Westwood Middle School

Summary:

Westwood Middle School is a public middle school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving 189 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Grand Rapids Public Schools district, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Westwood Middle School faces significant challenges, with a student population that is 38.1% African American, 39.68% Hispanic, and only 13.23% White. The school consistently ranks among the lowest-performing middle schools in Michigan, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Chronic absenteeism is a major issue, ranging from 43.4% in 2018-2019 to 67% in 2021-2022, and 91.01% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite relatively high per-student spending of $22,042, the school's academic performance remains poor, with proficiency rates in core subjects well below state and district averages.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Wyoming Intermediate, Kenowa Hills Middle School, and Burton Middle School, Westwood Middle School consistently performs worse academically and has higher rates of chronic absenteeism and poverty. This suggests that the challenges faced by Westwood Middle School are not unique to the school itself but may be indicative of broader systemic issues within the Grand Rapids Public Schools district.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 1525 Mount Mercy Dr NW
       Grand Rapids, MI  49504-4904


(616) 819-3322

District: Grand Rapids Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
892nd of 897 Michigan Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $22,042 Help


Students who attend Westwood Middle School usually attend:

High:    City MiddleHigh
    Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
    Innovation Central High
    Union High School

Feeder schools for Westwood Middle School:

Elementary:    Harrison Park Academy
    Shawmut Hills School
    Sibley School
    Stocking Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  14.2 Help
Number of students:  189

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
39.7%
African American:
38.1%
White:
13.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  91% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Westwood Middle School ranks worse than 99.4% of middle schools in Michigan. It also ranks last among 5 ranked middle schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 4.34. (See more...)
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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
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Compare Details Student population at Westwood Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (39.7%), African American (38.1%), White (13.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 91% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Westwood Middle School is 14.2, which is the lowest among 8 middle schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Westwood Middle School employs 13.3 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Westwood Middle School is $22,042, which is the highest among 8 middle schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Westwood Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Westwood Middle School 892nd of 897 Michigan public middle schools. (See Westwood Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:


Grand Rapids Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Grand Rapids Public Schools 471st of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Westwood Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 7.29 766th 806 5.0%
2007 6.53 788th 823 4.3%
2008 8.08 792nd 839 5.6%
2009 4.32 816th 847 3.7%
2010 4.85 817th 851 4.0%
2011 3.09 842nd 858 1.9%
2012 6.89 875th 900 2.8%
2013 9.33 858th 919 6.6%
2014 6.97 878th 921 4.7%
2015 8.95 853rd 919 7.2%
2016 7.75 830th 894 7.2%
2017 5.57 805th 821 1.9%
2018 8.16 815th 838 2.7%
2019 4.08 778th 792 1.8%
2021 6.38 664th 675 1.6%
2022 11.42 708th 776 8.8%
2023 10.66 798th 883 9.6%
2024 4.34 892nd 897 0.6%
See the entire list of Michigan Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.48 155th 156 0.6%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 17.56 149th 154 3.2%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 10.08 770th 815 5.5%
2019 5.43 660th 672 1.8%
2021 11.18 504th 523 3.6%
2022 16.94 606th 691 12.3%
2023 14.53 735th 825 10.9%
2024 5.01 828th 836 1.0%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 8.35 745th 794 6.2%
2019 3.37 651st 658 1.1%
2022 14.69 582nd 657 11.4%
2023 9.77 717th 770 6.9%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.63 774th 797 2.9%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 15.46 356th 366 2.7%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 9.31 262nd 266 1.5%
2019 5.18 136th 137 0.7%
2022 14.55 124th 138 10.1%
2023 10.89 237th 246 3.7%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Westwood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 4.23 670th 678 1.2%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Middle 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.

Westwood Middle 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 Westwood Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 354 166 34 84 13 n/a n/a 0 651
1989 305 133 25 103 12 n/a n/a 0 578
1990 304 164 22 116 12 n/a n/a 0 618
1991 345 199 16 116 13 n/a n/a 5 694
1992 346 201 18 135 16 n/a n/a 0 716
1993 329 184 23 150 12 n/a n/a 0 698
1995 514 185 24 185 20 n/a n/a 0 928
1996 514 185 24 185 20 n/a n/a 0 928
1997 414 97 19 249 19 n/a n/a 0 798
1998 356 102 24 252 17 n/a n/a 0 751
1999 348 95 27 278 15 n/a n/a 0 763
2000 356 103 18 331 20 n/a n/a 0 828
2001 318 79 14 216 12 n/a n/a 0 639
2002 348 116 8 282 13 n/a n/a 0 767
2003 348 116 8 282 13 n/a n/a 0 767
2004 327 102 4 222 11 n/a n/a 0 666
2005 235 109 0 203 6 n/a n/a 59 612
2006 162 82 2 198 1 n/a n/a 44 489
2007 129 85 1 198 5 n/a n/a 48 466
2008 78 71 n/a 161 8 n/a n/a 48 366
2009 92 75 1 159 2 n/a n/a 46 375
2010 78 79 1 5 5 n/a n/a 204 372
2011 105 106 3 232 5 0 35 0 486
2012 80 102 2 206 5 0 43 0 438
2013 80 101 1 184 5 0 32 0 403
2014 79 90 0 171 4 0 30 0 374
2015 75 83 0 169 4 1 26 0 358
2016 54 92 0 145 2 1 31 0 325
2017 49 90 7 129 2 1 28 0 306
2018 38 104 4 136 3 0 27 0 312
2019 30 110 2 139 3 0 39 0 323
2020 32 93 2 138 0 0 37 0 302
2021 29 70 2 126 0 0 27 0 254
2022 29 60 1 90 2 0 22 0 204
2023 25 72 0 75 2 0 15 0 189

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 Westwood Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 651 n/a n/a n/a
1989 578 n/a n/a 63.3
1990 618 50.0 12.3 57
1991 694 n/a n/a n/a
1992 716 n/a n/a 60.5
1993 698 n/a 0.0 63.8
1995 928 39.6 23.4 48.8
1996 928 39.6 23.4 48.8
1997 798 42.0 19.0 59.1
1998 751 41.0 18.3 61.4
1999 763 39.0 19.6 60
2000 828 46.8 17.7 70
2001 639 46.8 13.7 63.7
2002 767 40.4 19.0 74.8
2003 767 40.4 19.0 74.8
2004 666 40.0 16.7 75.2
2005 612 37.3 16.4 90.1
2006 489 29.9 16.4 94.2
2007 466 27.4 17.0 99
2008 366 25.7 14.2 103.8
2009 375 24.8 15.1 104.9
2010 372 26.4 14.0 209.5
2011 486 28.0 17.3 97.5
2012 438 35.4 12.3 97
2013 403 36.3 11.1 90.3
2014 374 26.3 14.2 88.5
2015 358 24.0 14.9 90.5
2016 325 16.0 20.3 78.2
2017 306 15.3 20.0 86.9
2018 312 18.8 16.5 87.8
2019 323 19.7 16.3 83.3
2020 302 20.7 14.5 94.4
2021 254 17.2 14.7 97.2
2022 204 15.5 13.1 96.1
2023 189 13.3 14.2 91

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 Westwood Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 651 n/a n/a n/a
1989 578 n/a n/a 63.3
1990 618 50.0 12.3 57
1991 694 n/a n/a n/a
1992 716 n/a n/a 60.5
1993 698 n/a 0.0 63.8
1995 928 39.6 23.4 48.8
1996 928 39.6 23.4 48.8
1997 798 42.0 19.0 59.1
1998 751 41.0 18.3 61.4
1999 763 39.0 19.6 60
2000 828 46.8 17.7 70
2001 639 46.8 13.7 63.7
2002 767 40.4 19.0 74.8
2003 767 40.4 19.0 74.8
2004 666 40.0 16.7 75.2
2005 612 37.3 16.4 90.1
2006 489 29.9 16.4 94.2
2007 466 27.4 17.0 99
2008 366 25.7 14.2 103.8
2009 375 24.8 15.1 104.9
2010 372 26.4 14.0 209.5
2011 486 28.0 17.3 97.5
2012 438 35.4 12.3 97
2013 403 36.3 11.1 90.3
2014 374 26.3 14.2 88.5
2015 358 24.0 14.9 90.5
2016 325 16.0 20.3 78.2
2017 306 15.3 20.0 86.9
2018 312 18.8 16.5 87.8
2019 323 19.7 16.3 83.3
2020 302 20.7 14.5 94.4
2021 254 17.2 14.7 97.2
2022 204 15.5 13.1 96.1
2023 189 13.3 14.2 91

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 Westwood Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,162 (15.7%) $11,572 (84.3%) $13,734
2020 $2,696 (18.6%) $11,778 (81.4%) $14,474
2021 $3,004 (19.2%) $12,657 (80.8%) $15,660
2022 $5,279 (27.0%) $14,253 (73.0%) $19,532
2023 $5,479 (24.9%) $16,562 (75.1%) $22,042

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Westwood Middle 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 778th of 792 Middle schoolsRanks 798th of 883 Middle schools
 7.9%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts (Westwood Middle School)1010
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Grand Rapids Public Schools)23.924.4
 0.5%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)42.736.9
 5.8%
8th Grade Social Studies (Westwood Middle School)5.45.7
 0.3%
   8th Grade Social Studies (Grand Rapids Public Schools)15.914.9
 1%
   8th Grade Social Studies (Michigan)2826.7
 1.3%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Westwood Middle School)22.133.8
 11.7%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Grand Rapids Public Schools)43.143.3
 0.2%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)61.959.7
 2.2%
8th Grade Mathematics (Westwood Middle School)9.516.9
 7.4%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Grand Rapids Public Schools)23.418.9
 4.5%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Michigan)41.436.3
 5.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students323189
 41.5%
African American11072
 34.5%
American Indian32
 33.3%
Asian20
 100%
Hispanic13975
 46%
Pacific Islander00
White3025
 16.7%
Two or More Races3915
 61.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients83.3%91%
 7.7%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Westwood Middle School

Students at Westwood Middle School are 40% Hispanic, 38% African American, 13% White, 8% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

Students who attend Westwood Middle School usually go on to attend City MiddleHigh

Westwood Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.6% of Michigan middle schools.

In the 2022-23 school year, 189 students attended Westwood Middle School.


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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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