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River Valley Academy

Public Grades 9-12

562^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 739 Michigan High Schools

Better than 24% of Michigan high schools

Summary

River Valley Academy is a small public high school in Rockford, Michigan, serving 40 students in grades 9-12. Despite being part of the highly-ranked Rockford Public Schools district, River Valley Academy consistently underperforms compared to its larger, better-resourced neighboring schools.

The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Michigan high schools, receiving a low 1-2 star rating from SchoolDigger. Its academic performance is significantly below the district and state averages, with proficiency rates in M-Step Science and Social Studies ranging from 23-31%, compared to 50-65% for the district and 35-42% for the state. River Valley Academy's SAT performance is also below the district and state, with only 54-82% of students meeting the evidence-based reading and writing benchmark, and 28-54% meeting the math benchmark, compared to 74-81% and 48-53% for the district, respectively. The school's four-year graduation rates have been highly variable, ranging from 31.8% to 95.4%, and its dropout rates have been high, ranging from 0.9% to 22.7%.

Despite higher per-student spending ($50,547) compared to the nearby Rockford High School ($13,969) and smaller class sizes, River Valley Academy's academic outcomes are significantly worse. The school also serves a higher proportion of low-socioeconomic status students, with 43-52% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 14% at Rockford High School. Addressing the root causes of the school's chronic absenteeism, which ranges from 11.1% to 77.0%, may be key to improving its overall performance and providing a more equitable education for its students.

Students ?

7.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$50,547

Per pupil spending ?

48.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

350 N Main St
Rockford, MI 49341-1020

(616) 863-6324

District: Rockford Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.1%

Hispanic:

10.8%

Two or more races:

5.4%

See top rated Michigan high schools

Compare River Valley Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 25th percentile in 2012 → 24th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (23% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (24th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Michigan average (32% vs 83%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg62%

Michigan avg38%

562^nd of 739

Michigan public high schools ?

Bottom 24%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 30% (2015) to bottom 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Rockford Public Schools

39^th of 613Rockford 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	22.3	562 of 739	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.3	539 of 743	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.5	424 of 735	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.9	528 of 824	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	10.8	654 of 835	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.5	639 of 852	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.3	579 of 832	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	24.2	586 of 799	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	25.5	577 of 805	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.7	579 of 773	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	11.9	678 of 784	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	6.9	712 of 765	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	11.2	662 of 754	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	46.8	487 of 767	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	42.0	356 of 654	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2018	18.1	555 of 707	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2024	16.8	559 of 638	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	520 of 647	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.0	464 of 708	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)46th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2018)21st percentile-14 vs school

White (2024)12th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Science23%-12 vs state

Social Studies23%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near River Valley Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (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	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
River Valley Academy	Public	9-12	350 N Main St	Rockford	49341	Kent County	Rockford Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 863-6324	37	5	7.1	48.6%	30 (81.1%)	1 (2.7%)	4 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.4%)	22.3	562^nd of 739 public high schools	24.0%		26.3	539^th of 743 public high schools	27.5%	23			23.1	23.1	$50,547	$753	$49,794
Rockford High School	Public	9-12	4100 Kroes St NE	Rockford	49341	Kent County	Rockford Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 863-6030	1,750	90	19.4	16.2%	1,526 (87.2%)	16 (0.9%)	96 (5.5%)	28 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (4.7%)	95	28^th of 739 public high schools	96.2%		91.9	50^th of 743 public high schools	93.3%	22	81.8	53.9	60.3	65.5	$13,969	$1,232	$12,737
Northview Next Learning Center	Public, Virtual	9-12	5365 Plainfield Ave NE	Grand Rapids	49525	Kent County	Northview Public Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(616) 361-7396	136	0	348.7	54.4%	83 (61.0%)	15 (11.0%)	21 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (12.5%)	41.4	433^rd of 739 public high schools	41.4%		37.5	451^st of 743 public high schools	39.3%	18	45.5		30.0	35.0	$8,429	$2,107	$6,322
Cedar Springs High School	Public	9-12	204 E Muskegon St	Cedar Springs	49319	Kent County	Cedar Springs Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 696-1200	952	47	20.4	29.7%	832 (87.4%)	6 (0.6%)	51 (5.4%)	8 (0.8%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (5.3%)	80	113^th of 739 public high schools	84.7%		72.7	164^th of 743 public high schools	77.9%	51	64.1	34.1	56.3	56.8	$13,873	$1,041	$12,832
New Beginnings Alternative High School	Public	9-12	204 E Muskegon St	Cedar Springs	49319	Kent County	Cedar Springs Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 696-1203	50	2	20.0	54.0%	41 (82.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.0%)	1 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (10.0%)								(n/a)					$15,342	$772	$14,570
Northview High School	Public	9-12	4451 Hunsberger Ave NE	Grand Rapids	49525	Kent County	Northview Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 363-4857	1,078	55	19.7	32.4%	748 (69.4%)	112 (10.4%)	106 (9.8%)	9 (0.8%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (9.2%)	63.4	241^st of 739 public high schools	67.4%		72.9	160^th of 743 public high schools	78.5%	81	56.3	28.5	43.7	45.6	$14,764	$1,202	$13,562
Northview Next Career Center	Public	9-12	3801 E Beltline Ave NE	Grand Rapids	49525	Kent County	Northview Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 361-7396	32	3	9.3	50.0%	18 (56.3%)	4 (12.5%)	2 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (25.0%)								(n/a)					$24,922	$748	$24,173
Comstock Park High School	Public	9-12	150 6 Mile Rd NE	Comstock Park	49321	Kent County	Comstock Park Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 254-5204	522	28	18.7	44.3%	299 (57.3%)	36 (6.9%)	143 (27.4%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.1%)	66.9	208^th of 739 public high schools	71.9%		62.3	244^th of 743 public high schools	67.2%	36	58.9	33.6	38.3	49.5	$14,959	$1,564	$13,395
Comstock Park Flex Academy	Public, Magnet	9-12	150 6 Mile Rd NE	Comstock Park	49321	Kent County	Comstock Park Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(616) 254-5204	33	1	25.5	75.8%	15 (45.5%)	5 (15.2%)	9 (27.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (12.1%)								(n/a)					$15,411	$841	$14,570
Sparta Senior High School	Public	9-12	475 W Spartan Dr	Sparta	49345	Kent County	Sparta Area Schools	No	No	No	No	(616) 887-8213	778	40	19.6	36.1%	628 (80.7%)	13 (1.7%)	113 (14.5%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.2%)	63.3	244^th of 739 public high schools	67.0%		71.4	167^th of 743 public high schools	77.5%	77	54.8	35.3	33.7	50.0	$13,888	$1,842	$12,045

Frequently Asked Questions about River Valley Academy

What is the racial makeup of River Valley Academy?

Students at River Valley Academy are 81% White, 11% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

How many students attend River Valley Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 37 students attended River Valley Academy.

Is River Valley Academy a good school?

River Valley Academy ranks in the bottom 24.0% of Michigan high schools.

What district is River Valley Academy in?

Rockford 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.