River Valley Middlehigh School, Three Oaks MI

Original Research by School Decision on River Valley Middlehigh School

River Valley MiddleHigh School sits in Three Oaks, a small historic village in Berrien County, Michigan, just a few miles from Lake Michigan and a short distance from the Indiana border. The village blends residential streets with a compact downtown anchored by the rehabilitated Warren Featherbone Factory building, which houses Journeyman Distillery and the Acorn Theater. Three Oaks carries a rural, small-town texture with periodic cultural events like its Flag Day Parade and the Apple Cider Century bicycle ride. The village has experienced modest population decline rather than growth, and its development trajectory appears to be one of incremental downtown revitalization rather than expansion. Publicly reported accounts note the village faced a severe financial crisis in the past decade tied to a street project, leading to state intervention, but it has since recovered and hired its first village manager.

The school serves grades six through twelve in a single building, with a total enrollment that is small for a combined middle-high setting. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic enrollment representing the next largest group. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those populations could not be characterized from the available information. No staffing, course access, discipline, or attendance data was provided.

On state assessments for the most recent school year, math proficiency was low across grades six through eight, with fewer than a third of students meeting proficiency in each grade. English language arts showed a mixed picture: proficiency was low in grades six and seven but rose sharply by grade eight, where a strong majority of students demonstrated proficiency. Eighth-grade science and social studies results landed in a moderate range, with roughly four in ten students proficient in each subject. When the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades is positioned relative to districts in Berrien County, River Valley sits above the midpoint, with its composite proficiency index exceeding the county median. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to characterize whether results are improving or declining over time.

A four-year graduation rate was not reported for this school. Because the school serves grades six through twelve, it does include high school grades and a graduation rate would ordinarily apply, but the value was missing from the available data. A parent may want to look into this further with the school or district. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available.

The housing market in the Three Oaks zip code reflects a typical small-town Berrien County profile. The typical home value sits above the state benchmark and is close to the national figure, with recent year-over-year appreciation that has been strong. Estimated monthly mortgage costs reflect current interest rates, and the price-to-income ratio suggests that buying a home here is somewhat stretched relative to national norms. Rental data was not available for this location.

We looked for recent parent-relevant changes in the River Valley School District and found little of lasting impact in publicly reported sources, so there is nothing to relay on that front. No program offerings data, such as Advanced Placement courses, career and technical education pathways, or dual-enrollment opportunities, was provided, so those aspects of the academic experience could not be assessed.

For a family weighing River Valley MiddleHigh School, the academic picture is uneven across subjects and grade levels. The strong eighth-grade ELA result stands out as a bright spot, while the math results across the middle grades represent an area where a parent may want to ask the school about instructional support and improvement efforts. The school's combined middle-high structure means students remain in one building through graduation, which can offer continuity in a close-knit setting. The small enrollment means class sizes are likely modest, and the rural village setting provides a quiet, community-oriented backdrop. Families considering this school would benefit from asking directly about high school course offerings, graduation outcomes, and supports for students who are not yet proficient in math, since those data points were not available here.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 42 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,027 schools plotted. 80 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 29%

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolRiver Valley School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income33%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income25%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income46%26 pp gap