South Kent News

There were 102,404 students enrolled in Kent County school districts in the 2024-25 school year, less than 0.1% less than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The county's data showed that kindergarten had the largest classes with 8,139 students during the 2024-25 school year, while pre-kindergarten saw the smallest enrollment that year with just 4,097 students.

Countywide, Grand Rapids Public Schools welcomed the most students during the 2024-25 school year.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the article are located in cities associated with Kent County.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,427,386 students enrolled in Michigan schools, a figure 4.8% below the pre-pandemic total of 1,499,552 in 2019-20, with white students seeing the largest decline of approximately 3%.

Academic performance in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the 2024 NAEP results, the share of students reaching the basic benchmark in core subjects is about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019—except for fourth-grade math, which saw a decline of just 2 points.

Achievement gaps between ethnic groups also persist. On average, Hispanic students scored 15 points below white students. The gap was even wider for Black students, who scored about 30 points lower than their white peers.

The 2025 education budget, approved by Gov. Whitmer last July, totals $23.4 billion—$900 million less than the previous year’s budget. K-12 schools are working with $20.6 billion, a reduction from the $21.5 billion allocated in 2024.

However, some school superintendents and educators were concerned about the new budget. "Schools cannot function properly without adequate funding for safety and mental health," stated Rep. David Martin, R-Davison, referring to a significant cut of around $301 million from school safety and mental health programs. Based on the current bill, the program will receive just $26.5 million.

District	Total enrollment in 2023-24	Total enrollment in 2024-25	% Change from Previous Year
Grand Rapids Public Schools	13,802	13,692	-0.8%
Kentwood Public Schools	9,430	9,639	2.2%
Forest Hills Public Schools	9,072	8,852	-2.4%
Rockford Public Schools	7,644	7,509	-1.8%
Grandville Public Schools	5,476	5,547	1.3%
Caledonia Community Schools	4,628	4,598	-0.6%
Byron Center Public Schools	4,512	4,572	1.3%
Kent ISD	3,754	4,196	11.8%
Wyoming Public Schools	3,835	3,832	-0.1%
Lowell Area Schools	3,436	3,470	1%
Northview Public Schools	3,139	3,173	1.1%
Cedar Springs Public Schools	3,101	3,011	-2.9%
East Grand Rapids Public Schools	2,941	2,992	1.7%
Kenowa Hills Public Schools	2,947	2,947	0
Sparta Area Schools	2,413	2,371	-1.7%
Kelloggsville Public Schools	2,233	2,211	-1%
Godwin Heights Public Schools	1,993	1,954	-2%
Comstock Park Public Schools	1,765	1,778	0.7%
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools	1,738	1,661	-4.4%
Tri County Area Schools	1,685	1,643	-2.5%
Kent City Community Schools	1,240	1,242	0.2%
PrepNet Virtual Academy	1,136	1,080	-4.9%
Cross Creek Charter Academy	807	809	0.2%
Excel Charter Academy	783	791	1%
Vanguard Charter Academy	791	765	-3.3%
Chandler Woods Charter Academy	752	741	-1.5%
Walker Charter Academy	718	711	-1%
West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science	669	666	-0.4%
Vista Charter Academy	666	641	-3.8%
Grand River Preparatory High School	634	635	0.2%
West Michigan Aviation Academy	608	600	-1.3%
Ridge Park Charter Academy	507	507	0
Lighthouse Academy	366	405	10.7%
Knapp Charter Academy	430	398	-7.4%
New Branches Charter Academy	359	345	-3.9%
Creative Technologies Academy	314	302	-3.8%
Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center	285	287	0.7%
River City Scholars Charter Academy	293	286	-2.4%
Hope Academy of West Michigan	314	284	-9.6%
William C. Abney Academy	292	273	-6.5%
Wellspring Preparatory High School	284	267	-6%
Covenant House Academy Grand Rapids	231	226	-2.2%
Byron Center Charter School	190	199	4.7%
Gerald Dawkins Academy	66	152	130.3%
NexTech High School	140	144	2.9%