Summary:
NexTech High School is a single, standalone high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving grades 9 through 12 with 144 students, and it operates as its own district, meaning school and district data are identical.
This is a school in transition, marked by dramatic swings in its state ranking—from the 23rd percentile in 2023-2024, down to the 9th percentile in 2024-2025, and back up to the 28th percentile in 2025-2026. Serving a high-poverty population (84.72% of students receive free or reduced lunch), the school faces significant challenges. The most pressing concern is the graduation rate of just 52.3%, compared to the state average of 84.0%, alongside a dropout rate of 19.0% that is nearly triple the state's 7.1%. Chronic absenteeism also runs high at 32.9%. Academically, proficiency rates lag behind state averages across all subjects and grade levels, with the widest gaps appearing in 11th grade SAT Reading/Writing (30.2% vs. 52.1% statewide) and 10th grade ELA (38.1% vs. 58.0%).
Despite these persistent gaps, there are encouraging signs of improvement. Between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, 11th grade science proficiency more than doubled from 11.9% to 23.8%, with social studies and SAT Reading/Writing also posting gains of 7-8 percentage points. However, a troubling pattern emerges where proficiency declines as students advance—9th graders hit 50% in ELA, but that falls to 38.1% in 10th grade and 30.2% in 11th grade, suggesting students may not be building on foundational skills. With per-student spending of $11,309 and a favorable 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio, the school has reasonable resources, but as a single-school district it lacks the economies of scale and specialized support staff that larger districts can offer. The data paints a picture of a school serving an extremely challenging population that is showing real, if early, signs of progress—the question is whether this upward trajectory can be sustained.
Thank you for your feedback!