The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Collins Elementary School
Collins Elementary School sits in the Forest Hills Public Schools district on the southeast side of the Grand Rapids area, serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The enrollment is moderate for its grade band, with class sizes distributed across kindergarten through fourth grade and no pre-kindergarten students currently enrolled, despite the listed grade range.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller but visible Asian, multiracial, and Hispanic populations, and a smaller Black presence. Just over a fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is relatively low for the broader Grand Rapids area and points to a mostly middle-class peer environment. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here. A parent wanting detail on special education or language support would need to ask the school directly.
Academic results are a clear strength. On the most recent Michigan state assessments, Collins third graders showed solid proficiency in both math and English language arts, with ELA slightly ahead of math. Fourth-grade results were stronger still, with ELA proficiency particularly high and math also well above what Michigan schools typically post. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Kent County, which is a strong standing among the county's roughly forty comparable districts. Science results were reported only for an older testing period and are not directly comparable to the current M-STEP cycle, so they tell little about the school today. No multi-year trend data was available, which means there is no clear picture of whether performance is improving, holding steady, or slipping over time. A parent interested in that trajectory should look into the school's own reporting.
Because Collins is an elementary school serving only early grades, there is no graduation rate, no college readiness data, and no advanced coursework to report. Those metrics do not apply here. Chronic absenteeism and attendance figures were also not available in the provided data, nor were discipline reports or staffing details. Program offerings were not listed in the data, so whether the school offers art, music, physical education, language instruction, or extracurriculars cannot be confirmed from what was provided. This is a gap a family would want to fill before deciding, especially if those offerings matter to their child.
Grand Rapids itself is Michigan's second-largest city and the economic anchor of West Michigan. Publicly reported sources describe a city shaped by its furniture-manufacturing heritage that has diversified into healthcare, education, manufacturing, and technology. The downtown core along the Grand River is walkable and culturally active, with museums, breweries, Van Andel Arena, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum concentrated near the riverfront. The Grand Rapids Medical Mile concentrates health-science institutions and has drawn substantial investment, including expansions to the Van Andel Institute and Corewell Health facilities. The city hosts ArtPrize, a large-scale annual public art competition, and carries the Beer City USA nickname for its craft brewing scene. Outer neighborhoods, where schools like Collins sit, are more car-dependent than the walkable downtown.
The housing market around Collins reflects that of an established, relatively affluent suburban pocket within the Grand Rapids metro. Home values in the school's zip code run well above both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are also elevated. Price-to-income ratios suggest a market that is pricey relative to typical earnings, and estimated monthly mortgage costs exceed rents by a meaningful margin. Homes in Kent County generally move at a moderate pace, with inventory and demand signals pointing to a market that is active but not frantic. Families considering this area should expect to pay a premium to live in the Collins attendance zone.
The district brief for Forest Hills Public Schools did not surface any parent-relevant changes with lasting impact, so there is nothing to report on recent shifts in programming, boundaries, or leadership. The district is known in the region as a well-resourced suburban system, but the provided data does not go beyond that general characterization. Collins stands out for its strong early-grade academic results and its stable, middle-class community context. What remains unclear from the available data is the texture of the school day itself, its enrichment offerings, and its support for students who need extra help. Those are the questions a visiting parent should bring.
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