The reality of education in the city of Grand Rapids is unacceptable. Low achievement rates, high drop-out rates, and low college attendance rates have created a crisis.
But this crisis has not occurred in a vacuum:
- GRPS is the third largest district in the state, even though a large percentage of the community's school-age children are not enrolled in the district.
- Three-quarters of the district's students have been identified as economically disadvantaged - nearly the highest concentration of any district in the state.
- One-fourth of the students enrolled in the district have been identified as having disabilities, due in part to the enrollment of out-of-district students in Grand Rapids' regional special education programs.
- One-fifth of the district's students are English language learners.
Insuring a quality education for every child in the City of Grand Rapids will take time and effort. Learn more about these challenges, or go on to the strategies for addressing these challenges.
