Tri County Middle School

As a close-knit middle school in HOWARD CITY, Michigan, Tri County Middle School educates 381 students from grades 6 through 8, part of Tri County Area Schools. That puts it 24% below the typical public school in Michigan, which averages around 502 students.

Tri County Area Schools comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 1,634 students; Tri County Middle School is among them.

On demographics, Tri County Middle School reports that nearly all students (86%) are White; the rest is composed of 7% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Tri County Middle School has 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.5:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 41% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Montcalm County runs at roughly 57%, so the school's eligibility rate is below the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Tri County Middle School falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 48.0%; this one comes in at 27.2%, -20.8 points off the demographic line.

In the surrounding community, census data for Montcalm County shows median household earnings sit near $67,344, roughly 16% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Across Montcalm County's 33 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,168 students), Tri County Middle School is one campus in the mix.

Tri County Senior High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Tri County Middle School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 43.6%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 22%: 491 students in 2018 compared to 381 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 90% to 86% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 20.8:1 in 2018 to 17.5:1 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.