Reeths-Puffer Schools
| Reeths-Puffer Schools | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
991 W. Giles Road[1]
, Muskegon County, Michigan, 49445United States | |
| District information | |
| Motto | A great place to learn, contribute and compete[1] |
| Grades | Pre-Kindergarten-12 |
| Established | 1946[2] |
| Superintendent | Steve Edwards[3] |
| Schools | 7[4] |
| Budget | $52,255,000 2022-2023 expenditures[4] |
| NCES District ID | 2629540[4] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 3,451 (2024-2025)[4] |
| Teachers | 202.3 (on an FTE basis) (2024-2025)[4] |
| Staff | 484.18 FTE (2024-2025)[4] |
| Student–teacher ratio | 17.06 (2024-2025)[4] |
| District mascot | Rockets[1] |
| Colors | Green & White |
| Other information | |
| Website | www |
The Reeths-Puffer Schools is a public school district located in Muskegon Township, Michigan. It serves much of north-central Muskegon County, including the northern portion of Muskegon Township and most of Dalton, Laketon and Fruitland townships.[5]
History
[edit]1870 to 1970
[edit]The name of the district is taken from two separate school districts that later merged; named for Mr. Hiram Puffer, who founded the first school in the area in the 1870s, and Mr. Charles Reeths. The first school building that was part of what would eventually become the Puffer School district was built in the 1870s by Hiram Puffer who then taught at the school.[2]
In 1925, the original Puffer school was replaced by a brick building. Two additional schools, the Pillon and Baxter School buildings, were built in the early 1900s.[2]
In 1903, children began being taught in a new building that was named the Reeths School in honor of Charles Reeths, who served on the school board and had 11 children who attended the district.[2]
The Reeths District continued to expand and on November 29, 1946, the Reeths and Puffer districts merged. A new junior high building was dedicated in 1956, although high school students still attended other districts' high schools until 1958, when a high school wing was added to the junior high.[2]
Baker school district consolidated with Reeths-Puffer in 1963 and Laketon school district consolidated with it the next year. Laketon had recently completed a new junior high school, in 1960,[6] location of the current Reeths-Puffer Middle School.[7] Two more consolidations brought the district to its current boundaries: Twin Lake in 1966 and Duck Creek in 1981.[2]
1970 to present
[edit]In the late 1980s, enrollment increased dramatically and the district was crowded. A millage increase to fund construction of a new high school failed in 1989. Taking an incremental approach, the district proposed a new academic building near the high school that could be expanded later into a comprehensive high school.[8] In April 1992, voters approved the funding to build it, the first phase of the current high school. It was planned to open in fall 1994.[9]
In March 1995, voters approved funding to complete the high school. Students took classes in both the old and current high school until space was completed to house all students, in fall 1996. Once the academic areas were completed, the builders would finish the 900-seat auditorium and 3,000-seat gymnasium.[10]
Reeths-Puffer Intermediate School was established in fall 1998 in the former high school building.[11]
Schools
[edit]| School | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reeths-Puffer High School | 1545 North Roberts Road, Muskegon | Grades 9-12 |
| Reeths-Puffer Middle School | 1911 West Giles Road, Muskegon | Grades 7-8 |
| Reeths-Puffer Intermediate School | 1500 North Getty Street, Muskegon | Grades 5-6 |
| Central Elementary School | 1807 West Giles Road, Muskegon | Grades K-4 |
| Pennsylvania Elementary | 2500 Pennsylvania, Muskegon | Kindergarten |
| Reeths-Puffer Elementary School | 874 E. Giles Road, Muskegon | Grades K-4 |
| Twin Lake Elementary School | 3175 Fifth Street, Twin Lake, MI 49457 | Grades K-4 |
| McMillan Early Childhood Center | 2885 Hyde Park Road, Muskegon | Preschool |
Notable alumni
[edit]- Scott Goudie,[12] actor and author
- Mark Grimmette, Olympic and World Championship luger[13]
- Mark Hughes, professional basketball player, coach and administrator[14]
- Rocky Marquette,[15] actor
- Seth Privacky, mass murderer[16]
- Matt Timme, former basketball player at SMU, father of current Gonzaga basketball player Drew Timme[17]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Reeths-Puffer Schools. "Reeths-Puffer Schools". Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Reeths-Puffer Schools. "History of Reeths-Puffer". Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- ↑ Reeths-Puffer Schools. "Superintendent's Office". Retrieved July 19, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Reeths-Puffer Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
- ↑ "Muskegon County School Districts" (PDF). Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ↑ "New Laketon Junior High ready by fall, 1960". Muskegon Chronicle. August 19, 1959. p. 27.
- ↑ "Rec. notes". Grand Haven Tribune. March 16, 1982. p. 7.
- ↑ Treutler, Susan K. (December 15, 1991). "School expansion plans up to voters". Muskegon Chronicle. p. 3B.
- ↑ Treutler, Susan K. (May 26, 1992). "Reeths-Puffer wants residents to help design new school". Muskegon Chronicle. p. 1B.
- ↑ Treutler, Susan K. (August 8, 1995). "District to build swiftly". Muskegon Chronicle. p. 2B.
- ↑ "District sticks with simplicity in naming school". Muskegon Chronicle. March 3, 1998. p. 10.
- ↑ "Scott Goudie". IMDb.
- ↑ Kendra, Tom (June 3, 2010). "Mark Grimmette retires from the luge and steps into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fames". MLive. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- ↑ Turner, Broderick (August 24, 2017). "Mark Hughes leaves Knicks to be assistant GM with Clippers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ↑ "Rocky Marquette". IMDb.
- ↑ "Teen confessing to gunning down family". The Michigan Daily Online. Archived from the original on September 20, 2006. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ↑ "The story of a dad from Muskegon, Gonzaga and the journey to the NCAA basketball title game". April 5, 2021.