Kalamazoo Public Schools
School district in Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalamazoo Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Graduates of the district are eligible to receive scholarships through the Kalamazoo Promise, a program launched in 2005 and funded by anonymous donors. The district operates 31 schools.
| Kalamazoo Public Schools | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
1220 Howard Street[1]
, Michigan, 49008United States | |
| Coordinates | 42°16′28″N 85°36′04″W |
| District information | |
| Superintendent | Dr. Darrin Slade[2] |
| Schools | 31[3] |
| Budget | $232,529,000 2022-2023 expenditures[3] |
| Students and staff | |
| Enrollment | 12,273 (2024-25)[3] |
| Teachers | 693.4 (on an FTE basis) (2024-2025) [3] |
| Staff | 1,727.92 FTE (2024-2025)[3] |
| Student–teacher ratio | 17.7 (2024-2025)[3] |
| Other information | |
| Website | www |
The district includes the majority of Kalamazoo, all of Westwood, and most of Eastwood. It also includes sections of the following townships: Kalamazoo, Oshtemo, and Texas.[4]
Scholarship program
Every resident graduate of the Kalamazoo Public Schools is provided with a scholarship for up to 100% of tuition and mandatory fee costs for four years at any public university or community college in Michigan, starting with the class of 2006. This program is known as the Kalamazoo Promise.[5] Books and room and board are not included.[6] In 2014, it was announced that 15 private colleges would also be included as Promise-eligible schools.[7] In 2015, Communities in Schools of Kalamazoo received Communities in Schools' national Unsung Heroes award in recognition of elementary school programs aimed at overcoming cultural and language barriers faced by students.[8][9]
History
The first legal public high-school in Kalamazoo and in the state of Michigan began operating in 1858. The first class, consisting of five men and three women graduated in 1859.[10] Former United States Senator Charles E. Stuart sued the Kalamazoo School Board in 1874 alleging that the school-board's use of taxpayer money to fund secondary education was unconstitutional (up until that point taxpayers money was only for elementary schools). The School Board prevailed, setting a precedent allowing publicly funded secondary education throughout the country.[11]
In 1925 the school moved to the building currently known as Old Central High School at 714 South Westnedge.[12] Old Central High School currently houses the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center, or KAMSC.[13] Following the largest graduating class of 799 students in 1960, some Central High School students transferred to the newly opened Loy Norrix High School in 1961. Central High School moved to its current location in 1972.[14][15]
Schools
| School | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary Schools (Grades PreK-5) | ||
| Arcadia Elementary | 932 Boswell Lane, Kalamazoo | |
| Edison Academy | 831 Lake Street, Kalamazoo | |
| El Sol Elementary | 604 W. Vine Street, Kalamazoo | Spanish/English language immersion program. |
| Greenwood Elementary | 3501 Moreland Street, Kalamazoo | |
| Indian Prairie Elementary | 3546 Grand Prairie Road, Kalamazoo | |
| King-Westwood Elementary | 1100 Nichols Road, Kalamazoo | |
| Lincoln International Studies School | 912 N. Burdick Street, Kalamazoo | |
| Milwood Elementary | 3400 Lovers Lane, Kalamazoo | |
| Northeastern Elementary | 2433 Gertrude Street, Kalamazoo | |
| Northglade Montessori Magnet School | 1914 Cobb Street, Kalamazoo | |
| Prairie Ridge Elementary | 2294 S. 9th Street, Kalamazoo | |
| Parkwood-Upjohn Elementary | 2321 S. Park Street, Kalamazoo | |
| Spring Valley Center for Exploration | 3530 Mt. Olivet Road, Kalamazoo | |
| Washington Writers' Academy | 1919 Portage Road, Kalamazoo | |
| Winchell Elementary | 2316 Winchell Avenue, Kalamazoo | |
| Woods Lake Elementary | 3215 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo | |
| Woodward School | 606 Stuart Avenue, Kalamazoo | |
| Middle Schools (Grades 6-8) | ||
| Alternative Learning Program (ALP) | ||
| Hillside Middle School | 1941 Alamo Avenue, Kalamazoo | |
| Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts | 922 W. Maple Street, Kalamazoo | |
| Milwood Magnet School | 2916 Konkle Street, Kalamazoo | |
| Linden Grove Middle School | 4241 Arboretum Pkwy, Kalamazoo | |
| High Schools (Grades 9-12) | ||
| Loy Norrix High School | 606 E. Kilgore Road, Kalamazoo | |
| Kalamazoo Innovative Learning Program | 600 W. Vine Street, Kalamazoo | A virutal/in-person hybrid credit recovery high school.[17] Housed at former Kalamazoo Central High School. |
| Kalamazoo Central High School | 2432 N. Drake Road, Kalamazoo | |
| Phoenix High School | 1411 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo | Alternative high school. |
