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Cesar E Chavez Elementary

Q: Is Cesar E Chavez Elementary a good school?

Cesar E Chavez Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.8% of Michigan elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Cesar E Chavez Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 437 students attended Cesar E Chavez Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Cesar E Chavez Elementary?

Students at Cesar E Chavez Elementary are 78% Hispanic, 18% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% White.

Q: What schools do graduates of Cesar E Chavez Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cesar E Chavez Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Blandford School Middle : Burton Middle School Middle : Center for Economicology Middle : John Ball Park Zoo School High : City High Middle School High : Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy High : Innovation Central High High : Union High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1435^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Cesar E Chavez Elementary is a PK-5 school in Grand Rapids, MI, serving 437 students within the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, where the vast majority of families qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school faces significant challenges that parents should understand. Academic proficiency rates are very low—in the most recent school year, only about 6% of 5th graders were proficient in reading and math, compared to state averages of 44% and 32%, respectively. Even the school's strongest grade-level results (4th grade math at 20% proficiency) fall far below state averages. Perhaps most concerning is that nearly 41% of students are chronically absent, meaning they miss substantial instructional time. This rate is more than double that of Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue, a bilingual program just half a mile away that serves a similar student population yet achieves meaningfully better results—for example, 28% proficiency in 4th grade reading versus 15% at Cesar E Chavez. The school spends a substantial $16,787 per student, which is higher than nearby schools that perform better, raising questions about how resources are being used.

On a positive note, there are small signs of improvement. The school's ranking has ticked upward slightly, and the percentage of students qualifying for free lunch has dropped from 95% to 85%, suggesting some economic progress for families. However, the contrast with nearby options is striking. Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center, a charter school about 1.4 miles away, ranks in the 91st percentile statewide with 71% of 3rd graders proficient in reading. The data suggests that addressing chronic absenteeism and implementing targeted academic support—particularly for English Language Learners—could be the highest-impact steps forward. Parents exploring options in this area may want to compare Cesar E Chavez with Buchanan Elementary or Burton Elementary, both of which have lower absenteeism and better test scores.

437

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,787

Per pupil spending ?

85.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

90.2%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 1.6% (any vaccine)

1205 Grandville Ave SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-8034

(616) 819-2560

District: Grand Rapids Public Schools

Students who attend Cesar E Chavez Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Blandford School
	Burton Middle School
	Center for Economicology
	John Ball Park Zoo School
High:	City High Middle School
	Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
	Innovation Central High
	Union High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.5%

African American:

17.8%

Two or more races:

1.8%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Cesar E Chavez Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 9th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (10% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school10%

District avg20%

Michigan avg38%

1,435^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools

480^th of 625Grand 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	7.1	1435 of 1492	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.8	1448 of 1488	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.0	1439 of 1486	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.3	1415 of 1470	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.4	1318 of 1344	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.7	1388 of 1408	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.1	1380 of 1448	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.2	1403 of 1466	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.6	1354 of 1548	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.7	1434 of 1580	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.5	1445 of 1533	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.5	1447 of 1563	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	14.9	1420 of 1566	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	24.3	1339 of 1552	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	14.5	1449 of 1552	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	9.6	1515 of 1589	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	12.0	1482 of 1577	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	11.4	1484 of 1565	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.0	1513 of 1545	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	16.4	463 of 475	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.4	186 of 188	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.4	167 of 173	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	172 of 184	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	153 of 180	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	258 of 270	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	4.4	1327 of 1342	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.4	1317 of 1321	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.3	1353 of 1443	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.1	224 of 225	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.8	209 of 209	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	197 of 201	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	184 of 188	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	86 of 86	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.5	86 of 86	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.9	210 of 222	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	10.1	1294 of 1352	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.4	1314 of 1346	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	1341 of 1381	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	1283 of 1350	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.9	1078 of 1099	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.1	1116 of 1134	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	1288 of 1397	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	11.4	1254 of 1372	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.2	1311 of 1366	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.4	1334 of 1347	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.5	1268 of 1334	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.1	1124 of 1139	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.2	1181 of 1196	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	1307 of 1446	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)9th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile~ school

African American (2018)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2024)1st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)1st percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)<1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Math11%-28 vs state

English Language Arts10%-31 vs state

Science8%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cesar E Chavez Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cesar E Chavez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1205 Grandville Ave SW	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2560	437	26	16.9	85.1%	7 (1.6%)	78 (17.8%)	343 (78.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	7.1	1435^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.8%		5.8	1448^th of 1488 public elementary schools	2.7%	13			1260.7	14.8	6.2			7.9	20.0	4.6			7.7		1461.5		90.2%	1.6%	$16,787	$2,459	$14,328
Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue	Public	PK, KG-6	801 Oakland Ave SW	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2947	661	31	21.1	68.1%	47 (7.1%)	39 (5.9%)	558 (84.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.4%)	18.9	1199^th of 1492 public elementary schools	19.6%		17.4	1212^th of 1488 public elementary schools	18.5%	13			13.6	27.7	25.3	17.6		17.5	22.6	19.3	10.3		27.7		19.3		97.2%	1.9%	$15,394	$2,103	$13,291
Grove Montessori A Wildflower Public School	Public, Charter	K-6	1545 Buchanan Ave SW	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Grove Montessori: A Wildflower Public School	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(989) 400-0058	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
GodfreyLee Early Childhood Center	Public	PK, KG-2	961 Joosten St SW	Wyoming	49509	Kent County	Godfrey-Lee Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 452-8703	355	25	14.0	94.4%	18 (5.1%)	46 (13.0%)	268 (75.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.5%)								(n/a)																	94.7%	1.1%	$21,581	$2,337	$19,244
Buchanan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1775 Buchanan Ave SW	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2252	379	23	16.5	84.4%	8 (2.1%)	49 (12.9%)	317 (83.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	10.2	1366^th of 1492 public elementary schools	8.4%		8.7	1378^th of 1488 public elementary schools	7.4%	12			10.9	17.9	20.3			25.0	8.9	8.6			10.2		6.8		96.4%	0%	$20,069	$3,021	$17,048
Godfrey Elementary School	Public	3-5	1920 Godfrey Ave SW	Wyoming	49509	Kent County	Godfrey-Lee Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 243-0533	325	20	16.4	94.8%	24 (7.4%)	27 (8.3%)	263 (80.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.4%)	11.3	1344^th of 1492 public elementary schools	9.9%		11.2	1335^th of 1488 public elementary schools	10.3%	9			13.7	17.8	22.6			15.8	11.1	10.4			16.2		12.3				$18,613	$2,126	$16,487
Gerald R Ford Academic Center	Public	PK, KG-8	851 Madison Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2640	213	13	16.1	85.4%	2 (0.9%)	109 (51.2%)	95 (44.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	21.1	1158^th of 1492 public elementary schools	22.4%		19.8	1164^th of 1488 public elementary schools	21.8%	6	17.7	331.8	15.0	30.3	50.0	1572.3	20.0	20.0	9.1	14.3	1563.3	1674.0	14.3	1765.9	10.7	1778.8			$19,106	$2,985	$16,121
Burton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2133 Buchanan Ave SW	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2262	365	23	15.5	81.9%	13 (3.6%)	41 (11.2%)	305 (83.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	9.3	1385^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.2%		7.5	1414^th of 1488 public elementary schools	5.0%	29			8.8	10.2	22.8			21.1	8.5	8.8			15.8		5.3		90.4%	1.9%	$18,062	$3,218	$14,844
Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center	Public, Charter	K-5	409 Lafayette Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center	Yes	No	No	Yes	(616) 459-0330	287	17	16.9	29.3%	190 (66.2%)	35 (12.2%)	38 (13.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.7%)	90.2	130^th of 1492 public elementary schools	91.3%		90.6	113^th of 1488 public elementary schools	92.4%	17			70.8	64.0	73.2			60.4	64.0	53.7			63.4		53.7				$12,794	$458	$12,336
Dickinson Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	448 Dickinson St SE	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2505	224	19	11.9	84.4%	5 (2.2%)	87 (38.8%)	114 (50.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.7%)								(n/a)	30.8	367.7	1263.3	1363.1	1469.6	1573.4	25.0	9.4	1350.9	1455.6	1573.0	1667.1	1473.6	1775.9	1463.1	1783.5	94.4%	2.8%	$26,027	$3,674	$22,353

Frequently Asked Questions about Cesar E Chavez Elementary

What schools do graduates of Cesar E Chavez Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cesar E Chavez Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Blandford School
Middle : Burton Middle School
Middle : Center for Economicology
Middle : John Ball Park Zoo School
High : City High Middle School
High : Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
High : Innovation Central High
High : Union High School

What district is Cesar E Chavez Elementary in?

Grand Rapids Public Schools

Is Cesar E Chavez Elementary a good school?

Cesar E Chavez Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.8% of Michigan elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Cesar E Chavez Elementary?

Students at Cesar E Chavez Elementary are 78% Hispanic, 18% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% White.

How many students attend Cesar E Chavez Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 437 students attended Cesar E Chavez Elementary.

Rate Cesar E Chavez Elementary!

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

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.