Summary:
The city of Grand Rapids, Minnesota is home to 8 schools serving students from early childhood through high school, including 3 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 1 alternative school. The district's performance varies, with some standout schools like East Rapids Elementary and Robert J. Elkington Middle School leading the way, while the alternative schools struggle with lower test scores and higher dropout rates.
East Rapids Elementary and Robert J. Elkington Middle School are the district's top performers, with over 60% and 50% of students respectively proficient or better in reading and math on the MCA-III assessments. In contrast, the district's alternative schools, Grand Rapids Area Learning Center and Middle Area Learning Center, have much lower test scores. The district's main high school, Grand Rapids Senior High, has a 84.2% four-year graduation rate and a 4.4% dropout rate, both of which are better than the district and state averages.
The data also reveals significant differences in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from around 40% at the middle schools to over 70% at the alternative schools, indicating higher levels of economic disadvantage at those campuses. While the district has some high-performing schools, the stark performance gaps and declining middle school rankings suggest that the Grand Rapids Public School District may need to address equity issues and leverage best practices from its bright spots to improve outcomes across the board.
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