Enrollment
361
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Grand Rapids, MI
Thornapple Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Thornapple Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 261461005157
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thornapple Elementary School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #18 of 44
- schools in Grand Rapids · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 13.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Thornapple Elementary School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thornapple Elementary School ranks #18 of 44 schools in Grand Rapids, MI.
School address
District: Forest Hills Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261461005157 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.4%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thornapple Elementary School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thornapple Elementary School
Thornapple Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, enrolling 361 students.
At 16.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 13.4% free-meal eligibility runs 75% below the Michigan average.
With 361 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Among 289 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Michigan schools statewide, it ranks #250, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Asian (8%) (diversity index 39/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 722 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Grand Rapids's public schools, it stands alongside City Middlehigh (955 students): Thornapple Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.4:1 vs 24.5:1).
Forest Hills Public Schools also operates Northern High School (1,088 students) and Central High School (999 students) alongside Thornapple Elementary School.
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 Thornapple Elementary School compares
Thornapple Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.4% | ▼ 75% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
361
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 75% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 46% in Michigan - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.9%
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
$12,945
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
White 77.3%
Asian 8.0%
Two or More 7.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.7, Thornapple Elementary School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Hills Public Schools, which includes Thornapple Elementary School.
$12,945
Per student
-4%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 52.0%
Federal 5.4%
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 Thornapple Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastern High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eastern Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northern Trails 56 School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thornapple Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 999
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 768
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 520
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other schools in Grand Rapids
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
City Middlehigh
Standard public school
955 students 24.5:1 students per teacher
Harrison Park Academy
Standard public school
708 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
494 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center
Standard public school
287 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Hope Academy of West Michigan
Standard public school
284 students 10.1:1 students per teacher
Mulick Park Elementary School
Standard public school
264 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~361 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thornapple Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Thornapple Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Hills Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Thornapple Elementary School
How many students attend Thornapple Elementary School?
Thornapple Elementary School has 361 students enrolled. It is a public school in Grand Rapids, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thornapple Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thornapple Elementary School is 16.4:1, which is 6% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 4% higher 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 Thornapple Elementary School?
13.4% of students at Thornapple Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thornapple Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Thornapple Elementary School is White at 77.3% of enrollment, in Grand Rapids, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thornapple Elementary School?
Thornapple Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Thornapple Elementary School rank among schools in Grand Rapids?
By Resource Investment Index, Thornapple Elementary School ranks #18 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 Thornapple Elementary School a good school?
Thornapple Elementary School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Forest Hills Public Schools?
Besides Thornapple Elementary School, Forest Hills Public Schools also operates Northern High School (1,088 students), Central High School (999 students), and Eastern High School (768 students). See the Forest Hills Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.