2550 E Beltline Ave NE #605
Grand Rapids, MI 49525

So---lots of great things about Knapp Forest--friendly staff, beautiful environment, involved parents, etc. I'm glad to be there and my daughter loves school and that is crucial to me. However, they do lack a lot of rigor as a school and rest on the fact that their students come from good families so know the 'job will get done' somewhere, if not at school. It's unfortunate though, because with a population of such high achieving students as they do have they could be doing so much more in the way of academics. They recently implemented the MAP test (NWEA) and do nothing with the results school wide. I don't see this data driving instruction, leading to intentional differentiation, or providing students with more challenging (if need be) or more remediated (if need be) work. The MAP test is a sound assessment and to not use it to the extent of the information it provides about student learning is a shame. Additionally, this is one of the most un-safe schools I've been a part of in my entire life. To be a school in the year 2017 who still doesn't have a buzzer system to let parents into the actual educational area of the school, for secretaries to not even look up when you sign in and walk into the building, for every classroom door to be wide open and unlocked at all times, for secretaries to not even call down to a teachers room to tell them that so and so is coming and were you expecting them, etc. is mind-blowing to me. So while I feel the community is safe and there are many positive aspects to the school--the element of school safety is an egregious miss on their part that probably needs to be remedied district wide.