River City Scholars Charter Academy

Set in GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, River City Scholars Charter Academy is a tight-knit K-5 school, one of the schools within River City Scholars Charter Academy. It hosts 286 students across grades K through 8. Compared to the state average of about 369 students per school, that is 22% leaner than typical.

Operationally, River City Scholars Charter Academy answers to River City Scholars Charter Academy, which sets policy, hires staff, and reports enrollment to the state.

Looking at the student body, River City Scholars Charter Academy lists that 73% of the student body identifies as Black; the rest looks like 14% multiracial, 7% Hispanic, 4% White. By comparison, Kent County as a whole is about 10% Black, so the school skews meaningfully more Black than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, The school lists 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.4:1. The state averages around 15.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 96% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, 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 above the surrounding baseline.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Kent County shows median household income runs about $82,631, roughly 41% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, 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), River City Scholars Charter Academy is one campus in the mix.

Gerald Dawkins Academy is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The school occupies an urban site. River City Scholars Charter Academy operates as a public charter school, meaning it is publicly funded but governed independently of the surrounding district's traditional schools.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 36%: 447 students in 2018 compared to 286 in 2025. Class-load math has pulled in: from 12.8:1 in 2018 to 11.4:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.