Kentwood Public Schools
Kentwood Public Schools is a public school district based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving 9,631 students in 16 schools. By enrollment it ranks #16 of the 316 Michigan districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 95% of them. Its schools average 602 students each, more than the Michigan median of 421. Its superintendent is Kevin Polston. It spends about $11,950 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 17.0 students per teacher.
How Kentwood compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Kentwood | Michigan median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $11,950 | $11,576 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $7,676 | $7,157 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $135.4 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $143.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 566 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,369 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 17.0 | 16.8 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 642 | 585 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Michigan median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Kevin Polston
Source: Michigan CEPI Educational Entity Master, checked 2026-10-04. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in Michigan
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lansing Public School DistrictLansing | 9,951 | 26 | $15,882 | 17.1 | #14 |
| Wayne-Westland Community School DistrictWestland | 9,861 | 16 | $15,519 | 17.1 | #15 |
| Kentwood Public SchoolsGrand Rapids · this district | 9,631 | 16 | $11,950 | 17.0 | #16 |
| L'Anse Creuse Public SchoolsClinton Township | 9,215 | 19 | $11,688 | 16.6 | #17 |
| Farmington Public School DistrictFarmington | 9,110 | 16 | $14,593 | 14.5 | #18 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo City UnifiedVallejo, CA | 9,653 | $13,178 | 22.8 |
| Medina Valley ISDCastroville, TX | 9,638 | $9,799 | 17.8 |
| Bellflower UnifiedBellflower, CA | 9,633 | $13,446 | 21.4 |
| Coeur D'Alene DistrictCoeur D'Alene, ID | 9,609 | $9,828 | 17.6 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-mi-kentwood-public-schools