South Haven Public Schools
| South Haven Public Schools | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
554 Green Street[1]
, Van Buren County, Michigan, 49090United States | |
| District information | |
| Grades | Pre-Kindergarten-12 |
| Superintendent | Ana Aleman-Putman[2] |
| Schools | 6[3] |
| Budget | $30,361,000 2021-2022 expenditures[3] |
| NCES District ID | 2632300[3] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 1,779 (2023-2024)[3] |
| Teachers | 120.25 (on an FTE basis) (2023-2024)[3] |
| Staff | 257.73 FTE (2023-2024)[3] |
| Student–teacher ratio | 14.79 (2023-2024)[3] |
| Other information | |
| Website | www |
South Haven Public Schools is a public school district in southwest Michigan. In Van Buren County, it serves South Haven and parts of the townships of Geneva and South Haven.[4] In Allegan County it serves part of Casco Township.[5]
History
The first school in South Haven was established in 1852 at the corner of Indiana Avenue and Superior Street.[6] Near the intersection of School Street and Erie Street, a frame school building was built in 1858. It was expanded and improved upon several times over the next fifty years, receiving a brick veneer in 1897.[7]
Some of South Haven's early schools included Indiana Elementary from 1898, Hartman Elementary from 1906,[8][9] and the former South Haven High School from 1913. It was built east of the 1858 high school, facing Broadway.[10]
The 1913 high school was expanded west along Erie Street in 1925 with a section called the Central Building.[11][12] The addition was dedicated in fall 1926.[13] The Vocational Building, facing Superior Street, was added to the high school campus in 1936. Lincoln Elementary was built in 1954.[11]
Replacing the 1913 high school, L.C. Mohr High School opened in fall 1961, named after the district superintendent who had served for thirty years.[14] The high school is also simply known as South Haven High School and continues to serve as such.[15] The architect was Guido Binda of Battle Creek.[16] The former high school became a junior high and later, an elementary school.[17]
Baseline Middle School opened in January 1993. The new building featured technology such as a centralized video system and industrial robots for career education. Grades six, seven and eight each had a classroom wing identified by green, blue, or burgundy carpets.[17][8]
In 1999, the historic Central, Hartman, Indiana buildings were still in use, with a section of Central condemned due to air quality concerns.[8] Repeated bond issue votes to fund construction failed until 2003.[18] The new school, North Shore Elementary, opened in fall 2005 and replaced those three schools.[19] Listiak Auditorium, with 570 seats, opened at the high school in May 2006.[20] A South Haven graduate converted Indiana Elementary into two condos.[21] Hartman School, at 355 Hubbard Street, was repurposed as the Historical Association of South Haven.[6] Central Elementary was redeveloped into residential units beginning in 2007.[22]
Schools
| School | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| South Haven High School | 600 Elkenburg, South Haven | Grades 9–12. Built 1961.[6] |
| Baseline Middle School | 7357 Baseline Road, South Haven | Grades 6–8. Built 1993.[17] |
| Lincoln Elementary | 500 Elkenburg Street, South Haven | Grades PreK-3 |
| Maple Grove Elementary | 72399 12th Avenue, South Haven | Grades PreK-3 |
| North Shore Elementary | 7320 North Shore Dr., South Haven | Grades 4–5. Built 2005.[19] |
| S.H.A.C. | 125 Veterans Blvd., South Haven | South Haven Alliance Campus. Alternative high school within the South Haven campus of Lake Michigan College. |
References
- ^ South Haven Public Schools. "South Haven Public Schools". Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ South Haven Public Schools. "Staff". Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for South Haven Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
- ^ Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. "Van Buren County School Districts" (PDF). Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. "Allegan County School Districts" (PDF). Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c Visit South Haven. "History in South Haven". Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ Editorial staff of South Haven High School yearbook. The Student Crier Commencement Number June 1912 (South Haven High School 1912 yearbook). pp. 14–15.
- ^ a b c Finnerty, Ed (September 26, 1999). "Aging buildings, big plans". The Kalamazoo Gazette. p. 1.
- ^ "Tax proposals, bond issues, candidates fill Monday's ballot". Kalamazoo Gazette. June 8, 2003. p. 15.
- ^ Editorial staff of South Haven High School yearbook. The Annual 1913 (South Haven High School 1913 yearbook). pp. 47–48.
- ^ a b Editorial staff of South Haven High School yearbook. Purple and Gold 1955 (South Haven High School yearbook 1955). p. 3.
- ^ "South Haven approves new junior high school". Grand Rapids Press. March 18, 1925. p. 4.
- ^ United Press (October 7, 1926). "South Haven school dedication planned". Kalamazoo Gazette. p. 3.
- ^ Editorial staff of South Haven High School yearbook. Purple and Gold 1962 (South Haven High School yearbook 1962). p. 2.
- ^ "New South Haven High School ready". The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich.). July 1, 1961. p. 16.
- ^ "Ground broken for new South Haven High School". The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich.). April 29, 1960. p. 17.
- ^ a b c Lersten, Andrew (January 17, 1993). "The Taj Mahal?". The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich.). p. 1B.
- ^ [Michigan Department of Treasury. "STATE QUALIFIED SCHOOL BOND ELECTION RESULTS VAN BUREN COUNTY South Haven Public Schools". Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ a b Lersten, Andrew (September 1, 2005). "District residents allowed sneak-preview of made-over buildings". The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich.). p. A1.
- ^ Lersten, Andrew (May 7, 2006). "Auditorium finally opens at high school". The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich.). p. B1.
- ^ Lersten, Andrew (July 1, 2006). "Old school turned into condos". The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich.). p. A1.
- ^ Lersten, Andrew (March 23, 2007). "Central Lofts condos are on a fast track". The Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich.). p. B2.
- ^ South Haven Public Schools. "Schools menu". Retrieved November 4, 2025.