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Challenger Elementary

Q: Is Challenger Elementary a good school?

Challenger Elementary ranks 796 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

796^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Challenger Elementary in Grand Rapids, MI, is a K-5 school within Kentwood Public Schools, serving 413 students in a predominantly low-income area where over 80% of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Challenger is a school of contrasts. Its overall state ranking sits in the middle tier (2 stars), but that average hides some remarkable strengths. The school has achieved exceptional results with its Hispanic students, ranking in the 92nd percentile statewide—a level of success not seen at nearby schools like Explorer Elementary or Glenwood Elementary. It also performs strongly with its African American students, earning 4-star ratings in recent years. However, there's a notable gender gap: boys rank in the 58th percentile while girls rank in the 29th percentile, suggesting instructional approaches may resonate differently. In English Language Arts, Challenger actually outpaces district and state averages—3rd-grade reading proficiency hit 56.4% compared to the district's 40.9%. But math tells a different story, with 5th-grade proficiency plummeting to just 15.5%, less than half the state average. This declining trend in upper-grade math is the school's most urgent academic concern.

Chronic absenteeism affects about 1 in 5 students, which is better than district and state averages but still likely contributes to the math struggles. Despite serving a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students than peers like Explorer (55.8%) or Endeavor Elementary (68.7%), Challenger spends less per student ($14,225) than Discovery Elementary ($17,266) or Brookwood Elementary ($19,094). For parents, this means Challenger is achieving meaningful success with its diverse student body despite fewer resources—a school where literacy thrives, specific student groups excel, but where math intervention and attendance support are clearly needed.

413

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,226

Per pupil spending ?

80.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

96.6%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

2475 52nd St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49508-6646

(616) 698-2524

District: Kentwood Public Schools

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Crestwood Middle School
High:	East Kentwood High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

45.0%

White:

16.9%

Hispanic:

14.5%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Challenger Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 28 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

!Math scores 10 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg39%

Michigan avg38%

796^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 28 pts since 2016

From bottom 19% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	44.0	796 of 1492	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.9	811 of 1488	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.2	778 of 1486	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.4	915 of 1470	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.2	691 of 1344	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.9	402 of 1153	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.7	711 of 1408	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.2	863 of 1448	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.7	1042 of 1466	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.2	1252 of 1548	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.5	1110 of 1580	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	37.4	1057 of 1533	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	39.1	1040 of 1563	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.2	1119 of 1566	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	47.1	1054 of 1552	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.2	1057 of 1552	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	74.5	356 of 1589	77.6%	★★★★☆
2008	76.7	301 of 1577	80.9%	★★★★☆
2007	63.7	633 of 1565	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	48.0	1018 of 1545	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	50.0	151 of 388	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.2	75 of 369	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	64.4	79 of 348	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	67.0	65 of 321	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	74.2	24 of 158	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	80.6	26 of 212	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	64.0	108 of 475	77.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	52.0	73 of 188	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.4	63 of 173	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.9	40 of 117	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.7	99 of 270	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	27.1	956 of 1343	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.5	748 of 1338	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	710 of 1342	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.3	867 of 1321	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.4	532 of 1106	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.8	369 of 902	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.4	655 of 1171	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.1	753 of 1443	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	84.3	16 of 209	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	84.3	9 of 188	95.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	51.1	597 of 1352	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.6	468 of 1346	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	463 of 1381	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.9	586 of 1350	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.8	499 of 1099	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.2	166 of 749	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	62.8	345 of 1134	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.3	722 of 1397	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	54.5	579 of 1372	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.0	750 of 1366	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.1	871 of 1347	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	842 of 1334	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.5	634 of 1139	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.7	353 of 915	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.6	607 of 1196	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	904 of 1446	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	58.4	469 of 1199	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.7	430 of 1206	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.5	429 of 1204	64.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)92nd percentile+47 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)61st percentile+15 vs school

African American (2026)61st percentile+14 vs school

White (2026)61st percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)58th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)29th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts46%+5 vs state

Science31%-9 vs state

Math28%-10 vs state

Social Studies26%~ state avg

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, September 27, 2010

Teachers and Principal know the students and work very hard to help them have success, they offer many enrichment programs such as after school clubs that help the students have fun and learn at the same time. Close Quote

Schools Near Challenger 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)				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	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 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 Social Studies 5th 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
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
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%)	45.3	772^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	48.3%		49.5	728^th of 1488 public elementary schools	51.1%	44	45.2	41.6	39.5		38.7	40.3	24.0		26.7	26.7	98.1%	1.9%	$17,266	$3,839	$13,427
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
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
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%)	81.1	252^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	83.1%		82.1	242^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	83.7%	10	48.3	60.9	63.3		52.8	63.0	48.0		51.0	52.0	94.7%	3.2%	$16,412	$1,713	$14,699
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
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%)	62.7	521^st of 1492 public elementary schools	65.1%		47.8	755^th of 1488 public elementary schools	49.3%	234	37.2	56.8	52.2		40.5	42.7	41.8		43.3	40.3	92%	5.3%	$15,573	$2,290	$13,283
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%

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Elementary

What district is Challenger Elementary in?

Kentwood Public Schools

How many students attend Challenger Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 413 students attended Challenger Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Challenger Elementary attend?

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Crestwood Middle School
High : East Kentwood High School

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Elementary?

Students at Challenger Elementary are 45% African American, 17% White, 15% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 10% Two or more races.

Is Challenger Elementary a good school?

Challenger Elementary ranks 796^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Challenger 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.