Challenger Elementary

Summary:

Challenger Elementary is a public elementary school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving 341 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism, lower academic performance compared to nearby schools, and a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

Challenger Elementary has a diverse student population, with a higher percentage of African American (42.23%) and Hispanic (16.72%) students compared to the state average. While the school's academic performance, as measured by M-Step test scores, is generally below the Kentwood Public Schools district and the state average, its African American and Hispanic students have performed relatively well compared to their peers in the state. Additionally, the school has seen a steady increase in per-student spending, rising from $10,714 in 2019-2020 to $13,182 in 2022-2023, and has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 14.2 to 17 students per teacher over the past few years.

When compared to other nearby schools in the Kentwood Public Schools district, Challenger Elementary generally performs below average. For example, Explorer Elementary, which is located just 1.88 miles away, consistently outperforms Challenger Elementary on M-Step test scores and has a higher statewide ranking. However, the school's diverse student population and the relatively strong performance of its African American and Hispanic students are positive factors that could be leveraged to improve overall outcomes.


Detail:

Public K-5

 2475 52nd St SE
       Grand Rapids, MI  49508-6646


(616) 698-2524

District: Kentwood Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
778th of 1,486 Michigan Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,182 Help


Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Crestwood Middle School
High:    East Kentwood High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.7 Help
Number of students:  367

Racial breakdown:

African American:
45.0%
White:
17.4%
Hispanic:
14.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  78.7% Help


 See top rated Michigan elementary schools

 Compare Challenger Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Challenger Elementary ranks worse than 52.4% of elementary schools in Michigan. It also ranks 5th among 10 ranked elementary schools in the Kentwood Public Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 44.18. (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 Student population at Challenger Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (45%), White (17.4%), Hispanic (14.7%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 78.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Challenger Elementary is 16.7. 5 elementary schools in the Kentwood Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Challenger Elementary employs 21.9 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Challenger Elementary is $13,182. 7 elementary schools in the Kentwood Public Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Challenger Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Challenger Elementary 778th of 1486 Michigan public elementary schools. (See Challenger Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


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


Kentwood Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Kentwood Public Schools 318th of 610 Michigan school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Challenger Elementary.

What do you think?

Your rating for Challenger Elementary?

Rank History for Challenger Elementary

Help
Compare

Rank History for all students at Challenger Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 47.98 1018th 1545 34.1%
2007 63.72 633rd 1565 59.6%
2008 76.65 301st 1577 80.9%
2009 74.53 356th 1589 77.6%
2010 50.18 1057th 1552 31.9%
2011 47.13 1054th 1552 32.1%
2012 36.19 1119th 1566 28.5%
2013 39.08 1040th 1563 33.5%
2014 37.37 1057th 1533 31.1%
2015 33.47 1110th 1580 29.7%
2016 19.24 1252nd 1548 19.1%
2017 28.69 1042nd 1466 28.9%
2018 45.25 863rd 1448 40.4%
2019 47.66 711th 1408 49.5%
2021 58.91 402nd 1153 65.1%
2022 45.23 691st 1344 48.6%
2023 35.41 915th 1470 37.8%
2024 44.18 778th 1486 47.6%
See the entire list of Michigan Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Challenger Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 58.72 99th 270 63.3%
2019 60.90 40th 117 65.8%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Challenger Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.34 722nd 1397 48.3%
2019 62.83 345th 1134 69.6%
2021 69.20 166th 749 77.8%
2022 50.78 499th 1099 54.6%
2023 51.91 586th 1350 56.6%
2024 60.24 463rd 1381 66.5%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Challenger Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.15 753rd 1443 47.8%
2019 44.38 655th 1171 44.1%
2021 53.77 369th 902 59.1%
2022 49.40 532nd 1106 51.9%
2023 33.27 867th 1321 34.4%
2024 43.27 710th 1342 47.1%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Challenger Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 40.19 904th 1446 37.5%
2019 48.58 607th 1196 49.2%
2021 56.67 353rd 915 61.4%
2022 42.47 634th 1139 44.3%
2023 35.51 842nd 1334 36.9%
2024 34.12 871st 1347 35.3%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Challenger Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 64.04 108th 475 77.3%
2019 80.64 26th 212 87.7%
2022 74.24 24th 158 84.8%
2023 67.01 65th 321 79.8%
2024 64.41 79th 348 77.3%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Challenger Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 84.26 9th 188 95.2%
See the entire list of Best Michigan Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Challenger Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools MI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 61.46 429th 1204 64.4%
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.

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





Data source: Michigan Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Monday, September 27, 2010

Open Quote Teachers and Principal know the students and work very hard to help them have success, they offer many enrichment programs such as after school clubs that help the students have fun and learn at the same time. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Challenger Elementary

Help
Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1992 430 65 22 10 2 n/a n/a 0 529
1993 451 67 34 9 4 n/a n/a 0 565
1994 398 57 30 7 3 n/a n/a 0 495
1995 401 55 27 7 2 n/a n/a 0 492
1996 401 55 27 7 2 n/a n/a 0 492
1997 296 67 26 15 2 n/a n/a 0 406
1998 309 80 25 22 1 n/a n/a 0 437
1999 290 71 28 23 1 n/a n/a 0 413
2000 288 82 26 14 0 n/a n/a 0 410
2001 259 110 34 19 1 n/a n/a 0 423
2002 210 157 14 12 1 n/a n/a 0 394
2003 210 157 14 12 1 n/a n/a 0 394
2004 182 165 22 17 0 n/a n/a 6 392
2005 175 153 19 20 0 n/a n/a 9 376
2006 165 141 25 24 0 n/a n/a 10 365
2007 147 116 31 27 0 n/a n/a 9 330
2008 136 122 28 30 1 n/a n/a 10 327
2009 131 98 30 35 1 n/a n/a 17 312
2010 133 123 31 45 1 n/a n/a 25 358
2011 123 114 35 37 2 0 21 0 332
2012 114 137 38 36 2 0 25 0 352
2013 108 122 29 33 0 0 24 0 316
2014 99 125 43 35 0 0 20 0 322
2015 102 143 38 32 0 0 21 0 336
2016 110 156 40 33 1 0 30 0 370
2017 95 154 46 40 1 0 29 0 365
2018 81 147 42 44 1 0 29 0 344
2019 76 147 53 49 0 0 35 0 360
2020 71 161 47 47 1 0 28 0 355
2021 72 168 44 44 0 0 29 0 357
2022 61 169 40 59 1 0 32 0 362
2023 62 144 39 57 0 0 39 0 341
2024 64 165 45 54 0 0 39 0 367

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 Challenger Elementary

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1992 529 n/a n/a 9.3
1993 565 n/a 0.0 11.9
1994 495 24.0 20.6 7.1
1995 492 23.0 21.4 10.2
1996 492 23.0 21.4 10.2
1997 406 21.0 19.3 18.7
1998 437 22.0 19.9 21.1
1999 413 22.0 18.8 23.2
2000 410 21.2 19.3 24.6
2001 423 22.6 18.7 29.6
2002 394 24.3 16.2 45.7
2003 394 24.3 16.2 45.7
2004 392 22.3 17.6 49.2
2005 376 21.3 17.7 51.2
2006 365 20.1 18.2 51.5
2007 330 19.7 16.8 45.8
2008 327 18.2 18.0 53.3
2009 312 16.2 19.3 51.9
2010 358 17.2 20.8 68.5
2011 332 19.0 17.4 58.7
2012 352 16.4 21.4 69
2013 316 18.4 17.1 72.2
2014 322 16.9 18.9 67.1
2015 336 20.0 16.8 67
2016 370 21.0 17.6 72.7
2017 365 19.8 18.4 70.7
2018 344 19.1 17.9 75
2019 360 19.8 18.1 80.8
2020 355 20.6 17.2 76.1
2021 357 21.0 17.0 79.8
2022 362 22.5 16.0 80.9
2023 341 23.9 14.2 79.2
2024 367 21.9 16.7 78.7

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 Challenger Elementary

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1992 529 n/a n/a 9.3
1993 565 n/a 0.0 11.9
1994 495 24.0 20.6 7.1
1995 492 23.0 21.4 10.2
1996 492 23.0 21.4 10.2
1997 406 21.0 19.3 18.7
1998 437 22.0 19.9 21.1
1999 413 22.0 18.8 23.2
2000 410 21.2 19.3 24.6
2001 423 22.6 18.7 29.6
2002 394 24.3 16.2 45.7
2003 394 24.3 16.2 45.7
2004 392 22.3 17.6 49.2
2005 376 21.3 17.7 51.2
2006 365 20.1 18.2 51.5
2007 330 19.7 16.8 45.8
2008 327 18.2 18.0 53.3
2009 312 16.2 19.3 51.9
2010 358 17.2 20.8 68.5
2011 332 19.0 17.4 58.7
2012 352 16.4 21.4 69
2013 316 18.4 17.1 72.2
2014 322 16.9 18.9 67.1
2015 336 20.0 16.8 67
2016 370 21.0 17.6 72.7
2017 365 19.8 18.4 70.7
2018 344 19.1 17.9 75
2019 360 19.8 18.1 80.8
2020 355 20.6 17.2 76.1
2021 357 21.0 17.0 79.8
2022 362 22.5 16.0 80.9
2023 341 23.9 14.2 79.2
2024 367 21.9 16.7 78.7

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 Challenger Elementary

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,162 (12.0%) $8,492 (88.0%) $9,653
2020 $1,484 (13.9%) $9,230 (86.1%) $10,714
2021 $1,972 (17.4%) $9,364 (82.6%) $11,335
2022 $2,432 (19.5%) $10,012 (80.5%) $12,443
2023 $2,603 (19.7%) $10,580 (80.3%) $13,182

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Challenger Elementary

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 711th of 1408 Elementary schoolsRanks 915th of 1470 Elementary schools
 11.7%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Challenger Elementary)32.448.9
 16.5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Kentwood Public Schools)47.149.3
 2.2%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.140.9
 4.2%
3rd Grade Math (Challenger Elementary)45.934.8
 11.1%
   3rd Grade Math (Kentwood Public Schools)49.641.8
 7.8%
   3rd Grade Math (Michigan)46.742.9
 3.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Challenger Elementary)5037.3
 12.7%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Kentwood Public Schools)55.447.1
 8.3%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)45.844.3
 1.5%
4th Grade Math (Challenger Elementary)5233.3
 18.7%
   4th Grade Math (Kentwood Public Schools)53.239.4
 13.8%
   4th Grade Math (Michigan)41.838.6
 3.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Challenger Elementary)47.443.5
 3.9%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Kentwood Public Schools)52.447.9
 4.5%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Michigan)46.243.9
 2.3%
5th Grade Math (Challenger Elementary)49.119.1
 30%
   5th Grade Math (Kentwood Public Schools)39.830
 9.8%
   5th Grade Math (Michigan)34.831.5
 3.3%
5th Grade Social Studies (Challenger Elementary)148.5
 5.5%
   5th Grade Social Studies (Kentwood Public Schools)16.219.2
 3%
   5th Grade Social Studies (Michigan)17.418.6
 1.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students360341
 5.3%
African American147144
 2%
American Indian00
Asian5339
 26.4%
Hispanic4957
 16.3%
Pacific Islander00
White7662
 18.4%
Two or More Races3539
 11.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients80.8%79.2%
 1.7%


Schools Near Challenger Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Elementary

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Crestwood Middle School
High : East Kentwood High School

In the 2023-24 school year, 367 students attended Challenger Elementary.

Challenger Elementary ranks 778th of 1486 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Challenger Elementary are 45% African American, 17% White, 15% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 11% Two or more races.


Rate Challenger Elementary!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Challenger Elementary!




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.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 67 milliseconds.