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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Highlands School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
445
Middle
DISTRICT 459 · STATE 502
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTHVIEW PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 262595006243
Highlands School
4645 CHANDY DR NE, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49525 · (616) 361-3440 · Kent County
GRADES 05–06MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL445 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 50% of Michigan public middle schools
- BTest 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.6:1 · STATE 17.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
35%
157 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 55%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 225 | 51% |
| Grade 6 | 220 | 49% |
Student demographics
49%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 49% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Highlands School→Crossroads Middle School
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Northview Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
45.6%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
42.2%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 42 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
43.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.6%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% 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 Highlands School
Highlands School's state test result (43.8% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands School this school | 445 | 35.3% | 43.8% |
| Crossroads Middle School GRAND RAPIDS | 472 | 33.5% | 52.9% |
| OJ DeJonge Middle School LUDINGTON | 447 | 38.3% | 42.5% |
| Paw Paw Middle School PAW PAW | 498 | 37.6% | 34.1% |
| Three Rivers Middle School THREE RIVERS | 476 | 41.8% | 36.5% |
| Cooper Upper Elementary School WESTLAND | 638 | 34.6% | 43.4% |
Matched among Michigan middle 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 Highlands School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Kent County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.8% | #170 of 397 | #17 of 24 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.2% | #130 of 380 | #15 of 26 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.6% | #153 of 377 | #18 of 24 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 445 | #282 of 491 | #26 of 39 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.7:1 | #88 of 436 | #5 of 33 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 49.1% | #137 of 437 | #16 of 33 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 35.3% | #316 of 477 | #20 of 36 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.3% | #278 of 339 | #21 of 22 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
445
+48 (+12%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 491
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
was 20.9:1
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 | 445 | 28.4 | 15.7:1 | 35% (157) |
| 2023-24 | 434 | 28.3 | 15.4:1 | 49% (212) |
| 2022-23 | 412 | 27.8 | 14.8:1 | 47% (192) |
| 2020-21 | 397 | 19 | 20.9:1 | 52% (208) |
| 2017-18 | 470 | 27.2 | 17.3:1 | 45% (211) |
| 2015-16 | 458 | 27 | 17.0:1 | 47% (214) |
| 2010-11 | 449 | 30 | 15.0:1 | 48% (217) |
| 2000-01 | 498 | 28 | 17.8:1 | 15% (77) |
| 1990-91 | 491 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highlands School.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (470 to 445); teachers up 4% (27.2 to 28.4).
About Highlands School
Highlands School is a mid-sized middle school in GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, one of the schools in Northview Public Schools. In all, 445 students attend the school in grades 5 through 6.
Besides Highlands School, Northview Public Schools runs 7 other schools. The district enrolls 3,120 students.
The student body at Highlands School is 69% White. The school is also 11% multiracial, 10% Hispanic, and 8% Black. Among Kent County residents, the White share is about 73%. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 49%.
Highlands School reported 28.4 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, a ratio of 15.7:1. The school's 15.7:1 compares with an average of 17.5:1 for middle schools in Michigan. Roughly 35% of students at Highlands School can receive free or reduced-price lunch. That is lower than the 47% average for public schools in Kent County.
On the allk12 Grade, Highlands School lands at B-, ahead of 50% of Michigan public middle schools.
Highlands School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Michigan schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 43.8% and a predicted 50.6%.
For Kent County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $82,631 a year, roughly 41% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Public schools in Kent County number 239, with about 97,253 students.
The closest school to Highlands School is Northview Next Learning Center, located about 0.8 miles away. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Highlands School. Its average proficiency rate of 43.8% is below the 50.8% average for nearby schools.
Locale data from NCES put Highlands School in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more (Suburb: Large).
Enrollment figures show a gain of 48 students from 2020-21 to 2024-25. Its ratio of students to teachers was 20.9:1 in 2020-21, and 15.7:1 in 2024-25.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Highlands School. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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 Northview Public Schools
- Northview High SchoolHigh · 1,078 students
- Crossroads Middle SchoolMiddle · 472 students
- East Oakview Elementary SchoolElementary · 371 students
- North Oakview Elementary SchoolElementary · 346 students
- West Oakview Elementary SchoolElementary · 240 students
- Northview Next Learning CenterHigh · 136 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 Highlands schools
4 other US public schools in 4 states are named Highlands. Highlands School is the largest of the 5.
- HighlandsDanvers, MA · 385 students
- HighlandsBraintree, MA · 350 students
- Highlands SchoolHighlands, NC · 344 students
- HighlandsOmak, WA · 78 students
Nearby schools
- Northview Next Learning Center0.8 mi · 136
- Northview Next Career Center1.1 mi · 32
- East Oakview Elementary School1.3 mi · 371
- Northview High School1.4 mi · 1,078
- Kent ISD Deaf and Hard of Hearing1.6 mi · 61
- North Oakview Elementary School1.6 mi · 346
Frequently asked questions
About Highlands SchoolHow many students attend Highlands School?
Highlands School enrolls approximately 445 students in grades 05-06.
What grades does Highlands School serve?
Highlands School serves grades 05-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highlands School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Highlands School is approximately 15.7:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Highlands School?
At Highlands School, the student body is approximately 69% White, 10% Hispanic, 8% Black, 1% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Who oversees Highlands School?
Highlands School is overseen by Northview Public Schools in Kent County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.