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Gerald R Ford Academic Center

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1164^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Gerald R Ford Academic Center is an elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with 230 students enrolled. The school is part of the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, which is ranked 462 out of 613 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gerald R Ford Academic Center consistently underperforms compared to the district and state in standardized test scores, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math significantly lower than the averages. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 24.5% to 42.0% in recent years, which is much higher than the state average. Additionally, the school serves a student population that is predominantly from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 89.57% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. As a result, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Michigan elementary schools, maintaining a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past 10 years.

When comparing Gerald R Ford Academic Center to other nearby schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, such as Martin Luther King Leadership Academy, Southwest Elementary Academia Bilingue, and Dickinson Academy, the school performs similarly or worse in academic achievement. However, the school's African American students perform relatively better, ranking in the top 126 out of 369 Michigan elementary schools for this subgroup in 2024-2025. The nearby Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center, a public charter school, stands out as an outlier, consistently performing significantly better than Gerald R Ford Academic Center and the district as a whole in academic achievement.

213

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,840

Per pupil spending ?

85.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

851 Madison Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1208

(616) 819-2640

District: Grand Rapids Public Schools

Students who attend Gerald R Ford Academic Center 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:

African American:

51.2%

Hispanic:

44.6%

Two or more races:

3.3%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Gerald R Ford Academic Center to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (26% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Science scores 21 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg24%

Michigan avg43%

Elementary school

1,164^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

606^th of 890

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 21Elementary Schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools

462^nd 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	1164 of 1488	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	1068 of 1486	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	1067 of 1470	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	1094 of 1344	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	901 of 1408	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.5	1074 of 1448	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.2	1086 of 1466	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	10.3	1396 of 1548	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	13.8	1388 of 1580	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	126 of 369	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.2	45 of 348	87.1%	★★★★☆
2023	59.7	88 of 321	72.6%	★★★★☆
2019	65.0	59 of 212	72.2%	★★★★☆
2018	59.6	136 of 475	71.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	30.0	934 of 1338	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.4	1135 of 1342	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.1	943 of 1443	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	30.9	146 of 209	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	31.3	943 of 1346	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.7	992 of 1381	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.2	767 of 1350	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	763 of 1099	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.6	535 of 1134	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.8	862 of 1397	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	1132 of 1366	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.8	671 of 1334	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.1	1173 of 1446	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	29.3	606 of 890	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.4	392 of 897	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.9	515 of 883	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	11.7	773 of 838	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	20.8	651 of 821	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.3	687 of 894	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.8	790 of 919	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	73.1	63 of 338	81.4%	★★★★☆
2018	17.5	345 of 366	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	35.8	498 of 789	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	189 of 265	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	57.9	89 of 257	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	19.5	234 of 266	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	468 of 832	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	71.2	155 of 836	81.5%	★★★★☆
2023	58.5	278 of 825	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	16.5	707 of 815	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	68.4	188 of 786	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	16.0	674 of 797	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2025)66th percentile+44 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)30th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)17th percentile-5 vs school

Middle school

African American (2025)81st percentile+49 vs school

Male (2024)76th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)37th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)29th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies48%~ state avg

Math25%-16 vs state

English Language Arts23%-18 vs state

Science20%-21 vs state

Mathematics16%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gerald R Ford Academic Center

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)				M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 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
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%)	19.8	1164^th of 1488 public elementary schools	21.8%		27	1068^th of 1486 public elementary schools	28.1%	96	44.0	16.0	25.0	29.0	16.0	21.7		21.9	29.0			16.0	24.0		48.0	$18,840	$5,567	$13,272
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%)	90.6	113^th of 1488 public elementary schools	92.4%		84.3	202^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	86.4%	89			68.0	66.7	70.7			66.0	58.7	61.0		68.3		53.7		$12,389	$1,096	$11,293
Martin Luther King Leadership Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	645 Logan St SE	Grand Rapids	49503	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2600	299	16	18.4	92.3%	14 (4.7%)	216 (72.2%)	51 (17.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.0%)	8.2	1392^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	6.5%					(n/a)	46.2		12.5		18.4			12.5		10.5		7.7				$18,326	$5,891	$12,435
Gerald Dawkins Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	1050 Fisk St SE	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	Gerald Dawkins Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(517) 281-8626	152	13	11.6	96.7%	1 (0.7%)	135 (88.8%)	10 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)	18.4	1189^th of 1488 public elementary schools	20.1%					(n/a)			25.0	33.3				14.3	14.3							$30,193	$8,645	$21,547
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%)	17.4	1212^th of 1488 public elementary schools	18.5%		16.1	1235^th of 1486 public elementary schools	16.9%	23			20.2	18.6	16.7	31.9		22.5	19.8	11.5	22.2	16.7		11.5		$16,498	$5,206	$11,292
River City Scholars Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	944 Evergreen St SE	Grand Rapids	49507	Kent County	River City Scholars Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(616) 248-3390	286	25	11.4	95.8%	12 (4.2%)	209 (73.1%)	21 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (14.3%)	21.4	1135^th of 1488 public elementary schools	23.7%		15	1249^th of 1486 public elementary schools	15.9%	114	34.6		18.8	15.2	41.4	22.9	15.8	25.0	9.1	17.2	20.0	27.6	14.3	17.2	22.2	$22,373	$4,111	$18,262
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)						14.3										$20,224	$5,910	$14,314
Campus Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	710 Benjamin Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49506	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2535	210	14	15.5	92.4%	16 (7.6%)	133 (63.3%)	44 (21.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.6%)	5.3	1462^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	1.7%					(n/a)				9.3	10.8				8.9							$19,206	$5,903	$13,303
Congress Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	940 Baldwin St SE	Grand Rapids	49506	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-2201	237	11	20.9	62.9%	94 (39.7%)	67 (28.3%)	60 (25.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.9%)	54.4	656^th of 1488 public elementary schools	55.9%		52.1	679^th of 1486 public elementary schools	54.3%	23			25.8	33.3	60.0			25.8	21.2	45.0		60.0		41.5		$18,001	$5,195	$12,806
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%)	8.7	1378^th of 1488 public elementary schools	7.4%		5.5	1452^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	2.3%	74			9.4	12.7	16.4			23.1	7.9	7.3		9.1		10.9		$18,057	$5,434	$12,623

Frequently Asked Questions about Gerald R Ford Academic Center

What is the racial makeup of Gerald R Ford Academic Center?

Students at Gerald R Ford Academic Center are 51% African American, 45% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Gerald R Ford Academic Center attend?

Students who attend Gerald R Ford Academic Center usually go on to attend:

Middle : Alger Middle School
Middle : Blandford 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 : Ottawa Hills High School

How many students attend Gerald R Ford Academic Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 213 students attended Gerald R Ford Academic Center.

Is Gerald R Ford Academic Center a good school?

Gerald R Ford Academic Center ranks in the bottom 21.8% of Michigan elementary schools.

What district is Gerald R Ford Academic Center in?

Grand Rapids Public Schools

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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.