Other / mixed grade configuration · Grand Rapids, MI

Meadowlawn Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Meadowlawn Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 262034005717
0/100100/10018/100
👥 S:T ratio
38
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Meadowlawn Elementary earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.

#38 of 44
schools in Grand Rapids · Resource Index
18
Resource Index · Lower
15.4:1
students per teacher
77.8%
free-lunch eligible

Meadowlawn Elementary has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Meadowlawn Elementary ranks #38 of 44 schools in Grand Rapids, MI.

Enrollment

339

Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

22.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.4:1

vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg

-12% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

77.8%

vs 54.3% Michigan avg

+43% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Meadowlawn Elementary compares with Michigan and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Meadowlawn Elementary

Meadowlawn Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, enrolling 339 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.8% of students eligible for free meals.

With 339 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.

Among 474 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #391, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by African American (32%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 78/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1695 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Grand Rapids's public schools, it stands alongside City Middlehigh (955 students): Meadowlawn Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.4:1 vs 24.5:1).

Kentwood Public Schools also operates East Kentwood High School (2,068 students) and Pinewood Middle School (842 students) alongside Meadowlawn Elementary.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Meadowlawn Elementary compares

Meadowlawn Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Michigan Michigan avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 15.4:1 ▼ 12% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 77.8% ▲ 43% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 339 top 53% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
339
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
77.8%
free-lunch eligible - 43% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher - 12% below state mean
Top 36% in Michigan - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
38.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,199
per pupil, district-wide - below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

African American 32.2%
Hispanic or Latino 20.1%
Asian 19.2%
White 17.1%
Two or More 10.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%

Largest group: African American at 32.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 78.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 78.0, Meadowlawn Elementary is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kentwood Public Schools, which includes Meadowlawn Elementary.

$13,199
Per student
-2%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.0%
State 50.9%
Federal 15.0%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Meadowlawn Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
East Kentwood High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Pinewood Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
East Kentwood Freshman Campus Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Crestwood Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Discovery Elementary Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Meadowlawn Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Kentwood Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Grand Rapids

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Meadowlawn Elementary's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Meadowlawn Elementary

How many students attend Meadowlawn Elementary?

Meadowlawn Elementary has 339 students enrolled. It is a public school in Grand Rapids, MI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Meadowlawn Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Meadowlawn Elementary is 15.4:1, which is 12% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meadowlawn Elementary?

77.8% of students at Meadowlawn Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meadowlawn Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Meadowlawn Elementary is African American at 32.2% of enrollment, in Grand Rapids, MI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 78.0/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Meadowlawn Elementary?

Meadowlawn Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Meadowlawn Elementary rank among schools in Grand Rapids?

By Resource Investment Index, Meadowlawn Elementary ranks #38 of 44 schools in Grand Rapids, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Grand Rapids on the city page.

Is Meadowlawn Elementary a good school?

Meadowlawn Elementary earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Kentwood Public Schools?

Besides Meadowlawn Elementary, Kentwood Public Schools also operates East Kentwood High School (2,068 students), Pinewood Middle School (842 students), and East Kentwood Freshman Campus (742 students). See the Kentwood Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.