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Bowen Elementary

Q: Is Bowen Elementary a good school?

Bowen Elementary ranks 692 nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

692^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Bowen Elementary in Grand Rapids, MI, is a mid-sized school serving 357 students in grades PK through 5 within the Kentwood Public Schools district, where a large majority of families (78%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Bowen is a school on the rise. After a period of lower ratings, its state ranking has climbed to the 54th percentile, earning a 3-star rating and placing it in the upper half of elementary schools statewide. This upward trend is especially notable given the school’s high-poverty demographic. What truly sets Bowen apart, however, is its remarkable success with student groups that often face the biggest challenges. In the most recent school year, Bowen ranked in the 84th percentile statewide for African American students and the 74th percentile for English Language Learners, both earning 4-star ratings. Students from low-income backgrounds also scored in the 70th percentile. This level of effectiveness is not seen at nearby schools like Central Kelloggsville Elementary (16th percentile) or New Branches Charter Academy (21st percentile), and it places Bowen above several of its district peers, including Meadowlawn Elementary and Brookwood Elementary, though it trails the high-performing Glenwood Elementary (79th percentile).

While Bowen’s overall story is positive, there are a few areas parents may want to explore. The school shows a significant gender gap, with male students ranking in the 62nd percentile compared to female students at the 43rd percentile—a reversal from just two years ago. Additionally, 5th-grade social studies proficiency has been persistently low (13.3% in the most recent year, well below the state average of 27.5%), suggesting a possible curriculum weakness in the intermediate grades. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism (17%) is far better than the district (25.6%) and state (27.9%) averages, indicating strong family engagement. With per-student spending of $16,963—higher than some comparable schools—Bowen appears to be investing its resources effectively to support its diverse student body and drive continued improvement.

357

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,963

Per pupil spending ?

78.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

98.4%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

4483 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49508-4622

(616) 455-5220

District: Kentwood Public Schools

Students who attend Bowen Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Crestwood Middle School
High:	East Kentwood High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

35.3%

Asian:

23.5%

Hispanic:

18.2%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Bowen Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 29th percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Michigan median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Social Studies scores 14 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg39%

Michigan avg38%

692^nd of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Kentwood Public Schools

331^st of 625Kentwood 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	50.3	692 of 1492	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.8	912 of 1488	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.1	711 of 1486	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.9	786 of 1470	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.4	565 of 1344	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.3	669 of 1153	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.2	801 of 1408	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.7	1056 of 1448	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.9	1110 of 1466	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.6	1097 of 1548	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.0	1019 of 1580	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.7	929 of 1533	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	24.8	1258 of 1563	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.0	1383 of 1566	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.3	1304 of 1552	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	48.7	1088 of 1552	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	47.3	1102 of 1589	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.3	901 of 1577	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	63.6	636 of 1565	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.2	1065 of 1545	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	70.5	63 of 388	83.8%	★★★★☆
2025	35.7	213 of 369	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.5	104 of 348	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	60.6	85 of 321	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	69.0	47 of 212	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	59.5	137 of 475	71.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	64 of 100	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.4	82 of 95	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	76 of 97	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	72 of 84	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	40 of 51	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	26 of 29	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.2	95 of 101	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	67.4	48 of 188	74.5%	★★★★☆
2025	43.7	92 of 173	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.4	64 of 184	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.5	69 of 180	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.6	28 of 98	71.4%	★★★★☆
2021	54.4	22 of 42	47.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.1	34 of 117	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	35.6	179 of 270	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	39.1	767 of 1343	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.9	997 of 1338	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.0	576 of 1342	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.7	708 of 1321	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.3	842 of 1106	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.5	600 of 902	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	682 of 1171	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.3	1014 of 1443	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	62.6	406 of 1352	70.0%	★★★★☆
2025	44.3	726 of 1346	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.8	420 of 1381	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.2	428 of 1350	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.0	217 of 1099	80.3%	★★★★☆
2021	60.1	241 of 749	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	446 of 1134	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.1	906 of 1397	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	527 of 1372	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.5	782 of 1366	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	758 of 1347	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	829 of 1334	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.6	401 of 1139	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.8	539 of 915	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.0	663 of 1196	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.4	1030 of 1446	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	29.9	937 of 1253	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)84th percentile+30 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)74th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)62nd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)43rd percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2026)36th percentile-18 vs school

White (2018)25th percentile~ school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts45%+4 vs state

Math41%+3 vs state

Science36%-4 vs state

Social Studies13%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bowen 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
Bowen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4483 Kalamazoo Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 455-5220	357	23	15.3	78.2%	63 (17.6%)	126 (35.3%)	65 (18.2%)	84 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.3%)	50.3	692^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	53.6%		36.8	912^th of 1488 public elementary schools	38.7%	220			45.7	41.7	46.7			52.2	38.9	31.1			35.6		13.3		98.4%	0%	$16,963	$2,221	$14,742
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%)	42.4	819^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.1%		43.9	813^th of 1488 public elementary schools	45.4%	6			44.7	36.4	38.6			60.5	36.4	29.5			25.0		6.8		94.2%	1.4%	$16,219	$2,264	$13,955
Sherwood Global Studies Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	3859 Chamberlain Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	Grand Rapids Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 819-3095	121	10	11.6	76.9%	8 (6.6%)	70 (57.9%)	29 (24.0%)	5 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.4%)	19.1	1192^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	20.1%		20.3	1154^th of 1488 public elementary schools	22.4%	38			16.7	20.0	26.5	15.4		40.0	22.9	11.8	1567.4		20.6		1472.5		93.5%	6.5%	$21,518	$2,796	$18,721
New Branches Charter Academy	Public, Magnet, Charter	K-8	3662 Poinsettia Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49508	Kent County	New Branches Charter Academy	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(616) 243-6221	345	27	12.6	89.0%	34 (9.9%)	176 (51.0%)	89 (25.8%)	13 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.6%)	19.5	1183^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	20.7%		16.5	1234^th of 1488 public elementary schools	17.1%	51	58.6	37.9	10.7	1381.9	27.3	30.8	41.7	14.3	1376.1	12.1	15.4	20.8	24.2	41.4	18.2	37.9	89.2%	5.4%	$14,420	$2,256	$12,164
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%)	33	954^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.1%		41.1	844^th of 1488 public elementary schools	43.3%	110			31.7	40.7	30.4			31.7	45.6	17.4			21.7		8.9		88.2%	7.4%	$19,094	$2,474	$16,621
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%)	44	796^th of 1492 public elementary schools	46.6%		43.9	811^th of 1488 public elementary schools	45.5%	15			56.4	38.6	45.7			43.6	28.6	15.5			31.0		25.7		96.6%	0%	$14,226	$1,964	$12,261
Central Kelloggsville Elementary	Public	3-5	4625 Jefferson Ave SE	Grand Rapids	49548	Kent County	Kelloggsville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 532-1580	494	27	18.1	82.8%	62 (12.6%)	165 (33.4%)	201 (40.7%)	28 (5.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (7.3%)	16	1254^th of 1492 public elementary schools	16.0%		17.2	1219^th of 1488 public elementary schools	18.1%	35			15.7	24.5	19.2			21.6	21.1	9.6			27.2		12.7				$15,591	$1,721	$13,871
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%)	76.4	317^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.8%		52.1	685^th of 1488 public elementary schools	54.0%	368			50.0	56.9	62.1			46.9	55.2	50.5			52.4		37.9		92.8%	2.4%	$14,623	$1,669	$12,954
Hamilton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3303 Breton Rd SE	Kentwood	49512	Kent County	Kentwood Public Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(616) 455-4400	0			—															(n/a)			29.1	35.7	28.0			32.7	19.6	24.0			24.0		16.0		92.1%	2.6%
Southeast Kelloggsville School	Public	K-2	240 52nd St SE	Grand Rapids	49548	Kent County	Kelloggsville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(616) 532-1590	287	18	15.7	82.6%	32 (11.1%)	121 (42.2%)	97 (33.8%)	15 (5.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (7.0%)								(n/a)																	97.7%	1.1%	$16,950	$1,450	$15,500

Frequently Asked Questions about Bowen Elementary

What schools do graduates of Bowen Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bowen Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Crestwood Middle School
High : East Kentwood High School

What district is Bowen Elementary in?

Kentwood Public Schools

Is Bowen Elementary a good school?

Bowen Elementary ranks 692^nd of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Bowen Elementary?

Students at Bowen Elementary are 35% African American, 24% Asian, 18% Hispanic, 18% White, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Bowen Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 357 students attended Bowen Elementary.

Rate Bowen 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.