth grade landed near the middle. Math results were the soft spot: proficiency across all three grades sat below the halfway mark, with sixth grade the lowest, eighth grade only slightly better, and seventh grade in between. A parent weighing this school may want to look into how math instruction is structured across the three grades and what support is available for students who arrive behind grade level. Participation rates were not reported, so it is worth noting that gap as well. No multi-year trend data was available, so there is no way to read whether these results are improving, declining, or holding steady.
Against its peer set, Cherryland compares well. The school's overall proficiency index, which averages reported proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades, places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Antrim County, with an index value that exceeds the cohort maximum. The comparison universe here is the county's six districts, and within that group, Cherryland stands near the top on the academic measure that was available. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism were not applicable at the school level, the former because Cherryland does not serve high school grades and the latter because the data was not reported.
Elk Rapids itself is a small village on a narrow strip of land between Elk Lake and Grand Traverse Bay, roughly a short drive northeast of Traverse City. The downtown centers on River Street, with shops and waterside businesses, and the village government describes welcoming streets and a vibrant core. The Elk River runs through the village, connecting the lake to the bay, and the waterfront is a central civic and recreational feature. The village is a designated Pure Michigan Trail Town and Monarch City. The median age is high, and the community functions as both a residential base and a seasonal tourist destination. Growth has been slow but positive since the most recent census, and housing values have risen sharply over the past several years. The typical home value in the school's zip code sits well above the state benchmark, and the price-to-income ratio is elevated, meaning families buying into the area face a relatively expensive housing market compared with much of Michigan. Rent data was not available for this zip code. Publicly reported information did not identify specific major employers in the village, and the local economy appears to rest on retail, hospitality, village government, and the schools themselves.
No district-level bond or referendum information surfaced in the research, so there is nothing to report on recent capital investment or facility changes. Program offerings, course access, staffing, discipline, and attendance data were all absent from the available payload, which limits the picture of what happens inside the building day to day. What the data does show is a small middle school in a picturesque, relatively affluent waterfront community, with solid to strong results in English and social studies, a proficiency standing that leads its county peers, and a math performance that warrants a closer conversation with the school.
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