Medical Arts Building · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0Grand Rapids’s public schools score below 67% of Michigan districts on tests and graduation
Math proficiency in Grand Rapids’s districts is 16%, below the Michigan average (34%). The grade covers the public school district serving Grand Rapids, 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 96% 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.
Grand Rapids’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 1264 Michigan towns with household incomes within a quarter of Grand Rapids’s, its schools beat 12%, lower than their 33% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 28% of tested students were proficient in reading and 16% in math, against 45% and 34% statewide; 96% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
82% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 82% across Michigan. Districts ↓
Spending, and where it came from
The district spent $19,531 per student in FY2024, against $16,528 across Michigan. 24% of its revenue that year was federal (Michigan 9%), in the last year of pandemic relief. Districts ↓
24 elementary schools, then 18 middle and ten high schools
Which school depends on the address at every step. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
New Branches Charter Academy, Excel Charter Academy, William C Abney Academy Elementary, Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center, Lighthouse Academy Waalkes, Wellspring Preparatory High School, Hope Academy of West Michigan, NexTech High School, River City Scholars Charter Academy, Covenant High School Grand Rapids, Gerald Dawkins Academy, North Pointe Christian Schools (private), Northpointe Christian School (private), Grand Rapids Christian High School (private), Grand Rapids Christian (private), Catholic Central High School (private), West Catholic High School (private), West Side Christian School (private), All Saints Academy Upper Campus (private), St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School (private), Immaculate Heart of Mary School (private), Living Stones Academy (private), St. Anthony of Padua (private), Grand Rapids Christian Elem SCH-Evergreen Campus (private), Grace Christian Academy (private), Stepping Stones Montessori School (private), Grand Rapids Adventist Academy (private), Our Savior Lutheran School (private), Isj Academy PK-8 (private), Eastside Christian School (private), Islamic School of Grand Rapids (private), Lake Michigan Academy (private) and Conductive Learning Center of North America (private) are in town. Every school ↓
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 Grand Rapids’s grade
C: better than 33% of Michigan school districts, #621 of 699 Michigan towns. Graduation is above the Michigan average; test scores are below it.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Grand Rapids, with each school’s own grade.
Grand Rapids’s public schools are run by Grand Rapids Public Schools. Parts of Grand Rapids (3% of its land) are served by Kentwood instead. 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 below the state in reading
Grand Rapids vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Michigan towns that share Grand Rapids’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | C | Grand Rapids |
| Walker | A− | Grandville PK–12 · Kenowa Hills K–12 |
| Grand Rapids Township | A+ | Forest Hills |
| Wyoming | B+ | Wyoming PK–12 · Grandville PK–12 |
| Kentwood | B | Kentwood |
| East Grand Rapids | A+ | East Grand Rapids Public |
Every school in Grand Rapids
80 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).
Left off: 6 public programs with fewer than 25 students (Lighthouse Academy The Pier, Bethany Based School, Shared Time, Ottawa High Transition, Kent Career Tech Center and MySchoolKent).
Questions about Grand Rapids’s schools
Are Grand Rapids’s schools good?
On Michigan’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Grand Rapids children attend score below 67% of Michigan’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C Schools grade, #621 of 699 Michigan towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 12%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Grand Rapids in?
Grand Rapids Public Schools, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 13,567 students in 47 schools (2024–25). Small parts of Grand Rapids are served by Kentwood.
Where do Grand Rapids kids go to high school?
One of 10 high schools, depending on your address: City High Middle School, Union High School, Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, Innovation Central High, Ottawa Hills High School, Southwest MiddleHigh Academia Bilingue, CA Frost Environmental Science Academy Middle High School, Grand Rapids Montessori Academy, Grand Rapids Public Museum High and Grand Rapids Montessori MiddleHigh.
What is Grand Rapids’s graduation rate?
82% of the class of 2023 in Grand Rapids Public Schools graduated in four years, against 82% across Michigan.
How much does Grand Rapids spend per student?
$19,531 in Grand Rapids Public Schools (FY2024), against $16,528 across Michigan. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Grand Rapids?
Yes: North Pointe Christian Schools (religious, grades PK–12, 1,252 students), Northpointe Christian School (religious, grades PK–12, 1,251 students), Grand Rapids Christian High School (religious, grades 9–12, 752 students), Grand Rapids Christian (religious, grades PK–4, 637 students), Catholic Central High School (Catholic, grades 9–12, 572 students), West Catholic High School (Catholic, grades 9–12, 482 students), West Side Christian School (religious, grades PK–8, 435 students), All Saints Academy Upper Campus (Catholic, grades PK–8, 373 students), St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 329 students), Immaculate Heart of Mary School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 324 students), Living Stones Academy (religious, grades PK–6, 268 students), St. Anthony of Padua (Catholic, grades PK–8, 267 students), Grand Rapids Christian Elem SCH-Evergreen Campus (religious, grades PK–5, 226 students), Grace Christian Academy (religious, grades PK–12, 220 students), Stepping Stones Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades PK–9, 196 students), Grand Rapids Adventist Academy (religious, grades K–12, 85 students), Our Savior Lutheran School (religious, grades PK–8, 61 students), Isj Academy PK-8 (religious, grades PK–7, 57 students), Eastside Christian School (religious, grades PK–8, 54 students), Islamic School of Grand Rapids (religious, grades PK–4, 49 students), Lake Michigan Academy (special education, grades 3–12, 48 students) and Conductive Learning Center of North America (special education, grades PK–11, 15 students). Grand Rapids also has 11 charter schools, free and open by application.
Parents talk
What Grand Rapids families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Grand Rapids → 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.