The top reported proficiency rate is 12% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Alger Middle School
Alger Middle School sits in the southeast side of Grand Rapids, serving grades six through eight as part of Grand Rapids Public Schools. It is a regular public school with an enrollment that is modest for a middle school in this district. The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Hispanic presence and smaller shares of white students and students of two or more races. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the economic conditions of the surrounding neighborhood. The school does not have reported data on English learners or students with individualized education programs, so those population details are not available here.
On state assessments, Alger's proficiency results are low across every tested subject and grade. In math, the proportion of students reaching proficiency sits in the lowest reported range for sixth and seventh graders, and the eighth-grade math result is only slightly above that floor. English language arts shows a similar pattern for sixth and seventh grades, though eighth-grade ELA results are notably stronger, with roughly a quarter of tested students reaching proficiency. Science and social studies, both tested only in eighth grade, show single-digit proficiency rates. When compared to other districts across Kent County, Alger's overall proficiency places it in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, including what academic interventions and supports are in place to move these results.
Because Alger is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report, and that metric simply does not apply to this grade band. The school's data does not include chronic absenteeism figures, discipline information, course access details, or staffing ratios, so those dimensions of the school environment are not available here.
The surrounding city of Grand Rapids is Michigan's second-largest city and the economic anchor of West Michigan. Publicly reported sources describe a place shaped by its furniture-manufacturing heritage and now diversified across healthcare, education, manufacturing, and technology. The Medical Mile corridor has drawn major investment in health-sciences facilities, and downtown offers museums, breweries, Van Andel Arena, and the annual ArtPrize competition. Walkability is strongest in the downtown core and diminishes in the outer neighborhoods where car dependence increases. Major employers include Corewell Health, Meijer, and Steelcase. The zip code around Alger shows home values well below the state and national benchmarks, with rents that are also modest. The county-wide housing market shows a healthy supply of active listings and moderate demand, with homes typically moving in about a month.
At the district level, Grand Rapids Public Schools operates under a strategic plan covering a multi-year period, developed through community input and building on a prior transformation effort that the district says produced higher graduation rates, reduced chronic absenteeism, and improved test scores. The plan centers on restoring stability and growth across the district's schools, which may be relevant context for families watching whether Alger's academic results improve in coming years.
For a family considering Alger Middle School, the picture is one of a small urban middle school serving a high-poverty student population in a city with strong civic and economic assets but a neighborhood where home values and rents run below regional levels. The academic results are a clear area of concern, and a parent would want to understand directly from the school what instructional strategies, tutoring, or support programs are being deployed to address them. The district's strategic plan signals attention to these issues, but the current proficiency data reflects where the school stands today.
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