Blandford Building

33rd Annual Grand Rapids Turkey Trot Thursday, November 27th Thanksgiving Day outside Van Andel Arena—Mini Trot for children 12 and under starts at 8:10, followed by My Team Triumph at 8:27, and the 5K Run/Walk begins at 8:30 am! Click here to Register

Welcome to Blandford School (6)

Welcome and thank you for choosing GRPS and Blandford School. Our staff is dedicated to helping each child reach their fullest potential and become independent, self-driven learners. We are fortunate to have Blandford Nature Center in our backyard which invites our scholars and staff to explore learning and use nature as their classroom.

If you are interested in learning more about the rigor and zeal of Blandford School, please contact us directly at 616-819-2555. We'd be happy to show you around the school!

Erin Shadowens

Principal

School Apps

Blandford School

3143 Milo St. NW Grand Rapids, MI 49534

Phone: 616-819-2555 Fax: 616-819-5243

Erin Shadowens

Principal

Nicolette Ferguson

Head Secretary

School Hours

Breakfast 7:50 a.m.
Start Time 8:10 a.m.
Dismissal 3:08 p.m.
Half Day Dismissal 11:20 a.m.

School Transparency

Annual Reports More...

School Safety Drills Reports More...

At Blandford, nature is your classroom!

Blandford is a 6^th grade program that offers outdoor learning experiences and a rigorous curriculum. The school is designed to heighten an awareness of the environment, stimulate creative thinking, develop leadership, promote intellectual growth, and increase self-esteem. Our Blandford staff is committed to fostering your child's potential to learn and achieve through a learning environment that values hands-on, project-based learning experiences. Scholars are provided with exciting challenges and opportunities for a once-in-a-lifetime educational experience that focuses on nature and the great outdoors.

The Blandford "classroom" consists of over 100 acres of ponds, streams, woods, and fields along with a more traditional classroom that supports the outdoor theme. Attracting students from public and non-public schools throughout Grand Rapids, as well as a handful of students from nearby cities, the student body at Blandford is a heterogeneous mixture of ethnic, economic, and social backgrounds.

While we have too many special projects and programs to name them all, a few highlights include:

chicken adoption
International Night dinner
performance of A Christmas Carol
fall and spring camp
Wildflower Tea
BEEP Bazaar

We have incorporated distance learning for years and are poised to be a leader in the district as a blended model of new technologies and old practices, giving our students the best of both worlds. Our 1-to-1 student technology device approach ensures that every student has the opportunity to learn inside and outside the classroom.

Blandford School is located in a state of the art, LEED certified facility on the Northwest side of Grand Rapids. This building, along with Blandford Nature Center’s 143 acres of ponds, streams, woods, and fields, offers students an unparalleled learning environment. Scholars will enjoy their collaborative learning experience by sharing two classrooms and a large meeting space both indoors and outside in nature.

Blandford School Photo Tour

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Events

26 Nov
thru Nov 28
- NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
  
  NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
  
  Date: Nov 26 - Nov 28
  
  Calendar: Blandford Calendar
26 Nov
thru Nov 28
- No School | No LOOP Programming | Thanksgiving Break
  
  No School | No LOOP Programming | Thanksgiving Break
  
  Date: Nov 26 - Nov 28
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
17 Dec
thru Dec 19
- Half-Day for Scholars | No LOOP Programming
  
  Half-Day for Scholars | No LOOP Programming
  
  Date: Dec 17 - Dec 19
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
22 Dec
thru Jan 2
- No School | No LOOP Programming | Winter Break
  
  No School | No LOOP Programming | Winter Break
  
  Date: Dec 22 - Jan 2
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
19 Jan
- No School | No LOOP Programming | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  
  No School | No LOOP Programming | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  
  Date: Jan 19
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
16 Feb
thru Feb 17
- No School | No LOOP Programming | Mid-Winter Break
  
  No School | No LOOP Programming | Mid-Winter Break
  
  Date: Feb 16 - Feb 17
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
5 Mar
- 2026 LatinX Youth Conference
  
  2026 LatinX Youth Conference
  
  Date: Mar 5
  
  Location: Grand Rapids Community College
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
3 Apr
thru Apr 10
- No School | No LOOP Programming | Spring Break
  
  No School | No LOOP Programming | Spring Break
  
  Date: Apr 3 - Apr 10
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
18 May
- CA Frost Middle High School Graduation Ceremony 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
  
  CA Frost Middle High School Graduation Ceremony
  
  Date: May 18
  
  Time: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
  
  Location: Houseman Field, 162 Houseman Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
- Union High School Graduation Ceremony 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  
  Union High School Graduation Ceremony
  
  Date: May 18
  
  Time: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  
  Location: Houseman Field, 162 Houseman Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
  
  Calendar: GRPS District Calendar

View School Calendar

‹ November 2025 ›

Nov 4

NO SCHOOL

Calendar: Blandford Calendar

No School | No LOOP Programming | Election Day

Calendar: GRPS District Calendar

Nov 26

NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

Calendar: Blandford Calendar

No School | No LOOP Programming | Thanksgiving Break

Calendar: GRPS District Calendar

Nov 27

NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

Calendar: Blandford Calendar

No School | No LOOP Programming | Thanksgiving Break

Calendar: GRPS District Calendar

Nov 28

NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

Calendar: Blandford Calendar

No School | No LOOP Programming | Thanksgiving Break

Calendar: GRPS District Calendar

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School News

The 3Rs Program at Ottawa Hills: Teaching rights, responsibilities, and the realities of the law November 21, 2025

Ottawa Hills High School is home to a unique learning experience that brings the legal world directly into the classroom. The 3Rs Program—Rights, Responsibilities, and Realities of the Law—partners scholars with local lawyers, judges, and civil rights experts for monthly sessions designed to help young people better understand the laws that shape their lives.

Principal Profile: Meet the leader who decided to be an educator in first grade November 20, 2025

Grand Rapids Montessori Academy and Middle High School Principal Kerri Reed has known she wanted to be a teacher since she was a child.

SNN: Couple shares ‘a calling’ to make a difference for students in urban schools November 18, 2025

Whitley and Dan Morse met as new teachers in Grand Rapids Public Schools. Fifteen years later, the married couple are still there, Whitley as a teacher at Ottawa Hills High School and Dan as principal of North Park Montessori Academy.