West Michigan Aviation Academy (WMAA) is a
charter high school in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
(U.S.). Students have the option of completing
flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills.
Flight training can be conducted under a str ...
and obtaining a
private pilot certificate
A private pilot licence (PPL) or, in the United States, a private pilot certificate, is a type of Pilot licensing and certification, pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration) ...
.
''
US News and World Report
''U.S. News & World Report'' (USNWR) is an American media company that publishes news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. It was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and international-focused ...
'' ranks the school the 26th best in Michigan.
The school is well-renounced and is ranked in the top 5% of all public high schools worldwide. Students tend to outperform the state average on standardized tests.
History
In 2010, pilot and billionaire
Dick DeVos
Richard Marvin DeVos Jr. (born October 21, 1955) is an American businessman and author. The son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos, he served as CEO of the multi-level marketing company from 1993 to 2002. In 2006, DeVos ran for Governor of Mich ...
established WMAA on the suggestion of his wife,
Betsy DeVos
Elisabeth Dee DeVos ( ; ' Prince; born January 8, 1958) is an American politician, philanthropist, and former government official who served as the 11th United States secretary of education from 2017 to 2021. DeVos is known for her support for s ...
. The academy is a tuition-free public charter high school.
The initial enrollment of 80 students assembled for the Fall term of 2010 in a renovated office facility located on the grounds of the
Gerald R. Ford International Airport
Gerald R. Ford International Airport is a commercial airport in Cascade Township approximately southeast of Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. The facility is owned by the Kent County Board of Commissioners and managed by an independent ...
.
They quickly realized that more space would be needed and it wasn't long before expansion plans were on the drafting board. On the first day of the 2012–13 school year, more than 240 Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors found their high school home had expanded with a new 42,500 sq. ft. addition. This new addition enabled not only expansion in space, but also in curriculum, student life, and aviation programs. The new building gave the academy the capacity to educate 500 students.
In 2014, the school administration expected to have a population of 500 for the upcoming fall semester.
Due to high demand for attendance, the school operates on a lottery system to admit students.
The school, like many others, went fully-remote during the
Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
See also
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References
External links
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Charter high schools in Michigan
Education in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Schools in Kent County, Michigan
Aviation schools
Aviation schools in the United States
2010 establishments in Michigan