The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in Social studies. The lowest is 31% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kenowa Hills Middle School
Kenowa Hills Middle School sits on the northwest side of Grand Rapids, serving grades six through eight as part of Kenowa Hills Public Schools. It is a regular public school with a steady enrollment of roughly six hundred students spread across the three grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and small representation from other racial and ethnic groups. Nearly half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which gives the school a mixed-income character rather than a uniformly affluent or uniformly high-need profile. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those portions of the student experience remain undescribed here.
On Michigan's state assessments for the 2024-25 school year, the school's results paint a mixed academic picture. In math, proficiency declines as students move up: sixth graders show the strongest performance, seventh graders sit somewhat lower, and eighth graders fall further below that. The pattern suggests math is a soft spot, and a parent may want to look into how the school supports students who are struggling to keep pace as the content advances. English language arts tells a more complicated story. Sixth-grade proficiency is moderate, seventh grade drops sharply to the lowest point in the building, and then eighth grade jumps to a strong majority meeting proficiency. The eighth-grade ELA result comes from the PSAT rather than the M-STEP used in sixth and seventh grades, which means part of that leap reflects a different test instrument rather than a pure year-over-year gain. Still, the eighth-grade ELA standing is a clear bright spot. Science and social studies, tested only in eighth grade, land in a middling range, with social studies slightly ahead of science. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency sits just below the midpoint among districts in Kent County, close to the county median but not above it.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. The school does not have a graduation rate, chronic absenteeism figure, or course-access listing in the data provided, which is expected for a middle school that does not award diplomas and may not report all of these measures at this level. Information on discipline, staffing, attendance patterns, and specific program offerings was also absent, so those dimensions of school life could not be assessed. The district brief noted that Kenowa Hills Public Schools has done some publicly reported work around competency-based education, but no specific recent parent-relevant changes could be confirmed from available sources.
The surrounding community is Grand Rapids, Michigan's second-largest city and the economic anchor of West Michigan. The city carries a furniture-manufacturing heritage and has diversified into healthcare, education, and technology. The Grand River runs through downtown, and the city is known for its craft breweries, the annual ArtPrize competition, and institutions like the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, and the Medical Mile corridor of health-science facilities. Walkability is strongest downtown and fades in outer neighborhoods where car dependence rises. The school's address on Hendershot Avenue NW places it in a more residential, suburban-edge part of the city rather than the urban core.
Housing in the school's zip code carries a typical home value in the mid-$300,000s, above the state benchmark but below the national one. County-wide median listing prices sit near $400,000, and rents in the school's zip code are moderate. The local housing market shows steady price appreciation and a balanced supply of active listings, so families moving into the area face a market that is neither overheated nor deeply discounted. A family considering Kenowa Hills Middle School is looking at a mid-sized, mixed-income school with uneven academic results across subjects and grade levels, in a growing city with strong cultural and healthcare amenities and a housing market that runs a step above the state average.
See more original research from School Decision →