Ferry School

Ferry School is a K-5 school of compact scale in GRAND HAVEN, Michigan, run under Grand Haven Area Public Schools, caters to 232 students in grades pre-K through 4. Enrollment runs roughly 37% smaller than the state mean of about 369.

Ferry School is one of 13 schools operated by Grand Haven Area Public Schools, a district that serves 5,171 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Ferry School lists that the largest single group is White, at 76% of enrollment; the rest consists of 9% multiracial, 9% Hispanic, 4% Asian.

On the resource side, Ferry School shows 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 10.9:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.8:1 average. An estimated 59% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Ottawa County (around 34%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Ferry School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 39.9%; this one delivers 49.0%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Ottawa County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $90,502 per year, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. In all, Ottawa County runs 103 public schools (combined enrollment of about 42,894 students), of which Ferry School is one.

Career Development School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Ferry School at 6th of 6; the average score across the group is 60.7%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 21%: 294 students in 2018 compared to 232 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 85% to 76%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 12.8:1 in 2018 to 10.9:1 today.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.