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What do you wish you knew before starting at Challenger Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
413
Elementary
DISTRICT 443 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KENTWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 262034007682
Challenger Elementary
2475 52ND ST SE, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49508 · (616) 698-2524 · Kent County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL413 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.9:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
80%
331 students
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 55%
Community
4
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 | 76 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 68 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 64 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 78 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 73 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 54 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (76) is 41% larger than its 5th grade class (54).
Student demographics
72%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
44.3%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
38.8%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 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
38.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
30.8%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 39% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 31% 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 Challenger Elementary
Challenger Elementary's state test result (38.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challenger Elementary this school | 413 | 80.1% | 38.7% |
| Brookwood Elementary GRAND RAPIDS | 370 | 76.2% | 34.6% |
| Glenwood Elementary GRAND RAPIDS | 543 | 77.2% | 36.1% |
| Cumberland School LANSING | 308 | 89.3% | N/A |
| Crothers Elementary School WARREN | 322 | 75.8% | N/A |
| Meadowlawn Elementary GRAND RAPIDS | 339 | 90.3% | 46.9% |
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 Challenger Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Kent County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 38.7% | #748 of 1,085 | #60 of 79 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.8% | #709 of 1,072 | #60 of 79 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.3% | #660 of 1,139 | #60 of 82 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 413 | #590 of 1,630 | #43 of 115 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.9:1 | #935 of 1,424 | #64 of 105 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.9% | #47 of 1,424 | #12 of 105 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 80.1% | #365 of 1,563 | #34 of 114 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +20.1% | #97 of 440 | #6 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
413
+56 (+16%) vs 2020
-2% since 2000-01, when it was 423
Student : Teacher
16.9:1
was 17.0:1
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 | 413 | 24.5 | 16.9:1 | 80% (331) |
| 2023-24 | 367 | 21.9 | 16.8:1 | 79% (289) |
| 2022-23 | 341 | 23.9 | 14.3:1 | 79% (270) |
| 2020-21 | 357 | 21 | 17.0:1 | 80% (285) |
| 2017-18 | 344 | 19.1 | 18.0:1 | 75% (258) |
| 2015-16 | 370 | 21 | 17.6:1 | 73% (269) |
| 2010-11 | 332 | 19 | 17.5:1 | 59% (195) |
| 2000-01 | 423 | 22 | 19.2:1 | 30% (125) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Challenger Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 20% (344 to 413); teachers up 28% (19.1 to 24.5).
About Challenger Elementary
Families in GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, are served by Challenger Elementary, a medium-sized elementary school. It serves 413 students in kindergarten through 5.
The 16 schools of Kentwood Public Schools, including Challenger Elementary, enroll 9,536 students.
At Challenger Elementary, the largest share of students is Black, at 45%. After that, the student body is 17% White, 15% Hispanic, 14% Asian, and 10% multiracial. Census figures show Kent County is about 10% Black. Pick two students at random and there is a 72% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Its 24.5 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 16.9:1. This ratio sits 1.0 above the 15.8:1 average for elementary schools in Michigan. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 80%. That is 33 points above the 47% average for public schools in Kent County.
The model predicts 30.8% for a school in Michigan with Challenger Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch share. Challenger Elementary posts 38.7%.
In Kent County (population about 663,150), the median household income is $82,631, 41% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 6% of people live in poverty. Challenger Elementary is one of 239 public schools in the county.
Crestwood Middle School is the closest public school, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. The nearest schools with test data average 39.6%, higher than Challenger Elementary's 38.7%.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as City: Small, meaning it is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Compared with 2020-21, the school had 56 more students in 2024-25.
Questions about school safety, transportation, and start times can be posted here. 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 Challenger Elementary schools
8 other US public schools in 7 states are named Challenger Elementary. Challenger Elementary is the 7th largest of the 9.
- Challenger Elementary SchoolHOWELL, MI · 465 students
- CHALLENGER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLTAMARAC, FL · 830 students
- CHALLENGER ELEMENTARYTHIEF RIVER FALLS, MN · 727 students
- Challenger ElementaryEverett, WA · 658 students
- Challenger Elementary SchoolPEARLAND, TX · 614 students
Nearby schools
- Crestwood Middle School0.9 mi · 700
- Discovery Elementary1.0 mi · 674
- Brookwood Elementary1.2 mi · 370
- Pinewood Middle School1.3 mi · 842
- Excel Charter Academy1.3 mi · 791
- Bowen Elementary1.4 mi · 357
Frequently asked questions
About Challenger ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Challenger Elementary?
Challenger Elementary enrolls approximately 413 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Challenger Elementary serve?
Challenger Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Challenger Elementary?
Approximately 16.9:1 students per teacher at Challenger Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Challenger Elementary?
Student demographics at Challenger Elementary are roughly 17% White, 15% Hispanic, 45% Black, 14% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Is Challenger Elementary public or private?
Challenger Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Kentwood Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.