Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Harbor Springs Depot · Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Harbor Springs’s public schools outscore 84% of Michigan districts
In Harbor Springs, 64% of tested students read at a proficient level, above the Michigan average (45%). The grade covers the public school district serving Harbor Springs, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Michigan, not nationally.
From Michigan state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Harbor Springs’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 1179 Michigan towns with household incomes within a quarter of Harbor Springs’s, its schools beat 91%, higher than their 84% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 64% and math 44% in spring 2022, against 45% and 34% statewide; 85–89% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 82%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $23,035 per student, against $16,528 across Michigan (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
One elementary school, then one middle and one high school
From grade 5 the district’s path is Harbor Springs Middle School, then Harbor Springs High School. Enrollment is up 27% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Harbor Springs’s grade
A−: better than 84% of Michigan school districts. Test scores and graduation are both above the Michigan average; test scores are the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Harbor Springs, with each school’s own grade.
Kindergarten in Harbor Springs
Shay Elementary School
Grades K–4 · 258 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
1st grade in Harbor Springs
Shay Elementary School
Grades K–4 · 258 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
2nd grade in Harbor Springs
Shay Elementary School
Grades K–4 · 258 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
3rd grade in Harbor Springs
Shay Elementary School
Grades K–4 · 258 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
4th grade in Harbor Springs
Shay Elementary School
Grades K–4 · 258 students · 12:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
5th grade in Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 233 students · 13:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 233 students · 13:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 233 students · 13:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs Middle School
Grades 5–8 · 233 students · 13:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs High School
Grades 9–12 · 260 students · 14:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
10th grade in Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs High School
Grades 9–12 · 260 students · 14:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
11th grade in Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs High School
Grades 9–12 · 260 students · 14:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
12th grade in Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs High School
Grades 9–12 · 260 students · 14:1 students per teacher · in Harbor Spgs
Harbor Springs’s public schools are run by Harbor Springs School District, which also serves Cross Village, Friendship, Little Traverse and Pleasantview and others. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Harbor Springs vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Michigan towns that share Harbor Springs’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Harbor Springs | A− | Harbor Springs |
| West Traverse | A− | Harbor Springs |
| Little Traverse | A− | Harbor Springs |
All 2 neighbors share Harbor Springs with Harbor Springs, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.
Every school in Harbor Springs
3 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Michigan’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Harbor Springs’s schools
Are Harbor Springs’s schools good?
By Michigan’s own tests, yes: the public schools Harbor Springs children attend outscore 84% of Michigan’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A− Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 91%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Harbor Springs in?
Harbor Springs School District, which runs grades K–12 and enrolls 751 students in 3 schools (2024–25).
Where do Harbor Springs kids go to high school?
Harbor Springs High School in Harbor Spgs, with 260 students; its own test results earn an A−.
What is Harbor Springs’s graduation rate?
85–89% of the class of 2023 in Harbor Springs School District graduated in four years, against 82% across Michigan.
How much does Harbor Springs spend per student?
$23,035 in Harbor Springs School District (FY2024), against $16,528 across Michigan. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Harbor Springs families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Harbor Springs → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Michigan. Stars are from neighbors.