High school (grades 9-12) · Grand Rapids, MI

Ottawa High Transition

Federal NCES profile for Ottawa High Transition, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 261644008882
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
89
📚 AP courses
10
🌟 Gifted program
30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Ottawa High Transition earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Michigan.

#1 of 22
high schools in Grand Rapids · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
2.8:1
small classes for Michigan
68.8%
free-lunch eligible

Ottawa High Transition has class sizes smaller than 99% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Ottawa High Transition ranks #1 of 22 high schools in Grand Rapids, MI.

Enrollment

14

Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

5.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

2.8:1

vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg

-84% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

68.8%

vs 54.3% Michigan avg

+27% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Ottawa High Transition 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 Ottawa High Transition

Ottawa High Transition is a higher-need, small high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, enrolling 14 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 2.8:1, Ottawa High Transition is leaner than roughly 99% of Michigan schools and 84% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 68.8% of students eligible for free meals.

This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of Michigan schools, with 14 enrolled.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 3,375 Michigan schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Among 31 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by African American (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).

No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.

The surrounding Grand Rapids Public Schools spends $16,601 per pupil, 23% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 8 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 14 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Grand Rapids's high schools, it stands alongside Grand River Preparatory High School (635 students): Ottawa High Transition is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (2.8:1 vs 21.2:1).

Grand Rapids Public Schools also operates City Middlehigh (955 students) and Union High School (881 students) alongside Ottawa High Transition.

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 Ottawa High Transition compares

Ottawa High Transition on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Michigan Michigan avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 2.8:1 ▼ 84% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 68.8% ▲ 27% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 14 top 98% - -

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

2.8:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
14
Bigger than 2% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
68.8%
free-lunch eligible - 27% 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
2.8:1
students per teacher - 84% below state mean
Top 1% in Michigan - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$16,601
per pupil, district-wide - above Michigan avg of $13,507
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 57.1 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 57.1%
Hispanic or Latino 28.6%
White 14.3%

Largest group: African American at 57.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 57.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, Ottawa High Transition is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

AP program Not offered

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Rapids Public Schools, which includes Ottawa High Transition.

$16,601
Per student
+23%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.7%
State 45.7%
Federal 21.6%

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 Ottawa High Transition Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
City Middlehigh Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Union High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Harrison Park Academy Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Ottawa High Transition's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Grand Rapids Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Grand Rapids

6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high 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 Ottawa High Transition'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 Ottawa High Transition

How many students attend Ottawa High Transition?

Ottawa High Transition has 14 students enrolled. It is a high school in Grand Rapids, MI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Ottawa High Transition?

The student-teacher ratio at Ottawa High Transition is 2.8:1, which is 84% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 82% 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 Ottawa High Transition?

68.8% of students at Ottawa High Transition are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ottawa High Transition?

The largest demographic group at Ottawa High Transition is African American at 57.1% of enrollment, in Grand Rapids, MI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Ottawa High Transition?

Ottawa High Transition has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Ottawa High Transition rank among high schools in Grand Rapids?

By Resource Investment Index, Ottawa High Transition ranks #1 of 22 high 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 high schools in Grand Rapids on the city page.

Is Ottawa High Transition a good school?

Ottawa High Transition earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Michigan schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Michigan. 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 Grand Rapids Public Schools?

Besides Ottawa High Transition, Grand Rapids Public Schools also operates City Middlehigh (955 students), Union High School (881 students), and Harrison Park Academy (708 students). See the Grand Rapids 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.

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.