Thornapple Elementary School

Summary:

Thornapple Elementary School is a public elementary school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving 395 students in grades PK-4. The school is part of the highly-ranked Forest Hills Public Schools district, which is ranked 15th out of 610 districts in the state.

Thornapple Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Michigan, with a statewide ranking between 27th and 160th out of over 1,500 schools over the past decade. The school has maintained a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating exceptional academic achievement. However, the student population is significantly less diverse than the state average, with a much higher percentage of White (77-79%) and Asian (8-9%) students compared to African American (1-2%) and Hispanic (4-5%) students. The school also has a relatively low percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with only 14.94% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023, compared to the state average.

While Thornapple Elementary's academic performance on state assessments is impressive, with students routinely outperforming their peers at the district and state levels, the school has experienced fluctuations in chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 10.9% in 2019-2020 to 23.5% in 2021-2022. The 2022-2023 rate of 12.5% is lower than the previous year but still higher than the pre-pandemic level. This trend suggests the need for further investigation and strategies to improve student attendance. Overall, Thornapple Elementary is a high-performing school, but the demographic and socioeconomic disparities within its student population may warrant closer examination to ensure equitable access and support for all students.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-4

 6932 Bridgewater Dr SE
       Grand Rapids, MI  49546-9722


(616) 493-8920

District: Forest Hills Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
96th of 1,486 Michigan Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,097 Help


Students who attend Thornapple Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Central Middle School
    Central Woodlands 56 School
High:    Central High School

Student/teacher ratio:  17.6 Help
Number of students:  395

Racial breakdown:

White:
77.2%
Asian:
8.9%
Two or more races:
7.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  14.9% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Thornapple Elementary School ranks better than 93.5% of elementary schools in Michigan. It also ranks 6th among 8 ranked elementary schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 90.85. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (77.2%), Asian (8.9%), two or more races (7.6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 14.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Thornapple Elementary School is 17.6, which is the 4th best among 8 elementary schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Thornapple Elementary School employs 22.4 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Thornapple Elementary School is $13,097. 5 elementary schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Thornapple Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Thornapple Elementary School 96th of 1486 Michigan public elementary schools. (See Thornapple Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Forest Hills Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Forest Hills Public Schools 15th of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Thornapple Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Thornapple Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 83.23 103rd 1545 93.3%
2007 82.01 150th 1565 90.4%
2008 84.29 88th 1577 94.4%
2009 79.50 217th 1589 86.3%
2010 84.68 12th 1552 99.2%
2011 83.25 86th 1552 94.5%
2012 94.34 29th 1566 98.1%
2013 96.23 11th 1563 99.3%
2014 94.39 27th 1533 98.2%
2015 91.76 75th 1580 95.3%
2016 84.95 164th 1548 89.4%
2017 86.40 119th 1466 91.9%
2018 94.39 46th 1448 96.8%
2019 84.53 160th 1408 88.6%
2021 89.27 78th 1153 93.2%
2022 93.75 55th 1344 95.9%
2023 91.72 88th 1470 94.0%
2024 90.85 96th 1486 93.5%
See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Thornapple Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 66.43 333rd 1350 75.3%
2024 45.38 710th 1381 48.6%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Thornapple Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.96 71st 1443 95.1%
2019 85.37 102nd 1171 91.3%
2021 85.73 67th 902 92.6%
2022 93.95 28th 1106 97.5%
2023 92.73 47th 1321 96.4%
2024 91.02 65th 1342 95.2%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Thornapple Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 94.37 36th 1446 97.5%
2019 80.43 174th 1196 85.5%
2021 86.05 80th 915 91.3%
2022 88.81 86th 1139 92.4%
2023 88.73 94th 1334 93.0%
2024 86.76 130th 1347 90.3%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Thornapple Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 92.93 40th 1253 96.8%
2019 82.57 145th 1128 87.1%
2021 87.05 74th 1005 92.6%
2022 92.64 46th 1102 95.8%
2023 86.28 120th 1198 90.0%
2024 86.94 109th 1204 90.9%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Michigan Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Thornapple Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: Michigan Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Thornapple Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 316 5 10 0 0 n/a n/a -3 328
1989 363 4 8 3 0 n/a n/a -3 375
1990 369 8 14 6 0 n/a n/a -2 395
1991 346 3 12 5 0 n/a n/a 63 429
1992 400 5 17 6 0 n/a n/a 0 428
1993 363 5 20 1 0 n/a n/a 0 389
1994 371 3 20 1 2 n/a n/a 0 397
1995 380 3 16 1 3 n/a n/a 0 403
1996 380 3 16 1 3 n/a n/a 0 403
1997 409 2 20 1 0 n/a n/a -21 411
1998 437 5 17 7 2 n/a n/a -19 449
1999 406 4 18 6 0 n/a n/a 0 434
2000 378 4 25 9 0 n/a n/a 35 451
2001 417 9 26 12 1 n/a n/a 0 465
2002 401 0 9 2 4 n/a n/a 0 416
2003 401 0 9 2 4 n/a n/a 0 416
2004 352 3 20 1 1 n/a n/a 0 377
2005 369 7 26 3 0 n/a n/a 0 405
2006 349 5 27 2 1 n/a n/a 1 385
2007 382 5 25 3 1 n/a n/a 0 416
2008 382 5 24 2 n/a n/a n/a 0 413
2009 398 14 23 2 0 n/a n/a 0 437
2010 403 12 15 0 0 n/a n/a 0 430
2011 378 10 17 2 0 0 4 0 411
2012 359 14 14 5 0 0 7 0 399
2013 364 12 17 3 0 0 7 0 403
2014 342 12 25 6 0 0 12 0 397
2015 315 6 22 7 0 0 20 0 370
2016 322 11 29 11 0 0 22 0 395
2017 330 8 25 8 0 0 16 0 387
2018 298 7 24 8 0 0 23 0 360
2019 309 7 27 9 0 0 31 0 383
2020 287 6 37 12 0 0 28 0 370
2021 274 5 33 14 0 0 25 0 351
2022 296 7 31 17 0 0 25 0 376
2023 305 7 35 18 0 0 30 0 395

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Thornapple Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 328 n/a n/a n/a
1989 375 n/a n/a 0.3
1990 395 30.0 13.1 0.8
1991 429 n/a n/a n/a
1992 428 n/a n/a 4.2
1993 389 n/a 0.0 0.8
1994 397 25.9 15.3 1
1995 403 24.7 16.3 2
1996 403 24.7 16.3 2
1997 411 25.0 16.4 0.9
1998 449 20.0 22.5 0.4
1999 434 26.0 16.7 1.2
2000 451 29.2 14.2 1.9
2001 465 27.8 16.7 2.4
2002 416 26.6 15.6 1
2003 416 26.6 15.6 1
2004 377 29.7 12.7 1.3
2005 405 23.3 17.4 3.2
2006 385 23.1 16.7 5.5
2007 416 25.9 16.1 6
2008 413 26.9 15.4 5.1
2009 437 26.7 16.4 8.2
2010 430 23.7 18.1 5.8
2011 411 25.4 16.1 6.8
2012 399 23.5 16.9 6.8
2013 403 24.0 16.7 5.7
2014 397 23.6 16.8 7.8
2015 370 22.0 16.8 5.7
2016 395 23.0 17.1 5.8
2017 387 23.4 16.5 6.7
2018 360 19.5 18.4 9.4
2019 383 22.1 17.3 9.7
2020 370 22.3 16.5 10.5
2021 351 21.3 16.4 13.4
2022 376 22.6 16.6 11.7
2023 395 22.4 17.6 14.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Thornapple Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 328 n/a n/a n/a
1989 375 n/a n/a 0.3
1990 395 30.0 13.1 0.8
1991 429 n/a n/a n/a
1992 428 n/a n/a 4.2
1993 389 n/a 0.0 0.8
1994 397 25.9 15.3 1
1995 403 24.7 16.3 2
1996 403 24.7 16.3 2
1997 411 25.0 16.4 0.9
1998 449 20.0 22.5 0.4
1999 434 26.0 16.7 1.2
2000 451 29.2 14.2 1.9
2001 465 27.8 16.7 2.4
2002 416 26.6 15.6 1
2003 416 26.6 15.6 1
2004 377 29.7 12.7 1.3
2005 405 23.3 17.4 3.2
2006 385 23.1 16.7 5.5
2007 416 25.9 16.1 6
2008 413 26.9 15.4 5.1
2009 437 26.7 16.4 8.2
2010 430 23.7 18.1 5.8
2011 411 25.4 16.1 6.8
2012 399 23.5 16.9 6.8
2013 403 24.0 16.7 5.7
2014 397 23.6 16.8 7.8
2015 370 22.0 16.8 5.7
2016 395 23.0 17.1 5.8
2017 387 23.4 16.5 6.7
2018 360 19.5 18.4 9.4
2019 383 22.1 17.3 9.7
2020 370 22.3 16.5 10.5
2021 351 21.3 16.4 13.4
2022 376 22.6 16.6 11.7
2023 395 22.4 17.6 14.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Thornapple Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $583 (5.5%) $9,940 (94.5%) $10,523
2020 $671 (6.3%) $9,991 (93.7%) $10,662
2021 $1,013 (8.9%) $10,417 (91.1%) $11,430
2022 $866 (7.0%) $11,431 (93.0%) $12,297
2023 $1,144 (8.7%) $11,953 (91.3%) $13,097

Data source: Michigan Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Thornapple Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 160th of 1408 Elementary schoolsRanks 88th of 1470 Elementary schools
 5.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Thornapple Elementary School)50.759.5
 8.8%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Forest Hills Public Schools)60.965.5
 4.6%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.140.9
 4.2%
3rd Grade Math (Thornapple Elementary School)65.877
 11.2%
   3rd Grade Math (Forest Hills Public Schools)69.374.7
 5.4%
   3rd Grade Math (Michigan)46.742.9
 3.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Thornapple Elementary School)77.675.8
 1.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Forest Hills Public Schools)68.170.1
 2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.844.3
 1.5%
4th Grade Math (Thornapple Elementary School)77.669.6
 8%
   4th Grade Math (Forest Hills Public Schools)70.965.5
 5.4%
   4th Grade Math (Michigan)41.838.6
 3.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students383395
 3.1%
African American77
American Indian00
Asian2735
 29.6%
Hispanic918
 100%
Pacific Islander00
White309305
 1.3%
Two or More Races3130
 3.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients9.7%14.9%
 5.3%


Schools Near Thornapple Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Thornapple Elementary School

Students who attend Thornapple Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central Middle School
Middle : Central Woodlands 56 School
High : Central High School

Students at Thornapple Elementary School are 77% White, 9% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 2% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 395 students attended Thornapple Elementary School.

Yes. Thornapple Elementary School ranks in the top 6.5% of Michigan elementary schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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