Grosse Ile Township Schools

Last updated

Grosse Ile Township Schools
Address
23276 East River Road [1]
Grosse Ile Township
, Wayne County , Michigan , 48138
United States
District information
GradesPre-Kindergarten-12
SuperintendentAudrie Kalisz [2]
Schools4 [3]
Budget$23,484,000 2021-2022 expenditures [3]
NCES District ID 2617220 [3]
Students and staff
Students1,565 (2023-2024) [3]
Teachers86.47 (on an FTE basis) (2023-2024) [3]
Staff176.3 FTE (2023-2024) [3]
Student–teacher ratio18.1 (2023-2024) [3]
Other information
Website www.gischools.org

Grosse Ile Township Schools is a public school district in Metro Detroit. It serves Grosse Ile Township, located on Grosse Ile, an island in the Detroit River. [4]

Contents

History

A school has been located on Grosse Ile since at least 1895, when it was mentioned in the Detroit Free Press. The newspaper endorsed the principal of the school, Miss Frannie Gray, for school commissioner of Wayne County. [5] She was not successful in the election. [6] A new school building opened on April 15, 1901. [7]

Known as Grosse Ile Central School, the district's next school was built in 1911. It was described in the newspaper as "a three-story building of white pressed brick and stone. Besides rooms for the regular subjects, the building is to contain departments for manual training, domestic science, kindergarten and an excellent gymnasium." [8] As of 1915, the school was considered the best in the state by Michigan deputy superintendent of public instruction. It had 165 students total, and 25 students in the school's high school department. [9] The school faced East River Road, and the current middle school was built behind it. It was demolished in 1999. [10]

An evaluation of the school's curriculum and teaching methods was conducted in 1925 by the University of Michigan, and its students were given a series of tests. The study provides a snapshot of the school at that point in time. It found that the intelligence of Grosse Ile students was "normal or slightly above": 28  and that "Grosse Ile has a teaching staff with better preparation and more successful experience than is usually found in a school of its size.": 69  The report concluded: "It seems that two factors are largely responsible for the high level of achievement in Grosse Ile, viz., the high quality of the teachers, and the excessive stress on the formal aspects of the teaching of the subjects.": 72  [11]

The school used contemporary teaching methods of the period, such as memorization and recitation. The study also noted shortcomings, including the lack of teaching reading for enjoyment: 73  and the need for "a more adequate supply of blocks, a better sand table, and a better work table" in the kindergarten.: 70 

The current high school was built in the 1950s. Additions and renovations were completed in 2008. [12]

Two bond issues passed in November 2022 to consolidate elementary schools in the Park Lane building and improve other district facilities. [13] [14] [15] Meridian Elementary closed at the end of the 2024-2025 school year and the renovated Grosse Ile Elementary opened in the former Park Lane Elementary building in fall 2025. [16]

Schools

Schools in Grosse Ile Township Schools district [17] [3]
SchoolAddressNotes
Grosse Ile High School 7800 Grays Drive, Grosse IleGrades 9–12
Grosse Ile Middle School23270 East River Road, Grosse IleGrades 6–8
Grosse Ile Elementary21610 Parke Lane, Grosse IleGrades PreK-5

References

  1. ↑ Grosse Ile Township Schools. "Grosse Ile Township Schools" . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  2. ↑ Grosse Ile Township Schools. "Staff" . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Grosse Ile Township Schools". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences.
  4. ↑ Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. "Wayne County School Districts" (PDF). Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Wayne school commissioner". Detroit Free Press. March 20, 1895. p. 8.
  6. ↑ "Blank wants recount". Detroit Free Press. April 10, 1895. p. 5.
  7. ↑ "Suburban siftings". Detroit Free Press. April 16, 1901. p. 11.
  8. ↑ "Lay cornerstone of Grosse Ile school". Detroit Free Press. October 9, 1911. p. 4.
  9. ↑ "Suburban Siftings". Detroit Free Press. September 16, 1915. p. 6.
  10. ↑ Downriver History & Facts. "GROSSE ILE: Original High School (late 1920s?)". Flickr. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  11. ↑ Woody, Clifford F. (1925). Results of the Testing Program in Grosse Ile Public School. School of Education, University of Michigan.
  12. ↑ School Designs.com. "Grosse Ile High School" . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  13. ↑ Stein, Emma; Laitner, Bill. "Some school districts seek hefty rate hikes". Detroit Free Press. p. A11.
  14. ↑ Michigan Department of Treasury. "STATE QUALIFIED SCHOOL BOND ELECTION RESULTS WAYNE COUNTY Grosse Ile Township Schools" . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  15. ↑ Grosse Ile Township Schools. "2022 Bond Proposals" (PDF). Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  16. ↑ Grosse Ile Township Schools. "Bond Information" . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  17. ↑ Grosse Ile Township schools. "Schools menu" . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
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