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Dickinson Academy

Public Grades PK, KG-8
Summary

Dickinson Academy is an elementary school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving 244 students in grades PK-8. The school is part of the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dickinson Academy faces significant challenges, with a student population that is 39.75% African American and 46.31% Hispanic, compared to the district averages of 25.4% and 34.1%, respectively. The school consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Michigan, with only 9.68% of 4th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Math, compared to 25.4% and 15.2% for the district. Chronic absenteeism has also risen sharply, from 21.7% in 2018-2019 to 48.4% in 2022-2023, much higher than the district average of 31.8% and 48.4% in the same years. Despite high funding and a low student-teacher ratio, Dickinson Academy has not shown any significant improvement in its academic performance or school ranking over the past decade.

Interestingly, nearby schools within the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, such as Cesar E Chavez Elementary, Martin Luther King Leadership Academy, and Buchanan Elementary, generally outperform Dickinson Academy on academic measures, despite serving similar student populations. Additionally, the nearby Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center, a public charter school, significantly outperforms Dickinson Academy and the district on academic measures, highlighting the potential for alternative educational models to better serve the needs of students in the area.

224
Students ?
11.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$20,224
Per pupil spending ?
84.4%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 448 Dickinson St SE
       Grand Rapids, MI  49507-2671

(616) 819-2505

District: Grand Rapids Public Schools


Students who attend Dickinson Academy usually attend:

Middle:    Alger Middle School
    Blandford School
    Center for Economicology
    John Ball Park Zoo School
High:    City High Middle School
    Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
    Innovation Central High
    Ottawa Hills High School
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
50.9%
African American:
38.8%
Two or more races:
6.7%
more
 See top rated Michigan public schools

 Compare Dickinson Academy to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2010 → 5th in 2019
Strengths
Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Michigan average (14% vs 39% meeting standards)
!High chronic absenteeism (45% vs 28% Michigan)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school14%
District avg25%
Michigan avg39%
Not ranked this year
Dickinson Academy did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.
462nd of 613Grand Rapids Public Schools among Michigan districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20196.31340 of 14084.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201810.11364 of 14485.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20176.81389 of 14665.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20165.41513 of 15482.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20156.71529 of 15803.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20144.71508 of 15331.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20139.01469 of 15636.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20128.71499 of 15664.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20117.91493 of 15523.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20108.31500 of 15523.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20099.81510 of 15895.0%☆☆☆☆☆
200820.81402 of 157711.1%★☆☆☆☆
20077.11523 of 15652.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20067.01499 of 15453.0%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201824.3397 of 47516.4%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20188.6270 of 2700.0%☆☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201812.61294 of 144310.3%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201827.6178 of 22219.8%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201910.51070 of 11345.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201815.21255 of 139710.2%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20189.91334 of 14467.7%☆☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202320.5691 of 88321.7%★☆☆☆☆
201812.9758 of 8389.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20159.1849 of 9197.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20143.5919 of 9210.2%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201827.0269 of 36626.5%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
201818.1689 of 81515.5%★☆☆☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Elementary school
Hispanic (2018)20th percentile+14 vs school
African American (2018)16th percentile+11 vs school
Female (2018)10th percentile+5 vs school
Male (2018)8th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2019)6th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2018)<1st percentile-6 vs school
Middle school
African American (2018)27th percentile+17 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2018)15th percentile+6 vs school

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Frequently Asked Questions about Dickinson Academy

In the 2024-25 school year, 224 students attended Dickinson Academy.

Students at Dickinson Academy are 51% Hispanic, 39% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% White, 1% American Indian.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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