PrepNet Virtual Academy

PrepNet Virtual Academy is a K-12 virtual public school academy in Grand Rapids, MI, serving 1,080 students, the vast majority of whom (over 85%) come from economically disadvantaged households.

For parents considering this school, the most critical data points are sobering. The 4-year graduation rate stands at just 39.6% for the 2024-2025 school year—less than half the state average of 84.0% and far below nearby Byron Center Charter School (100%) or Hope Academy of West Michigan (81.4%). Even more alarming, the dropout rate is 42.5%, over six times the state average of 7.1%. Chronic absenteeism affects 40.6% of students, meaning a large share of the student body is not regularly engaged in learning—a common challenge for virtual schools where daily attendance is harder to enforce. Academic proficiency is also dramatically below state averages; for example, only 10.5% of 3rd graders were proficient in both ELA and Math, compared to state rates of 38.2% and 42.9%, respectively.

There are a few bright spots worth noting. In the 2024-2025 school year, 11th-grade Science proficiency reached 39.5%—actually above the state average of 34.9%—and 11th-grade Social Studies proficiency was 46.2%, also above the state’s 42.1%. This suggests that students who persist to upper grades may be more capable, though this did not hold in the most recent data. Compared to Lighthouse Academy South Campus, a nearby brick-and-mortar alternative school serving a similarly high-needs population (93% free/reduced lunch), PrepNet’s challenges are not entirely unique—Lighthouse also struggles with low graduation (45.5%) and high dropout (39.7%). However, PrepNet’s much larger enrollment means these issues affect over a thousand students. The school spends $12,503 per pupil, which is mid-range locally, yet maintains a student-teacher ratio of 17.5—the highest among comparable schools—suggesting funds may not be directed toward reducing class sizes or boosting direct student support, which is critical for an at-risk virtual population.