The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Northern Trails 56 School
NorthernTrails 5/6 School sits on Leonard Street in the Grand Rapids address area but belongs to Forest Hills Public Schools, one of the larger and more resourced districts in Kent County. It is a regular public school serving only fifth and sixth grades, which makes it a transitional building rather than a full K-12 campus. There is no graduation rate, no high school course catalog, and no AP or career pathway data here, and those gaps simply reflect the grade band the school serves. A school that stops at sixth grade does not produce those metrics.
State assessment results from the most recent M-STEP cycle are available and tell a consistent story across both grades. English language arts is the school's strongest area, with a large majority of fifth and sixth graders scoring proficient or above in both grades. Science proficiency among fifth graders is also strong. Math results are solid but more modest, with just over half of each grade reaching proficiency. Social studies proficiency among fifth graders sits just above the midpoint. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Kent County, which is a strong standing among a large cohort of neighboring districts.
The enrollment is moderate for a two-grade building, with roughly equal class sizes across fifth and sixth. The student body is majority white, with Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students making up most of the remaining enrollment, and a small Black population. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively low compared with many schools in the broader Grand Rapids area, suggesting a community with fewer concentrated economic needs. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those profiles are not available here. A parent whose child receives special education or English-learner services may want to ask the school directly about what is offered.
Northern Trails is a non-charter, non-magnet school operating under Forest Hills Public Schools. No Title I status was reported. Information on discipline practices, course access, staffing ratios, and attendance or chronic absenteeism was not available in the data provided, so those aspects of school environment are left out rather than guessed. The district brief for Forest Hills Public Schools did not surface any parent-relevant changes from recent years, so there is little to report on new programs, boundary shifts, or leadership transitions.
The Grand Rapids setting, as publicly reported, is Michigan's second-largest city and the economic and cultural hub of West Michigan. The city carries a legacy as the Furniture City and has diversified into healthcare, education, manufacturing, and technology. Corewell Health is the region's largest employer, and the Medical Mile corridor has drawn major investment in health-sciences facilities. Meijer and Steelcase also anchor the local economy. Cultural amenities include the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Van Andel Arena, and the annual ArtPrize competition. The downtown core is walkable, with breweries, restaurants, and event spaces near the Grand River, while outer neighborhoods are more car-dependent. The city has seen steady population growth and ongoing urban revitalization.
The housing market in the school's zip code sits above the state benchmark for home values and close to the national benchmark, making this one of the more expensive residential areas relative to much of Michigan. County-wide, the market shows a healthy supply of active listings and a median listing price that has moved up modestly over the past year. Homes are spending a little over a month on the market on average. Rents in the zip code are moderate, and the rent-to-income ratio sits below the mortgage-to-income ratio, which means renting is comparatively less burdensome than buying at current prices and rates. For a family weighing where to live while their child attends Northern Trails, this is a market where ownership carries a meaningful premium.
What this school offers is a focused two-year academic experience in a district that performs well by county standards, set within a metro area rich in cultural and economic resources. The academic results are strongest in reading and writing and solid in science, with math and social studies results that are adequate but leave room for growth. A parent looking at this school for a fifth or sixth grader would find a building with strong peer outcomes and a community that is relatively affluent for the region, and may want to ask the school directly about special education, English-learner support, and day-to-day school climate, since those pieces are not visible in the available data.
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