1
Enrollment
556
Elementary
DISTRICT 443 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KENTWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 262034000099
Explorer Elementary
2307 68TH ST SE, CALEDONIA, MI 49316 · (616) 554-0302 · Kent County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL556 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
56%
310 students
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 55%
Community
5
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 | 109 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 90 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 82 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 93 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 102 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 80 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (109) is 36% larger than its 5th grade class (80).
Student demographics
76%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
58.9%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
55.7%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 56 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of MI schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
59.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
41.6%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+18.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 60% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 42% typical for Michigan schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 18 points, placing it in Michigan's top 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 Explorer Elementary
Explorer Elementary's state test result (59.7% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explorer Elementary this school | 556 | 55.8% | 59.7% |
| Meadowbrook Elementary School NOVI | 518 | 51.0% | 28.4% |
| Paragon Charter Academy JACKSON | 627 | 63.8% | 46.8% |
| Gudith Elementary School BROWNSTOWN | 385 | 62.9% | 44.9% |
| Bates Elementary School WOODHAVEN | 379 | 52.2% | 42.6% |
| Carpenter School ANN ARBOR | 363 | 54.5% | 33.4% |
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 Explorer Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Kent County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 59.7% | #222 of 1,085 | #37 of 79 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.7% | #310 of 1,072 | #41 of 79 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 58.9% | #284 of 1,139 | #37 of 82 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 556 | #167 of 1,630 | #10 of 115 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #862 of 1,424 | #57 of 105 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 76.2% | #6 of 1,424 | #4 of 105 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 55.8% | #786 of 1,563 | #55 of 114 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.9% | #319 of 440 | #16 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
556
+13 (+2%) vs 2020
+11% since 2000-01, when it was 502
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
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 | 556 | 33.6 | 16.6:1 | 56% (310) |
| 2023-24 | 563 | 33 | 17.1:1 | 57% (319) |
| 2022-23 | 527 | 32 | 16.5:1 | 56% (294) |
| 2020-21 | 543 | 32 | 17.0:1 | 55% (298) |
| 2017-18 | 535 | 27 | 19.8:1 | 51% (273) |
| 2015-16 | 512 | 25 | 20.5:1 | 46% (235) |
| 2010-11 | 480 | 24 | 20.0:1 | 43% (207) |
| 2000-01 | 502 | 25 | 20.1:1 | 19% (93) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Explorer Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (535 to 556); teachers up 24% (27 to 33.6).
About Explorer Elementary
Explorer Elementary is a high-enrollment elementary school based in CALEDONIA, Michigan. Grades offered run from kindergarten through 5, with 556 students enrolled. The average among elementary schools in Michigan is roughly 369 students; this school is 51% above that.
Kentwood Public Schools includes 16 schools. Together they enroll 9,536 students.
Explorer Elementary has no majority group; White students are the largest, at 34%. Other students are 27% Black, 14% Hispanic, 12% Asian, and 12% multiracial. By comparison, Kent County residents are about 73% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 76% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Federal data list 33.6 full-time-equivalent teachers at Explorer Elementary in 2024-25, for a ratio of 16.6:1. That is higher than the 15.8:1 average for elementary schools in Michigan. The lunch program counts 56% of students at Explorer Elementary as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Kent County is 47%.
Explorer Elementary scores 18.1 points above its predicted average proficiency rate on state tests: 59.7% actual versus 41.6% predicted. That puts it in the top 10% of Michigan schools on BeatsExpectations.
Among Kent County residents, 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. Explorer Elementary is one of 239 public schools in the county.
The next-closest public school is East Kentwood Freshman Campus, about 0.6 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. In a group of 7 nearby schools with scores, Explorer Elementary ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
The school's locale code, Suburb: Large, means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The student count changed little between 2020-21 (543) and 2024-25 (556).
Discussion on this page can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. 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
- Endeavor ElementaryElementary · 553 students
Other schools in CALEDONIA
- Caledonia High SchoolHigh · 1,438 students
- Kraft Meadows Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 703 students
- Duncan Lake Middle SchoolMiddle · 696 students
- Caledonia Elementary SchoolElementary · 378 students
- Emmons Lake Elementary SchoolElementary · 377 students
- Dutton Elementary SchoolElementary · 317 students
Other Explorer Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Explorer Elementary. Explorer Elementary is the largest of the 4.
- Explorer Elementary SchoolCOLORADO SPRINGS, CO · 470 students
- Explorer Elementary SchoolGoddard, KS · 433 students
- Explorer Elementary - 04Sioux Falls, SD · 338 students
Nearby schools
- East Kentwood Freshman Campus0.6 mi · 742
- Pinewood Middle School0.7 mi · 842
- East Kentwood High School0.8 mi · 2,068
- Discovery Elementary0.9 mi · 674
- Cross Creek Charter Academy1.6 mi · 809
- Brookwood Elementary1.8 mi · 370
Frequently asked questions
About Explorer ElementaryHow many students attend Explorer Elementary?
Explorer Elementary enrolls approximately 556 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Explorer Elementary serve?
Explorer Elementary serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Explorer Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Explorer Elementary is approximately 16.6:1 (34 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Explorer Elementary?
At Explorer Elementary, the student body is approximately 34% White, 14% Hispanic, 27% Black, 12% Asian, 12% Two or more.
Is Explorer Elementary public or private?
Explorer 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.