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Riverside Middle School

Q: Is Riverside Middle School a good school?

Riverside Middle School ranks in the bottom 2.5% of Michigan middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Riverside Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 227 students attended Riverside Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Riverside Middle School?

Students at Riverside Middle School are 61% African American, 17% Hispanic, 11% White, 10% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Riverside Middle School attend?

Students who attend Riverside Middle School usually go on to attend City High Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

874^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 2% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Riverside Middle School in Grand Rapids, MI, serves 227 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, which ranks in the bottom quarter of Michigan districts.

Riverside Middle School faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency rates dramatically below state averages. In the most recent school year, only about 10% of 6th and 7th graders were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of roughly 38%. Math proficiency was even lower, with fewer than 8% of students meeting state standards versus a state average above 31%. This performance places the school in the bottom 2nd percentile of all Michigan middle schools. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism—68.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2024-2025 school year, a rate nearly 2.5 times the state average and significantly higher than the district rate of 41.3%. This has been a persistent issue for the past five years, with rates consistently above 59%.

What makes the situation particularly striking is the level of investment. Riverside spends $28,079 per student—more than double the spending at nearby high-performing schools like Northern Hills Middle School in the Forest Hills Public Schools district, which spends $15,835 per student and ranks in the 97th percentile statewide. Riverside also maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 11.3, yet these resources have not translated into improved outcomes. Even within its own district, Riverside underperforms compared to Grand Rapids Public Museum Middle, which has a much lower absenteeism rate of 30.1% and higher proficiency rates. While historical data shows the school has achieved better results for specific student groups in the past, the current trend indicates systemic challenges that require more than just financial investment to address.

227

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,079

Per pupil spending ?

91.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

421 Fountain St NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3334

(616) 819-2969

District: Grand Rapids Public Schools

Students who attend Riverside Middle School usually attend:

High:	City High Middle School
	Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
	Innovation Central High
	Union High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.2%

Hispanic:

16.7%

White:

11.5%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Riverside Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (10% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (68% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school10%

District avg27%

Michigan avg43%

874^th of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Middle 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	6.4	874 of 896	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.0	889 of 890	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.6	887 of 897	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	782 of 883	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	737 of 776	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.3	770 of 792	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	741 of 838	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	8.1	774 of 821	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.6	785 of 894	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.5	813 of 919	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	9.3	850 of 921	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	8.5	867 of 919	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.7	845 of 900	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.1	820 of 858	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	9.2	803 of 851	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.9	810 of 847	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.1	784 of 839	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	8.5	774 of 823	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	9.0	760 of 806	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	9.6	336 of 337	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.3	241 of 310	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	234 of 366	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	44.7	69 of 154	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	3.4	771 of 771	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	695 of 770	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	686 of 794	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	22.1	226 of 266	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	812 of 834	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	830 of 836	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	733 of 825	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	645 of 691	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	650 of 672	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	676 of 815	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	8.4	776 of 813	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.0	798 of 798	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	706 of 776	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.7	628 of 658	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	673 of 797	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	22.6	122 of 156	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	20.3	351 of 377	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2023	25.6	534 of 688	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2018)55th percentile+44 vs school

White (2023)22nd percentile+11 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)22nd percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2018)15th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2018)7th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)5th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile~ school

African American (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Female (2024)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts10%-28 vs state

Social Studies7%-43 vs state

Math6%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Riverside Middle School

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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 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)		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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Riverside Middle School	Public	6-8	421 Fountain St NE	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2969	227	20	11.3	91.2%	26 (11.5%)	139 (61.2%)	38 (16.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (10.1%)	6.4	874^th of 896 public middle schools	2.5%		3	889^th of 890 public middle schools	0.1%	15	19.0			10.9	9.7		7.7	4.8				6.9	$28,079	$3,986	$24,093
Center for Economicology	Public	6	1720 Plainfield Ave NE	Grand Rapids	49505	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2380	60	2	25.5	40.0%	29 (48.3%)	7 (11.7%)	20 (33.3%)	3 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)								(n/a)				79.3			77.6						$13,080	$1,650	$11,430
Mill Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Betty St NE	Comstock Park	49321	Kent County	Comstock Park Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 254-5100	385	25	15.6	51.4%	207 (53.8%)	29 (7.5%)	99 (25.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (12.5%)	49.3	424^th of 896 public middle schools	52.7%		52.6	382^nd of 890 public middle schools	57.1%	42	67.5	33.9		22.6	26.8		23.9	35.6		37.5		57.5	$16,469	$1,318	$15,151
Grand Rapids Public Museum Middle	Public	6-8	272 Pearl St NW	Grand Rapids	49504	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-3600	175	10	18.2	64.6%	57 (32.6%)	41 (23.4%)	49 (28.0%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (14.3%)	27.4	634^th of 896 public middle schools	29.2%		17.3	724^th of 890 public middle schools	18.7%	90	58.0	18.0		14.0	28.6		12.0	16.3		26.9		38.5	$17,990	$2,448	$15,542
Westwood Middle School	Public	6-8	1525 Mount Mercy Dr NW	Grand Rapids	49504	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-3322	176	17	10.3	86.9%	24 (13.6%)	65 (36.9%)	61 (34.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (14.2%)	2.5	896^th of 896 public middle schools	0.0%		4.5	883^rd of 890 public middle schools	0.8%	13	14.7				7.0							4.3	$27,247	$2,957	$24,290
Crossroads Middle School	Public	7-8	4400 Ambrose Ave NE	Grand Rapids	49525	Kent County	Northview Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 361-3430	472	27	17.5	33.5%	320 (67.8%)	39 (8.3%)	56 (11.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (11.9%)	73.2	193^rd of 896 public middle schools	78.5%		76.6	160^th of 890 public middle schools	82.0%	33	77.5	39.6			38.3			40.9		47.9		64.4	$15,374	$739	$14,635
John Ball Park Zoo School	Public	6	1300 Fulton St W	Grand Rapids	49504	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 819-5900	58	3	22.3	43.1%	47 (81.0%)	2 (3.4%)	3 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (10.3%)								(n/a)				72.2			48.1						$17,240	$1,523	$15,718
Northern Hills Middle School	Public	7-8	3775 Leonard St NE	Grand Rapids	49525	Kent County	Forest Hills Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 493-8650	515	29	18.0	15.3%	345 (67.0%)	33 (6.4%)	52 (10.1%)	51 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.6%)	96.5	23^rd of 896 public middle schools	97.4%		96.8	17^th of 890 public middle schools	98.1%	6	88.8	71.9			71.8			62.9		67.7		77.3	$15,835	$576	$15,259
Blandford School	Public	6	3143 Milo St NW	Grand Rapids	49534	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 819-2555	60	3	24.0	23.3%	50 (83.3%)	1 (1.7%)	7 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.3%)								(n/a)				76.7			70.0						$16,195	$1,847	$14,348
Northern Trails 56 School	Public	5-6	3777 Leonard St NE	Grand Rapids	49525	Kent County	Forest Hills Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 493-8990	520	29	17.7	17.7%	346 (66.5%)	28 (5.4%)	60 (11.5%)	47 (9.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.3%)								(n/a)			76.5	74.3		65.3	63.0		70.9		57.2		$13,924	$645	$13,279

Frequently Asked Questions about Riverside Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Riverside Middle School?

Students at Riverside Middle School are 61% African American, 17% Hispanic, 11% White, 10% Two or more races.

How many students attend Riverside Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 227 students attended Riverside Middle School.

Is Riverside Middle School a good school?

Riverside Middle School ranks in the bottom 2.5% of Michigan middle schools.

What district is Riverside Middle School in?

Grand Rapids Public Schools

What high school do graduates of Riverside Middle School attend?

Students who attend Riverside Middle School usually go on to attend City High Middle School

Rate Riverside Middle School!

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Schools in Grand Rapids, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

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

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 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.