Middle school (grades 6-8) · Grand Rapids, MI

Westwood Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Westwood Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 261644005354
0/100100/10035/100
👥 S:T ratio
46
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
65
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Westwood Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Michigan schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Michigan schools.

#2 of 16
middle schools in Grand Rapids · Resource Index
35
Resource Index · Typical
13.5:1
small classes for Michigan
91.0%
free-lunch eligible

Westwood Middle School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Westwood Middle School ranks #2 of 16 middle schools in Grand Rapids, MI.

Enrollment

176

Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

13.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.5:1

vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg

-23% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

91.0%

vs 54.3% Michigan avg

+68% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Westwood Middle School 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 Westwood Middle School

Westwood Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, enrolling 176 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 91.0% of students qualify for free meals, 68% above the Michigan average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 176 puts it in the smaller third of Michigan schools by headcount.

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

Against 186 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #47.

Its student body is led by African American (37%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 176 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 92.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

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: 106 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 176 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Grand Rapids's middle schools, it stands alongside Alger Middle School (314 students): Westwood Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.5:1 vs 19.6:1).

Grand Rapids Public Schools also operates City Middlehigh (955 students) and Union High School (881 students) alongside Westwood Middle 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 Westwood Middle School compares

Westwood Middle 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 13.5:1 ▼ 23% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 91.0% ▲ 68% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 176 top 78% - -

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

13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
176
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
91.0%
free-lunch eligible - 68% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher - 23% below state mean
Top 20% in Michigan - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
92.6%
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
$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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 176 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 104 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 60.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.

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 36.9%
Hispanic or Latino 34.7%
Two or More 14.2%
White 13.6%
Asian 0.6%

Largest group: African American at 36.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 70.5/100

Simpson diversity index - at 70.5, Westwood Middle School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Rapids Public Schools, which includes Westwood Middle School.

$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 Westwood Middle School 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 Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Harrison Park Academy Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Westwood Middle School'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 middle schools in Grand Rapids

1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.

Similar middle 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 Westwood Middle School'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 Westwood Middle School

How many students attend Westwood Middle School?

Westwood Middle School has 176 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Grand Rapids, MI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Westwood Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Westwood Middle School is 13.5:1, which is 23% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 14% 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 Westwood Middle School?

91.0% of students at Westwood Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westwood Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Westwood Middle School is African American at 36.9% of enrollment, in Grand Rapids, MI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.5/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Westwood Middle School?

Westwood Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Westwood Middle School rank among middle schools in Grand Rapids?

By Resource Investment Index, Westwood Middle School ranks #2 of 16 middle 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 middle schools in Grand Rapids on the city page.

Is Westwood Middle School a good school?

Westwood Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Michigan schools. 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 Grand Rapids Public Schools?

Besides Westwood Middle School, 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.

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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.