About Us
Welcome to Zeeland Public Schools
The Zeeland Public School district covers 94 square miles of prime growth area in West Michigan, encompassing the city of Zeeland, a portion of the city of Holland, and eight rural townships in Ottawa and Allegan Counties. Traditional community values and a robust job market are attracting many young families to the area.
Safe, orderly schools are a top priority
Zeeland Public Schools provide children a strong foundation: mastery of academic basics; a safe, orderly learning environment; and outstanding, parent participation. In the 2007-2008 school year, a record 4,319 BRIDGE volunteers worked 40,745 hours in our classrooms.
Character traits interwoven into curriculum
Our K-12 curriculum, which places top priority on reading, writing and math skills, is interwoven with the teaching of important character traits: good citizenship, responsibility, respectfulness, generosity and trustworthiness. Our district systematically reviews and rewrites portions of our curriculum every summer to ensure that lessons are consistent from building to building. Click here to read the character traits adopted by the district.
Students begin their adventure at our kindergarten centers
Students begin their Zeeland career at one of two kindergarten centers: the Early Childhood Center at 140 McKinley Avenue and the kindergarten center at Quincy Elementary School, 10155 Quincy. We offer an all-day, alternate-day kindergarten program that emphasizes hands-on learning. Also available is a "Young 5's" program for students who are not quite ready for the regular kindergarten program. From kindergarten, youngsters move to one of five excellent elementary schools for first through fifth graders. A program for gifted students is available for fourth and fifth graders who qualify.
Team approach used at the middle school level
Cityside and Creekside are our two middle schools for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. We use teacher teams at the middle school level. This allows a cluster of teachers to work with the same group of students throughout the year. The subjects of math, language arts, science, social studies and computers can be taught as individual disciplines, or can be blended, based on the plans worked out by the teaching teams.
We have two high schools
Zeeland East and Zeeland West High Schools are located on the same campus (800 feet apart) and offer comparable core classes in a six-hour format. We provide a complete roster of college preparatory, business, vocational, general education, technical, and advanced placement courses. High school students can benefit from 60 college-level equivalent courses offered on campus, in the district or through area cooperative programs. Advanced placement courses include calculus, Spanish, U.S. history, and literature. Zeeland maintains a very strong fine arts program as well as a complete sports program for young men and women.
Our schools have earned all "A's" from the state of Michigan
All Zeeland Public Schools are accredited through the state of Michigan’s School Improvement Process, an effort that is measured each year with the “Ed Yes!” report card. We are proud to report that all Zeeland schools received “A’s” from the state for the 2008-2009 school year. Plus, all Zeeland schools made adequate yearly progress according to the guidelines of the federal No Child Left Behind program. Because of the rigorous requirements created for our schools by the state and federal government, Zeeland Public Schools is no longer affiliated with the North Central Association, a fee-based school accreditation group.
Come visit us!
We encourage you to visit Zeeland Public Schools. Please call 616-748-3003 for details.
Administration office: 616-748-3000
183 W. Roosevelt Avenue, Zeeland, MI, 49464
Superintendent: Gary L. Feenstra, 616-748-3002
School Board President: Carol Slagh
School board meetings (time, day & place):
3rd Mondays, 7 p.m., Zeeland West High School cafeteria, 3390 100th Avenue
Volunteer contact: MaryBeth Timmer, Career and Community Involvement Coordinator: 616-748-4503
2009-2010 BUDGET: $46.8 million
2009-2010 ENROLLMENT: 5,588 students, K-12
Number of professional staff, part-time and full-time: 326
Number of support staff, part-time and full-time: 331
Graduation rate: 86% (The retention rate is defined as the number of students who enter a high school in the ninth grade and graduate from the same school in four years; the formula removes students who have left the district, have dropped out, or are on a graduation path that is longer than four years). The average graduation rate in Michigan is 75%.
TRANSPORTATION: The school district is approximately 94 square miles. This area is served by 43 buses on 175 routes. Our buses transport 4,000 public and Christian school students each morning and afternoon. The average bus ride for students is approximately 10 miles (35 minutes).
FOOD SERVICE: Our talented food service staff provides Type A lunches that are imaginative and tasty. A complete a la carte menu is also available. This year's school lunch prices are $1.85 for elementary students and $2.10 for middle and high school students. The cost of a carton of milk is 45 cents. More than 4000 students in grades kindergarten through twelfth use the district's food service program daily.
Zeeland Public Schools' Food Service Department provides an online "Meal Magic" program that allows district parents to check their students' lunch account, add money to the account, and check to see what food their child is buying each day. The web address is: http://www.lunchdeposit.com/. Once there, parents will create an on-line account. New users will receive an e-mail with a password and instructions on how to use the system. Another web site will also be available for parents to apply for free and reduced price meals online. That web address is: http://www.lunchapp.com/.
Individuals without internet access can call Food Service Secretary Tami Bush directly at 616-748-3128 with their questions.
