Excel Charter Academy, Grand Rapids MI

Original Research by School Decision on Excel Charter Academy

Excel Charter Academy sits on Breton Road on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade in practice, even though its official grade span extends through twelfth. The high school grades carry no enrollment, so a family looking at this school is looking at a K-through-8 experience. No graduation rate applies here, and none is reported, because the upper grades are empty. This is a charter school operating as its own district under the same name, which means the governance, enrollment decisions, and academic program all run through a single charter authorization rather than a traditional public school district board.

The student body is diverse in a way that mirrors Grand Rapids itself. Black and white students each make up roughly a third of the population, with Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races forming the next largest groups, and a smaller Asian student population rounding it out. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which locates this school squarely in the working- and middle-income neighborhoods of the city rather than in an affluent enclave. The school does not report data on English learners or students with individualized education programs, so a parent whose child needs either of those supports would want to ask the school directly how those services are delivered.

Academically, Excel Charter Academy stands in the top quartile among Kent County districts when you average proficiency across the tested subjects and grades. That is a strong relative position. The state testing picture comes from M-STEP in grades three through seven and the PSAT in grade eight, covering math, English language arts, science, and social studies.

In English language arts, the school shows real strength. Fifth graders and eighth graders reach proficiency at notably high levels, with eighth graders in particular performing well above what you might expect for a school with this demographic profile. Middle-grade ELA results dip somewhat in sixth grade but stay in a solid range across the board. Math tells a more uneven story. Third and fourth graders perform well, with roughly half or slightly more testing proficient, but proficiency slips as students move into the upper elementary and middle grades, with eighth-grade math landing as the weakest spot. Science results are encouraging in both tested grades, and social studies follows a pattern similar to ELA, with eighth graders performing strongly and fifth graders lagging.

No participation rate data was available for any grade or subject, and no multi-year trend data was provided, so it is hard to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability. The school does not report chronic absenteeism, and no staffing, course access, or discipline data was included in what we received. A parent weighing this school against others might want to ask about class sizes, teacher retention, and what enrichment or intervention structures sit behind these test results.

Grand Rapids gives the school its context. Michigan's second-largest city and the economic anchor of West Michigan, it blends a furniture-manufacturing legacy with a diversified modern economy built on healthcare, education, retail, and manufacturing. The Medical Mile corridor has drawn major investment in health-science facilities, and employers like Corewell Health, Meijer, and Steelcase shape the labor market. Downtown is walkable and active, with museums, breweries, Van Andel Arena, and the Grand River running through the center, while outer neighborhoods are more car-dependent. The city hosts ArtPrize annually, a large public art competition that activates civic spaces.

The housing market around the school's zip code sits right near the national benchmark for typical home values, and above the state benchmark, with rents also running higher than the state level. Both home values and rents have been rising modestly year over year, which reflects the broader Grand Rapids pattern of steady urban reinvestment. For a family renting in this part of the city, the cost is manageable relative to coastal markets but represents the premium of living in a growing midwestern metro.

What the data does not tell you is the school's pedagogical approach, its culture, or its extracurricular offerings. No program information was provided. The district brief search turned up no recent referendums, curriculum overhauls, or leadership changes that would help a parent understand recent direction. What the data does show is a charter school with a diverse student body, solid reading and science results, uneven math performance in the upper grades, and a strong overall proficiency standing relative to its county peers. For a Grand Rapids family looking for a K-through-8 charter option on the southeast side, this is a school whose academic results earn attention, with open questions a visit or a call could answer.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 55%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 46%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

This schoolExcel Charter Academy, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income65%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income51%Higher-income58%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income61%Higher-income83%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income61%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income78%43 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income67%Higher-income82%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income51%Higher-income61%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income68%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income60%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income61%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income70%37 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income57%26 pp gap