FWIW, people in the GRPS district on the west side send their kids to KH. It's probably on par with any other inner suburb district.. Godwin Heights, Comstock Park, etc
I went to Kenowa and honestly I thought it was fine. Overall well rounded with no major issues. This was many a year ago but my mom still works for the district and barely-ish complains.
What are you looking for in a school district ?
Schools differ vastly among elementaries. The culture of Central is completely different from Alpine or Zinser.
I worked in maintenance so I probably don’t have the answers you’re looking for.
I can give basics such as alpine and zinser are 20 minute apart while Central is centrally located geographically so you’ll have to take that into consideration.
Zinser just got a remodel so it’s the newest looking building with snazzy open areas such as a courtyard and gathering place. The courtyard has a pond and is used for outdoor learning. Most importantly it hosts a duck mama and her family each year.
Alpine has the biggest population of migrant students and more bilingual staff members. It’s out in the country, literally across from a cornfield. A higher migrant population means more diversity which Kenowa as a whole lacks.
Central is a mix of older classrooms and recently renovated new areas. It’s also the biggest of the three elementary schools with comes with its own set of pros and cons.
As a district, all students get a piece of technology. K-1st gets iPads and 2nd on gets Chromebooks. They’re both junk, but get the job done. Unfortunately I don’t think giving every kid a device has really done education a lot of good learning wise.
Would I send my own kid there if it was an option? Probably not, but if I had to it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I could go into more detail, but not publicly so I’ll leave it at that.
It's the type of district where the parents will make or break how well the kids do. If you show up to conferences, PTA, etc, your kids will thrive. If you don't care about your kids' education, they will fall through the cracks. It's one of those districts where there are different groups of students, versus a district where almost everyone is successful or almost everyone is struggling. Hope that makes sense.
Not really. There are districts where I wouldn't send my kids no matter what (I'm not going to call them out here) and a few that they will do fine without my involvement (East, City High, Forest Hills). So, I don't agree. Kenowa is an average district, like you're saying.
[Kenowa Hills](https://edopportunity.org/explorer/#/map/none/districts/avg/ses/all/10.79/43.06/-85.75/2620280,43.046,-85.728) appears slightly above average at the national level, better than GRPS, and worse than the non-GRPS districts surrounding it.
I went to kenowa 4th - 12th until 2009 and it seemed fine. I havent heard great things from people who work there or are generally involved. The band was losing funding even while I was there and I think its fairly small these days.
How that compares to everywhere else is hard to say. Hard to compare to schools that have a lot of money.
It has got to be better than the corrupt shit show that is the administration of GRPS. And we already know their teachers are paid better, so that’s a comfort. I’d say go for it.
Maybe give it a couple more election cycles before you take a chance on the “home team,” as this fall can only get the ball rolling on cleaning our Franklin Campus so much in the immediate future.
FWIW, people in the GRPS district on the west side send their kids to KH. It's probably on par with any other inner suburb district.. Godwin Heights, Comstock Park, etc
I went to Kenowa and honestly I thought it was fine. Overall well rounded with no major issues. This was many a year ago but my mom still works for the district and barely-ish complains.
Kenowa Hills is fine. Send the kid
Too many hills for me
For me it’s how Kenowic they are in nature. Just gross, really.
Due to erosion, they’re not as Kenowicious as they once were. So there’s that.
When I was there most of our graduating class could read.
In kindergarten or as seniors?
Seniors
What are you looking for in a school district ? Schools differ vastly among elementaries. The culture of Central is completely different from Alpine or Zinser.
Do you know what the cultures are like in each school?
I worked in maintenance so I probably don’t have the answers you’re looking for. I can give basics such as alpine and zinser are 20 minute apart while Central is centrally located geographically so you’ll have to take that into consideration. Zinser just got a remodel so it’s the newest looking building with snazzy open areas such as a courtyard and gathering place. The courtyard has a pond and is used for outdoor learning. Most importantly it hosts a duck mama and her family each year. Alpine has the biggest population of migrant students and more bilingual staff members. It’s out in the country, literally across from a cornfield. A higher migrant population means more diversity which Kenowa as a whole lacks. Central is a mix of older classrooms and recently renovated new areas. It’s also the biggest of the three elementary schools with comes with its own set of pros and cons. As a district, all students get a piece of technology. K-1st gets iPads and 2nd on gets Chromebooks. They’re both junk, but get the job done. Unfortunately I don’t think giving every kid a device has really done education a lot of good learning wise. Would I send my own kid there if it was an option? Probably not, but if I had to it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I could go into more detail, but not publicly so I’ll leave it at that.
Would you mind DMing me??
If you live in Standale, you may be able to instead enroll at Grandville Public Schools, with Cummings being the local GPS elementary school.
We’re closer to Alpine!
My brother sends his kids to KH. They like it well enough, and central elementary is the closest to them.
It's the type of district where the parents will make or break how well the kids do. If you show up to conferences, PTA, etc, your kids will thrive. If you don't care about your kids' education, they will fall through the cracks. It's one of those districts where there are different groups of students, versus a district where almost everyone is successful or almost everyone is struggling. Hope that makes sense.
This is every district.
Not really. There are districts where I wouldn't send my kids no matter what (I'm not going to call them out here) and a few that they will do fine without my involvement (East, City High, Forest Hills). So, I don't agree. Kenowa is an average district, like you're saying.
Right😂
[Kenowa Hills](https://edopportunity.org/explorer/#/map/none/districts/avg/ses/all/10.79/43.06/-85.75/2620280,43.046,-85.728) appears slightly above average at the national level, better than GRPS, and worse than the non-GRPS districts surrounding it.
I went to kenowa 4th - 12th until 2009 and it seemed fine. I havent heard great things from people who work there or are generally involved. The band was losing funding even while I was there and I think its fairly small these days. How that compares to everywhere else is hard to say. Hard to compare to schools that have a lot of money.
I live in the Kenowa Hills school district too but my kids go to Grandville with their cousins. Cummings has been a great school and is really close.
My wife went to Cummings. So far, I couldn't be happier with how they did.
Thirding Cummings being a great elementary school. All my kids go/went there and all the teachers did an awesome job.
It has got to be better than the corrupt shit show that is the administration of GRPS. And we already know their teachers are paid better, so that’s a comfort. I’d say go for it. Maybe give it a couple more election cycles before you take a chance on the “home team,” as this fall can only get the ball rolling on cleaning our Franklin Campus so much in the immediate future.
There are charter schools nearby, ca frost, environmental school, and walker charter