The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in Science. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sherwood Global Studies Academy
Sherwood Global Studies Academy is a small neighborhood elementary school in southeast Grand Rapids, serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as part of Grand Rapids Public Schools. Its name signals a global studies theme, though the available data does not describe specific programmatic details tied to that focus. The school sits in a residential stretch of the city, in a zip code where home values run below the state and national benchmarks but where the broader Kent County housing market shows steady activity and modest year-over-year price growth.
The student body is compact, with roughly two to three classrooms per grade. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions of the surrounding neighborhood. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly Black, with a sizable Hispanic contingent and smaller groups of Asian, white, and multiracial students. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those dimensions of the school's support environment are not visible here.
On state assessments, the most recent M-STEP results place Sherwood below the midpoint among Kent County districts for overall proficiency. Mathematics results are low across the tested grades, with only a small fraction of students reaching proficiency in third and sixth grade, and fourth and fifth grade results reported in ranges that suggest few or no students cleared the bar. English language arts tells a more mixed story. Fifth grade stands out as the strongest showing, with a meaningful portion of students demonstrating proficiency, and fourth grade results were also somewhat stronger. Third and sixth grade ELA results were weaker. Fifth grade science showed a moderate proficiency rate, while social studies results for that same grade were reported in a range indicating limited proficiency. A parent looking at these patterns may want to ask the school how it supports math instruction in particular, and what interventions are in place across the grade bands.
Because Sherwood serves only elementary and early middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and that gap reflects the grade range rather than anything missing from the school's performance picture. Likewise, the school does not have high school-level course access data, Advanced Placement offerings, or career pathways to describe. Civil rights data, discipline information, staffing ratios, and chronic absenteeism figures were not available in the provided materials, so those aspects of the school environment cannot be characterized here.
Grand Rapids itself is Michigan's second-largest city and the economic anchor of West Michigan. The city carries a legacy as the "Furniture City" and has diversified into healthcare, education, manufacturing, and technology. The Grand Rapids Medical Mile, a corridor of health-science institutions along the downtown riverfront, has drawn substantial investment and is a major employment driver. Other large employers include Corewell Health, the Meijer retail chain, and Steelcase. The downtown core offers museums, breweries, Van Andel Arena, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, while outer neighborhoods become more car-dependent. The city hosts ArtPrize, an annual international art competition that activates public spaces. For a family at Sherwood, this means access to a mid-sized city's cultural and civic amenities, though the immediate school neighborhood is more residential than walkable downtown.
Grand Rapids Public Schools is operating under a strategic plan covering a five-year window through 2027, publicly reported as built on community input and designed to address graduation rates, chronic absenteeism, and test scores. The district frames this plan as a continuation of prior improvement efforts. How that district-level strategy translates into day-to-day changes at Sherwood is something a parent could explore directly with school leadership.
In sum, Sherwood is a small, economically disadvantaged elementary school with a global studies identity, situated in a city with strong civic infrastructure and economic momentum. Its academic results are currently below the middle of the pack for Kent County, with some brighter spots in upper-grade English language arts. Families considering this school would benefit from understanding the supports behind those numbers and how the global studies theme shapes the daily classroom experience.
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