The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gerald Dawkins Academy
Gerald Dawkins Academy is a free public charter school on Grand Rapids' southeast side, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It opened in the fall of 2023, authorized by Grand Valley State University, and was built around a literacy-focused curriculum with small classes capped at roughly twenty students. The school promotes one-to-one technology and SMART classrooms as part of its instructional design. As a new school still building its grade levels, current enrollment is small, and the data shows no students yet in the upper elementary grades the school eventually intends to serve, though state testing was reported for third and fourth grade.
The student body is predominantly Black, with small Hispanic and multiracial populations. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions of the surrounding neighborhoods. Information on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those population details remain an open question a parent may want to raise directly with the school.
On Michigan's M-STEP assessments, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts are low. In math, only a small fraction of tested third and fourth graders reached proficiency. English language arts results were somewhat stronger, with roughly a quarter to a third of tested students demonstrating proficiency. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Kent County. These results are from the school's first tested year, and the tested groups are small, which means a few students moving above or below the proficiency line can shift the picture considerably. Still, the current numbers are a soft spot, and a parent weighing this school may want to ask how the literacy-focused mission is translating into classroom-level growth and what interventions are in place for students working below grade level.
Because Gerald Dawkins Academy serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, and the chronic absenteeism figure was not reported in the available data. Course access and staffing details were also absent, which limits the picture of what the daily academic experience looks like beyond the school's own description of small classes and technology-equipped rooms.
The school sits in the 49507 zip code, an area where housing values run below both the Michigan and national benchmarks. Home prices have appreciated modestly, and rents have risen a bit faster. For families considering the neighborhood, this means relatively accessible housing costs compared with the broader metro, alongside the pressures that come with a community where household incomes tend to be lower.
Grand Rapids itself is Michigan's second-largest city and the economic and cultural anchor of West Michigan. Its economy, once defined by furniture manufacturing, has diversified into healthcare, education, manufacturing, and technology. The Corewell Health system and the Medical Mile corridor of health-science institutions, Meijer's corporate headquarters, and Steelcase all anchor the regional job market. The city's downtown along the Grand River offers museums, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Van Andel Arena, and a concentration of craft breweries that earned Grand Rapids its "Beer City" reputation. The annual ArtPrize competition activates public spaces citywide. Walkability is strongest downtown and tapers in the outer neighborhoods where the school is located, making a car part of daily life for most families.
Gerald Dawkins Academy represents a very new option for Grand Rapids families seeking a small, technology-rich, literacy-centered elementary environment. Its academic results are early and modest, its scale is intimate, and its mission is still taking shape. Parents drawn to small classes and a focused reading emphasis may find the fit appealing, but the current proficiency data suggests asking pointed questions about academic growth before committing.
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