Palmer School

As a tight-knit primary school in GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, Palmer School instructs 187 students from grades pre-K through 5, operated by Grand Rapids Public Schools. Enrollment runs roughly 49% leaner than the state mean of about 369.

Grand Rapids Public Schools comprises 50 schools with combined enrollment of 13,903 students; Palmer School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Palmer School shows that the largest single group is Black at 32%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school lists 27% Hispanic, 22% White, 16% multiracial, 2% Asian. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 10%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.6:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.8:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 79% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Kent County runs at roughly 47%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Palmer School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 31.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 22.5%.

Across the wider county, census data for Kent County shows the typical household earns roughly $82,631 per year, 41% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Kent County's 239 public schools (combined enrollment of about 97,253 students), Palmer School is one campus in the mix.

Center for Economicology is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a metropolitan area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Palmer School has decreased 19%, going from 231 students in 2018 to 187 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 29% to 22% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 17.6:1 today.

On allk12, members of the Palmer School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.