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Explorer Elementary

Q: Is Explorer Elementary a good school?

Explorer Elementary ranks 242 nd of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

242^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Explorer Elementary is a public elementary school located in Caledonia, Michigan, serving 563 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Kentwood Public Schools district, which is ranked 317 out of 613 districts in the state.

Explorer Elementary has consistently ranked in the top 20% of Michigan elementary schools, with a current ranking of 242 out of 1,488 schools and a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance is particularly strong, with students significantly outperforming the district and state averages in M-Step proficiency rates across all grade levels and subject areas. Explorer Elementary's 5th-grade students achieved proficiency rates as high as 78.8% in English Language Arts and 63.8% in Social Studies.

While Explorer Elementary serves a relatively high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, the school is able to maintain its strong academic performance, suggesting effective strategies and resources to support these students. Compared to nearby schools, Explorer Elementary outperforms other Kentwood Public Schools elementary schools, but falls short of the high-performing Countryside Elementary School in the Byron Center Public Schools district and the Cross Creek Charter Academy.

556

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,968

Per pupil spending ?

55.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2307 68th St SE
Caledonia, MI 49316-9083

(616) 554-0302

District: Kentwood Public Schools

Students who attend Explorer Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Pinewood Middle School
High:	East Kentwood High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

33.8%

African American:

27.2%

Hispanic:

14.0%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Explorer Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 58th percentile in 2015 → 84th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (59% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of Michigan elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg39%

Michigan avg39%

242^nd of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 25 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to top 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 10Elementary Schools in the Kentwood Public Schools

317^th of 613Kentwood 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
2025	82.1	242 of 1488	83.7%	★★★★☆
2024	82.0	229 of 1486	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	79.7	252 of 1470	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	78.0	243 of 1344	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	64.6	335 of 1153	70.9%	★★★★☆
2019	72.5	332 of 1408	76.4%	★★★★☆
2018	65.4	521 of 1448	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.0	406 of 1466	72.3%	★★★★☆
2016	72.4	376 of 1548	75.7%	★★★★☆
2015	58.0	658 of 1580	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	60.1	640 of 1533	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.9	440 of 1563	71.8%	★★★★☆
2012	66.9	497 of 1566	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.3	580 of 1552	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	69.1	558 of 1552	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	72.0	439 of 1589	72.4%	★★★★☆
2008	80.4	197 of 1577	87.5%	★★★★☆
2007	71.0	423 of 1565	73.0%	★★★★☆
2006	77.7	228 of 1545	85.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	81.9	31 of 369	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	80.0	35 of 348	89.9%	★★★★★
2023	55.3	104 of 321	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.1	25 of 158	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	87.4	2 of 51	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	88.9	11 of 212	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	84.1	36 of 475	92.4%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	55 of 95	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.4	52 of 97	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	60 of 84	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.0	80 of 101	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	54.1	69 of 173	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.2	58 of 184	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.7	32 of 180	82.2%	★★★★☆
2021	39.6	26 of 42	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.6	29 of 117	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	46.2	131 of 270	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	75.2	272 of 1338	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	82.0	182 of 1342	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	66.7	353 of 1321	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	69.9	268 of 1106	75.8%	★★★★☆
2021	59.3	300 of 902	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.9	327 of 1171	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	68.4	440 of 1443	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	88.3	9 of 209	95.7%	★★★★★
2024	65.4	53 of 201	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	66.4	47 of 188	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	87.2	14 of 222	93.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	82.8	123 of 1346	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	88.1	72 of 1381	94.8%	★★★★★
2023	84.2	113 of 1350	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	76.9	143 of 1099	87.0%	★★★★☆
2021	61.9	223 of 749	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	71.2	218 of 1134	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	66.5	381 of 1397	72.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	82.2	200 of 1366	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	75.5	267 of 1347	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	161 of 1334	87.9%	★★★★☆
2022	74.5	248 of 1139	78.2%	★★★★☆
2021	61.0	313 of 915	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.1	330 of 1196	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	60.4	563 of 1446	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	75.7	16 of 93	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	47.5	34 of 78	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	85.5	8 of 81	90.1%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	83.2	22 of 252	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	67.5	56 of 225	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	74.6	28 of 195	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	61.8	113 of 403	72.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	84.1	147 of 1206	87.8%	★★★★☆
2024	91.6	61 of 1204	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	97.4	4 of 1198	99.7%	★★★★★
2022	93.3	40 of 1102	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	88.7	60 of 1005	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	76.7	212 of 1128	81.2%	★★★★☆
2018	72.2	317 of 1253	74.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)96th percentile+12 vs school

African American (2025)92nd percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)91st percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)88th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)85th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)83rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)80th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)60th percentile-24 vs school

Asian (2025)42nd percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies64%+34 vs state

Science62%+22 vs state

English Language Arts59%+17 vs state

Math56%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Explorer Elementary

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 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
Explorer Elementary	Public	K-5	2307 68th St SE	Caledonia	49316	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 554-0302	556	34	16.5	55.8%	188 (33.8%)	151 (27.2%)	78 (14.0%)	68 (12.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (12.2%)	82.1	242^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	83.7%		82	229^th of 1486 public elementary schools	84.6%	13			46.4	55.3	78.8			56.7	51.5	60.0			62.5		63.8		$14,968	$2,280	$12,688
Discovery Elementary	Public	K-5	2461 60th St SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 871-1080	674	37	18.3	72.0%	166 (24.6%)	231 (34.3%)	109 (16.2%)	107 (15.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (8.9%)	49.5	728^th of 1488 public elementary schools	51.1%		65.3	479^th of 1486 public elementary schools	67.8%	249			33.0	38.2	50.4			30.7	38.2	31.9			41.5		37.0		$15,193	$2,699	$12,494
Cross Creek Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	7701 Kalamazoo Ave SE	Byron Center	49315	Kent County	Cross Creek Charter Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(616) 656-4000	809	39	20.9	41.3%	466 (57.6%)	76 (9.4%)	107 (13.2%)	73 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (10.8%)	96	41^st of 1488 public elementary schools	97.2%		94	62^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	95.8%	21	83.5	54.4	66.7	77.4	74.4	66.3	69.4	78.6	90.5	68.6	65.1	75.3	69.8	63.3	57.0	73.4	$11,335	$711	$10,624
Brookwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5465 Kalamazoo Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 455-0030	370	27	13.8	76.2%	75 (20.3%)	167 (45.1%)	49 (13.2%)	41 (11.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.7%)	41.1	844^th of 1488 public elementary schools	43.3%		40.7	836^th of 1486 public elementary schools	43.7%	8			32.8	29.4	42.9			35.9	27.5	33.3			36.5		31.7		$16,661	$2,658	$14,002
Dutton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3820 68th St SE	Caledonia	49316	Kent County	Caledonia Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 698-8982	317	20	16.0	28.4%	222 (70.0%)	13 (4.1%)	42 (13.2%)	12 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.8%)	95.2	51^st of 1488 public elementary schools	96.6%		93.5	66^th of 1486 public elementary schools	95.6%	15			76.0	71.9				72.5	73.7								$16,864	$1,830	$15,034
Challenger Elementary	Public	K-5	2475 52nd St SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 698-2524	413	25	16.8	80.1%	70 (16.9%)	186 (45.0%)	60 (14.5%)	56 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.9%)	43.9	811^th of 1488 public elementary schools	45.5%		44.2	778^th of 1486 public elementary schools	47.6%	33			43.0	43.4	47.3			40.7	36.8	26.8			26.8		14.3		$13,655	$2,751	$10,904
Glenwood Elementary	Public	K-5	912 Silverleaf St SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 455-2510	543	30	17.9	77.2%	123 (22.7%)	209 (38.5%)	118 (21.7%)	51 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (7.7%)	52.1	685^th of 1488 public elementary schools	54.0%		49.4	704^th of 1486 public elementary schools	52.6%	19			49.2	66.3	25.7			45.8	58.0	20.3			24.3		13.5		$14,455	$2,213	$12,242
Southwood Elementary	Public	K-5	630 66th St SE	Grand Rapids	49548	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 455-7230	302	20	15.3	81.1%	109 (36.1%)	68 (22.5%)	78 (25.8%)	14 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (10.9%)	48.1	750^th of 1488 public elementary schools	49.6%		43.8	791^st of 1486 public elementary schools	46.8%	41			25.0	45.0	46.2			43.2	42.9	34.6			40.4		25.0		$18,505	$2,683	$15,821
Endeavor Elementary	Public	K-5	5757 East Paris Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49512	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 554-5241	553	32	17.1	68.7%	125 (22.6%)	198 (35.8%)	76 (13.7%)	109 (19.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (7.8%)	47.8	755^th of 1488 public elementary schools	49.3%		33.1	968^th of 1486 public elementary schools	34.9%	213			39.1	44.9	50.7			26.6	38.0	21.9			38.4		41.1		$13,940	$1,980	$11,960
Meadowlawn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4939 Burgis Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 534-4608	339	21	15.9	90.3%	58 (17.1%)	109 (32.2%)	68 (20.1%)	65 (19.2%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (10.0%)	43.9	813^th of 1488 public elementary schools	45.4%		42.2	816^th of 1486 public elementary schools	45.1%	3			55.1	38.8	50.0			46.9	31.4	26.9			26.9		9.6		$15,666	$2,565	$13,100

Frequently Asked Questions about Explorer Elementary

How many students attend Explorer Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 556 students attended Explorer Elementary.

What district is Explorer Elementary in?

Kentwood Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Explorer Elementary attend?

Students who attend Explorer Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pinewood Middle School
High : East Kentwood High School

Is Explorer Elementary a good school?

Explorer Elementary ranks 242^nd of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Explorer Elementary?

Students at Explorer Elementary are 34% White, 27% African American, 14% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 12% Two or more races.

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MIMichigan Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Caledonia, MI

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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.