The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gerald Dawkins Academy
Gerald Dawkins Academy is a small, single-site public charter district in Grand Rapids, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It opened in 2023 as a new free public charter school authorized by Grand Valley State University, and its district structure reflects that origin: one school, one building, a tight grade band, and an enrollment small enough that every classroom is intimate by design. The school advertises class sizes of twenty or fewer students, one-to-one technology, SMART classrooms, and a literacy-focused curriculum. For a family looking at Grand Rapids options, this is a young school still building its track record, with a clear educational philosophy centered on early literacy and individual attention.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not available, so the economic profile of the enrollment cannot be characterized from the data provided. The same gap applies to special-education and English-learner rates; those figures were not reported. The school does not yet serve a full K-5 span in practice. Kindergarten through third grade have enrolled students, while fourth and fifth grade show no enrollment, which suggests the school is still growing into its planned grade range.
State assessment results come from Michigan's M-STEP and cover third and fourth grade. In math, proficiency was low in both grades, with only a small number of tested students reaching proficient or above. English language arts results were stronger, with a meaningful jump in the fourth-grade rate compared to third grade, though the number of tested students is small enough that a few individual scores move the percentage substantially. Across both subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile among Kent County's districts. That is a soft spot worth naming plainly. A parent considering this school may want to ask how the literacy-focused curriculum is translating into measured proficiency, and what interventions the school has in place for students performing below grade level, particularly in math.
Because this is an elementary-only district, there is no graduation rate to report, and none applies. Chronic absenteeism and per-pupil spending figures were also not available in the data. No civil-rights data, discipline information, staffing ratios, or course-access details were provided, so those dimensions of the school environment cannot be assessed here. The comparison set used places the academy among Kent County's districts, which is a broad group of more than forty districts; within that set, the school's proficiency results rank low, though its small testing population makes year-to-year comparisons volatile.
What the data does show clearly is a school with a distinct identity: small classes, technology access for every student, a stated emphasis on literacy, and a community centered on Grand Rapids families seeking a charter alternative. The early grade band means a family enrolling a kindergartener would be entering at the foundation of the school's program, with the benefit of close adult attention but also the uncertainty that comes with a new school still working toward full enrollment and stronger assessment outcomes. The literacy focus and small-class commitment are real selling points for the right family. The proficiency numbers, limited as they are by a small student base, are the area a thoughtful parent will want to probe directly with school leadership before deciding.
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