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Best kept secret at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
494
High
DISTRICT 308 · STATE 460
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 261644007902
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
512 DIVISION AVE S, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503 · (616) 819-1010 · Kent County
GRADES 06–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL494 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 7% of Michigan public high schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Michigan public high schools
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.9:1 · STATE 21.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
75%
370 students
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 55%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 74 | 15% |
| Grade 7 | 82 | 17% |
| Grade 8 | 76 | 15% |
| Grade 9 | 74 | 15% |
| Grade 10 | 74 | 15% |
| Grade 11 | 53 | 11% |
| Grade 12 | 61 | 12% |
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 70% · 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
26.3%
MI avg 47.7%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 26 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level. The Michigan average is about 48 of 100.
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
24.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.1%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 25% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 33% 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 Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy this school | 494 | 74.9% | 24.9% |
| Grand River Preparatory High School GRAND RAPIDS | 635 | 73.7% | N/A |
| Innovation Central High GRAND RAPIDS | 386 | 83.2% | N/A |
| Union High School GRAND RAPIDS | 881 | 76.6% | N/A |
| Kelloggsville High School WYOMING | 595 | 79.8% | N/A |
| Pontiac High School PONTIAC | 992 | 67.3% | N/A |
Matched among Michigan high 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 Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Kent County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 24.9% | #62 of 62 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 26.3% | #39 of 40 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 494 | #304 of 844 | #26 of 57 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.4:1 | #126 of 548 | #9 of 35 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.8% | #72 of 550 | #14 of 35 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.9% | #114 of 654 | #13 of 39 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +14.4% | #35 of 126 | #3 of 9 |
Ranked against other public high 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
494
+28 (+6%) vs 2020
+102% since 2010-11, when it was 244
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
was 15.5:1
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 | 494 | 30.1 | 16.4:1 | 75% (370) |
| 2023-24 | 487 | 27.4 | 17.8:1 | 87% (423) |
| 2022-23 | 466 | 28.7 | 16.3:1 | 83% (387) |
| 2020-21 | 466 | 30 | 15.5:1 | 90% (418) |
| 2017-18 | 432 | 27.2 | 15.9:1 | 82% (356) |
| 2015-16 | 407 | 26 | 15.7:1 | 78% (318) |
| 2010-11 | 244 | 17 | 14.3:1 | 87% (212) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy.
Since 2017-18: students up 14% (432 to 494); teachers up 11% (27.2 to 30.1).
About Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, a medium-sized high school, is located in GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan. The school reports 494 students in grades 6 through 12.
Grand Rapids Public Schools has 13,903 students spread across 50 schools.
Federal enrollment data show Black students as the largest group at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, at 47%. Other groups make up 42% Hispanic, 6% White, and 5% multiracial. County-wide, 10% of Kent County residents are Black. Pick two students at random and there is a 60% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school employs the equivalent of 30.1 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 16.4:1. That is 5.2 students per teacher below the 21.6:1 average for high schools in Michigan. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy is 75%. On average, public schools in Kent County report 47%.
Measured against Michigan public high schools, Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy receives a D. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy is 33.1%, and its average proficiency rate on state tests is 24.9%.
Kent County has about 663,150 residents, and the median household income is $82,631, 41% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Besides Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, Kent County has 238 other public schools.
The closest public school to Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy is Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center, about 0.3 miles away. Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles.
Locale: City: Mid-size. In NCES terms, the school is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment has grown by 28 students since 2020-21, to 494.
Topics for discussion here include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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 Grand Rapids Public Schools
- City High Middle SchoolHigh · 955 students
- Union High SchoolHigh · 881 students
- Harrison Park AcademyElementary · 708 students
- Southwest Elementary Academia BilingueElementary · 661 students
- Burton Middle SchoolMiddle · 488 students
- CA Frost Environmental Science Academy ElementaryElementary · 476 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
Nearby schools
- Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center0.3 mi · 287
- Covenant High School Grand Rapids0.5 mi · 218
- Southwest MiddleHigh Academia Bilingue0.5 mi · 378
- Grand Rapids Public Museum High0.6 mi · 267
- Gerald R Ford Academic Center0.6 mi · 213
- Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue0.7 mi · 661
Frequently asked questions
About Grand Rapids University Preparatory AcademyHow large is Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy?
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy enrolls approximately 494 students in grades 06-12.
What age range does Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy serve?
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy serves students from grade 06 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy?
Approximately 16.4:1 students per teacher at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy.
What is the student diversity at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy?
Student demographics at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy are roughly 6% White, 42% Hispanic, 47% Black, 0% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy public or private?
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy is a public K-12 school, overseen by Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.