Bursley School, Jenison MI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Bursley School

Bursley School is a regular public elementary school in Jenison, Michigan, serving kindergarten through sixth grade as part of Jenison Public Schools. Jenison itself is an unincorporated community and census-designated place within Georgetown Charter Township in Ottawa County. Publicly reported sources describe it as a bedroom community near Grand Rapids, predominantly residential, with a suburban character organized around arterial roads like Chicago Drive and Baldwin Street, and highway access via the interstate. The community originated as a lumber settlement along the Grand River and has since transitioned to suburban residential use. Civic administration is handled at the township level, since Jenison lacks its own municipal government. Parks and the Grand River serve as recreational anchors, including Grand Ravines North and South and Steamboat Park. Population has been relatively stable over the past two decades, with modest renewed growth suggested by recent estimates. No major new housing developments were identified in the available research.

The housing market in the school's ZIP code sits roughly at the national level for typical home values, and above the statewide benchmark. Rents are modest relative to the estimated monthly cost of owning with a mortgage at current rates, which makes renting comparatively affordable for families not yet ready to buy. The price-to-income ratio is elevated, meaning a household would need a strong income relative to the area to purchase comfortably. For families considering the area, this is a market where homeownership is attainable but stretched, and renting remains a practical option.

Academically, Bursley shows solid results across the tested grades on Michigan's M-STEP assessment. In English language arts, proficiency rates are consistently above the midpoint, with fourth grade standing out as a particular strength and fifth and sixth grades also performing well. Third grade is the weakest in ELA but still sits around the level where roughly half of tested students are proficient. In math, the picture is more mixed. Fourth grade again performs strongly, while fifth grade dips, with fewer than half of tested students reaching proficiency. Third and sixth grades land in the middle. Science and social studies, both tested in fifth grade, show a majority of students proficient. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among districts in Ottawa County, which is a reasonably strong position given that the county includes some high-performing neighboring districts.

A parent looking at these results might feel encouraged by the upper grades, especially fourth grade across both subjects, and might want to look further into the fifth-grade math dip with the school to understand what drives that result and whether interventions are in place. The data does not include trend comparisons, so it is hard to say whether these are improving or declining patterns. Participation rates were also not reported.

The school serves an enrollment of roughly four hundred students across seven grades, which is a moderate size for an elementary building and allows for multiple sections at most grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic or Latino population making up the next largest group, and smaller proportions of students identifying as Asian, Black, or two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which gives a sense of the economic mix within the school community. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status was not available, so those dimensions cannot be characterized here.

Because Bursley serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the absence of that metric reflects the grade band rather than any gap in the school's performance. No chronic absenteeism data was available either. Information on staffing, course access, discipline, and Title I status was not provided in the available data, so those areas are left out rather than guessed. The district brief did not surface specific parent-relevant changes within Jenison Public Schools in the recent period covered.

What the picture supports is a school with generally solid academic outcomes in a stable suburban community near Grand Rapids, with particular strength in the upper elementary grades and a student body that reflects a mix of economic backgrounds. Families drawn to a suburban setting with river-based recreation and reasonable access to the Grand Rapids metro area may find Bursley a fitting option, with the caveat that fifth-grade math is worth a closer conversation with the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 68% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 58% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 51% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 60% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 59% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 62% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 66% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 64% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 61% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 54% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolJenison Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income61%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income71%Higher-income67%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income68%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income71%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income28%Higher-income69%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income71%Higher-income67%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income52%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income64%34 pp gap