The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Science. The lowest is 31% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Congress Elementary
Congress Elementary sits on Baldwin Street SE in Grand Rapids, part of the Grand Rapids Public Schools district. It serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and operates as a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. The enrollment is modest for an elementary building, and the student body reflects the racial diversity of its surrounding neighborhood. White students form the largest single group, with Black and Hispanic students each making up substantial shares, and a smaller portion identifying as two or more races. A clear majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which aligns with the urban neighborhood context the school sits in. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those populations could not be characterized here.
On state assessments, the most recent M-STEP results tell a story of growth across the grade levels that are tested. Third and fourth grade proficiency in both math and English language arts sits in the lower range, with fewer than a third of tested students reaching proficiency in either subject. The picture shifts substantially by fifth grade. Math proficiency rises to a level approaching half of tested students, and English language arts proficiency reaches a clear majority. Science results for fifth graders mirror that stronger performance, with a majority proficient. Social studies proficiency lands in a middling band. The overall proficiency index, which averages across tested subjects and grades, places Congress above the midpoint among districts in Kent County, sitting just shy of the county median. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies. Chronic absenteeism figures were not reported in the available data.
The district context matters here. Grand Rapids Public Schools adopted a strategic plan covering several years, built on community input and earlier gains in graduation rates, attendance, and test scores. The plan centers on restoring stability and growth, with multiple initiatives organized around prioritized outcomes. A parent considering Congress may want to ask school leaders how the elementary-level initiatives in that plan are playing out in classrooms, particularly around the trajectory from early to upper elementary performance.
The surrounding city shapes what daily life looks like for families at Congress. Grand Rapids is Michigan's second-largest city and the economic center of West Michigan, with a heritage in furniture manufacturing that has evolved into a diversified economy. Healthcare, education, manufacturing, and technology anchor the local job market, with Corewell Health standing as the region's largest employer. The Medical Mile corridor concentrates health-science institutions along the downtown riverfront, and major investments have expanded cancer care, children's hospital capacity, and research facilities. Meijer and Steelcase also anchor employment. The city is known publicly as Beer City USA for its concentration of craft breweries and hosts the annual ArtPrize competition, which activates public spaces with large-scale art.
Downtown Grand Rapids carries a walkable core with museums, arenas, restaurants, and the Grand River running through it. Outer neighborhoods become more car-dependent, and Congress sits in one of those residential areas east of downtown. The housing market in the school's zip code runs above both the state and national benchmarks for typical home values, with rents also above state levels. County-wide listing inventory has held relatively steady, and median listing prices have drifted upward modestly. Homes in this area turn over within a month or so on market, and the balance of supply and demand suggests a market that is active without being severely constrained.
For a family weighing Congress, the academic signal is one of a school where upper-elementary students perform at a comparatively strong level while the earlier grades show room to grow. The diverse peer environment and the urban Grand Rapids setting come with access to the city's cultural and institutional amenities, against a housing market that sits on the pricier side of the region.
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