The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Tri County Middle School
Tri County Middle School sits on Kendaville Road in Howard City, a small village in the panhandle of Montcalm County. It serves grades six through eight as a regular public school within Tri County Area Schools, a district formed decades ago by consolidating Howard City and Sand Lake schools. The name "Tri County" reflects the fact that students come from Kent, Montcalm, and Newaygo counties. The middle school shares a campus with the high school and the newly built Tri County Elementary, which opened in fall 2023. That new building replaced the former elementary setup and consolidated kindergarten through fifth grade into a single modern facility, a change families with younger children will notice directly.
The village of Howard City has a traditional small-town layout centered on Edgerton Street, which serves as Main Street. Tamarack Creek winds through the north side of town, and a U.S. freeway passes a short distance to the west with nearby access. The community holds events like the Harvest Festival, and Indian Trails runs a daily intercity bus service through the village between Grand Rapids and Petoskey. Publicly reported descriptions from the village itself suggest the area anticipates growth, with a young population profile and a family-oriented demographic. No major new housing developments were identified in available sources, and no current major employers surfaced in the research.
The middle school's enrollment is moderate for a three-grade band, with a fairly even distribution across the three grades. A substantial majority of students are white, with small representation from Hispanic, multiracial, Native American, and Asian students. Well over half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, pointing to a working-class community. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available.
On Michigan state assessments, the school's results were mixed and generally modest. In math, proficiency was low across all three grades, with roughly a fifth to a quarter of students meeting or exceeding standards. English language arts showed wider variation. Sixth grade landed around a third proficient, seventh grade dipped below that, and eighth grade stood noticeably higher, with a clear majority of tested students reaching proficiency on the PSAT. Science and social studies, both tested in eighth grade, landed around a quarter and roughly a third proficient, respectively. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index placed in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Montcalm County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly the math results, which were the weakest area across the board.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether these results represent a decline, a plateau, or something in between. Participation rates were also missing from the state data set. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and that absence reflects the grade band rather than anything about the school's performance.
Housing in the area is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code sit below the Michigan median and well below the national figure, and recent year-over-year appreciation has been strong. Rental data was not available. With mortgage rates in the mid-six percent range, the price-to-income ratio remains moderate, which may appeal to families looking for affordability in a rural setting.
The school's setting is rural and consolidated, with campus-style facilities shared across grade levels. The district recently invested in a new elementary building, signaling a commitment to modernizing facilities. For families drawn to a small-town environment with a shared campus model, Tri County Middle School offers that context, though the academic results suggest room for growth, especially in mathematics.
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