Enrollment
357
Elementary
DISTRICT 443 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KENTWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 262034005713
Bowen Elementary
4483 KALAMAZOO AVE SE, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49508 · (616) 455-5220 · Kent County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL357 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
78%
279 students
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 55%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 77 | 22% |
| Grade 1 | 51 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 65 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 46 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 57 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 61 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (77) is 26% larger than its 5th grade class (61).
Student demographics
75%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 76% · STATE 56% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
39.3%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
35.4%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 35 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Michigan schools, those numbers are about 48 and 45.
Source: M-STEP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
37.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
31.7%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 32% typical for Michigan schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Michigan's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Bowen Elementary
Bowen Elementary's state test result (37.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowen Elementary this school | 357 | 78.2% | 37.3% |
| Mound Park Elementary School WARREN | 296 | 79.7% | 22.0% |
| Meadowlawn Elementary GRAND RAPIDS | 339 | 90.3% | 46.9% |
| Westview Elementary School WARREN | 446 | 77.8% | 23.1% |
| Challenger Elementary GRAND RAPIDS | 413 | 80.1% | 38.7% |
| Endeavor Elementary GRAND RAPIDS | 553 | 68.7% | 37.8% |
Matched among Michigan elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Bowen Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Kent County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.3% | #782 of 1,085 | #64 of 79 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.4% | #790 of 1,072 | #64 of 79 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 39.3% | #786 of 1,139 | #66 of 82 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 357 | #849 of 1,630 | #64 of 115 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.3:1 | #566 of 1,424 | #36 of 105 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 75.3% | #10 of 1,424 | #6 of 105 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 78.2% | #395 of 1,563 | #36 of 114 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.6% | #265 of 440 | #14 of 22 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
357
+26 (+8%) vs 2020
-10% since 1990-91, when it was 398
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
was 17.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 357 | 23.3 | 15.3:1 | 78% (279) |
| 2023-24 | 348 | 24.5 | 14.2:1 | 78% (272) |
| 2022-23 | 365 | 24.7 | 14.8:1 | 81% (295) |
| 2020-21 | 331 | 19 | 17.4:1 | 83% (276) |
| 2017-18 | 338 | 19.4 | 17.4:1 | 86% (291) |
| 2015-16 | 330 | 18 | 18.3:1 | 87% (288) |
| 2010-11 | 275 | 11 | 25.0:1 | 76% (208) |
| 2000-01 | 385 | 20 | 19.3:1 | 42% (161) |
| 1990-91 | 398 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Bowen Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 6% (338 to 357); teachers up 20% (19.4 to 23.3).
About Bowen Elementary
Bowen Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school that serves part of GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan. The school had 357 students in pre-K through 5 in 2024-25.
Bowen Elementary is run by Kentwood Public Schools, whose 16 schools enroll 9,536 students.
Enrollment at Bowen Elementary is mixed, with Black students the largest group at 35%. It is also 24% Asian, 18% Hispanic, 18% White, and 5% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Kent County is roughly 10% Black. By the diversity index, Bowen Elementary comes in at 75%.
The school reported 23.3 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 15.3:1. Elementary schools in Michigan average about 15.8:1, a similar figure. Eligible students account for 78% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. That is 31 points above the 47% average for public schools in Kent County.
Bowen Elementary scores 37.3% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 31.7%.
According to the American Community Survey, in Kent County, median household income is about $82,631, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 41% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Bowen Elementary is one of 239 public schools in Kent County, which together enroll about 97,253 students.
The shortest distance from Bowen Elementary to another public school is about 0.8 miles, to Meadowlawn Elementary. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Of the 6 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Bowen Elementary is 5th on average proficiency.
Its NCES locale code is City: Small: the school is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 8%, from 331 to 357. The ratio of students to teachers went from 17.4:1 to 15.3:1 over the same years.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Bowen Elementary covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Kent County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
663,150
Census ACS
Median income
$82,631
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
41%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
239
97,253 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Kentwood Public Schools
- East Kentwood High SchoolHigh · 2,068 students
- Pinewood Middle SchoolMiddle · 842 students
- East Kentwood Freshman CampusHigh · 742 students
- Crestwood Middle SchoolMiddle · 700 students
- Discovery ElementaryElementary · 674 students
- Explorer ElementaryElementary · 556 students
Other schools in GRAND RAPIDS
- East Kentwood High SchoolHigh · 2,068 students
- Northern High SchoolHigh · 1,088 students
- PrepNet Virtual AcademyCombined · 1,080 students
- Northview High SchoolHigh · 1,078 students
- Central High SchoolHigh · 999 students
- City High Middle SchoolHigh · 955 students
Other Bowen Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 2 states are named Bowen Elementary. Bowen Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- Bowen ElementaryLouisville, KY · 729 students
- Bowen Elementary SchoolStanton, KY · 231 students
Nearby schools
- Meadowlawn Elementary0.8 mi · 339
- Sherwood Global Studies Academy0.9 mi · 121
- Valleywood Middle School0.9 mi · 541
- New Branches Charter Academy1.0 mi · 345
- Excel Charter Academy1.1 mi · 791
- Brookwood Elementary1.3 mi · 370
Frequently asked questions
About Bowen ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Bowen Elementary?
Bowen Elementary enrolls approximately 357 students in grades PK-05.
Is Bowen Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Bowen Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bowen Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Bowen Elementary is approximately 15.3:1 (23 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Bowen Elementary?
Bowen Elementary reports a student body of 18% White, 18% Hispanic, 35% Black, 24% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Bowen Elementary?
Bowen Elementary is overseen by Kentwood Public Schools in Kent County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.