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Grand Rapids, Michigan - 50 schools
An equity score of 60/100 ranks Grand Rapids Public Schools #186 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,601 per pupil, Grand Rapids Public Schools ranks #81 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
13,787
Total Enrollment
50
Schools
$16,601
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Grand Rapids Public Schools operates 50 public schools serving 13,787 students, placing it among the larger districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 33 combined, 9 high, 8 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Kent County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,601 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 83 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 32.7% local, 45.7% state, and 21.6% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 60/100, ranked #186 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 7 of 50 schools offering Advanced Placement (16 AP courses district-wide), a 339.3:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 55.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 34.3% Hispanic or Latino, 32.0% African American, 25.3% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Palmer School, with a diversity index of 75.0/100.
Its largest campus is City Middlehigh, enrolling 955 students (7% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Home Education Site, at 1 students, a 955x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Grand Rapids Public Schools school enrollment varies 955× across entities
Grand Rapids Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 1 students (lowest) to 955 students (highest), a spread of 954 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Grand Rapids Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 71.3% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Grand Rapids Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 339:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Grand Rapids Public Schools is typically wider than the Grand Rapids Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Grand Rapids Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 55.0% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
How many schools are in Grand Rapids Public Schools?
Grand Rapids Public Schools has 50 schools, including 33 combined, 9 high, 8 middle. Total enrollment is 13,787 students.
How much does Grand Rapids Public Schools spend per student?
Grand Rapids Public Schools spends $16,601 per student. The district has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #186 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Grand Rapids Public Schools?
Grand Rapids Public Schools students are 34.3% Hispanic or Latino, 32.0% African American, 25.3% White, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 50 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Grand Rapids Public Schools?
Grand Rapids Public Schools has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #186 out of 707 districts in Michigan.