Traverse City Area School District

412 Webster St
Traverse City, MI 49686-2650
(District boundaries shown in map)
9/
10
Top 20%

Top Rankings

Traverse City Area School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Michigan for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 20%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 20%)
Reading/Language Arts Proficiency
Highest reading/language arts proficiency (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026-27 school year, there are 13 public elementary schools serving 5,665 students in Traverse City Area School District. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 9/10, which is in the top 20% of public elementary schools in Michigan.
Public Elementary Schools in Traverse City Area School District have an average math proficiency score of 44% (versus the Michigan public elementary school average of 35%), and reading proficiency score of 56% (versus the 44% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 12% of the student body (majority Hispanic and American Indian), which is less than the Michigan public elementary school average of 38% (majority Black).

Overview

This School District
This State (MI)
# Schools
16 Schools
2,534 Schools
# Students
8,546 Students
955,941 Students
# Teachers
449 Teachers
59,685 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
19:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Traverse City Area School District, which is ranked within the top 20% of all 844 school districts in Michigan (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 84% has increased from 83% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (MI)
#129 out of 862 school districts
(Top 20%)
45%
35%
58%
45%
45%
38%
84%
81.8%
(2022-23)
23.3%
33.3%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.21
0.58
% American Indian
3%
1%
% Asian
2%
4%
% Hispanic
4%
9%
% Black
3%
19%
% White
88%
61%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
n/a
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $15,067 in this school district is less than the state median of $18,629. The school district revenue/student has declined by 5% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $16,020 is less than the state median of $17,806. The school district spending/student has declined by 5% over four school years.
This School District
This State (MI)
Total Revenue
$129 MM
$25,476 MM
Spending
$137 MM
$24,351 MM
Revenue / Student
$15,067
$18,629
Spending / Student
$16,020
$17,806

Best Traverse City Area School District Public Elementary Schools (2026-27)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Tcaps Montessori School
(Math: 60-64% | Reading: 65-69%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
4053 Franke Rd
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 933-6420
Gr: PK-8 | 331 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 9%
Rank: #22.
Courtade Elementary School
(Math: 55-59% | Reading: 65-69%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
1111 Rasho Rd
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 933-5800
Gr: PK-5 | 215 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 12%
Rank: #33.
Willow Hill Elementary School
(Math: 60-64% | Reading: 60-64%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
1250 Hill St
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 933-8540
Gr: PK-5 | 429 students Student-teacher ratio: 19:1 Minority enrollment: 5%
Rank: #44.
Central Grade School
(Math: 50% | Reading: 62%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
301 W Seventh St
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 933-5910
Gr: PK-7 | 510 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 17%
Rank: #55.
Eastern Elementary School
(Math: 45-49% | Reading: 60-64%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
1600 Eastern Ave
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 933-5600
Gr: PK-5 | 475 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 10%
Rank: #66.
West Middle School
(Math: 46% | Reading: 57%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
3950 Silver Lake Rd
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 933-8200
Gr: 6-8 | 1,081 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 9%
Rank: #77.
East Middle School
(Math: 44% | Reading: 58%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
1776 3 Mile Rd N
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 933-7300
Gr: 6-8 | 829 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 13%
Rank: #88.
Westwoods Elementary School
(Math: 40-44% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
1500 Fisher Rd
Traverse City, MI 49685
(231) 933-7900
Gr: PK-5 | 365 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 4%
Rank: #9 - 109. - 10.
Cherry Knoll Elementary School
(Math: 35-39% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
1800 3 Mile Rd N
Traverse City, MI 49696
(231) 933-8940
Gr: PK-5 | 333 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 15%
Rank: #9 - 109. - 10.
Long Lake Elementary School
(Math: 35-39% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
7600 N Long Lake Rd
Traverse City, MI 49685
(231) 933-7800
Gr: PK-5 | 364 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 11%
Rank: #1111.
Blair Elementary School
(Math: 30-34% | Reading: 40-44%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
1625 Sawyer Rd
Traverse City, MI 49685
(231) 933-5700
Gr: PK-5 | 202 students Student-teacher ratio: 11:1 Minority enrollment: 17%
Rank: #1212.
Silver Lake Elementary School
(Math: 25-29% | Reading: 35-39%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
5858 Culver Rd
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 933-3580
Gr: PK-5 | 286 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 7%
Rank: #1313.
Traverse Heights Elementary School
(Math: 10-14% | Reading: 20-24%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
933 Rose St
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 933-3500
Gr: PK-5 | 245 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 40%

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Quick Facts (2026-27)

  • District size: 16 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 8,546 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 11%
  • : 84% (Top 50% in MI)
  • : Top 20%
  • : 45% (Top 20%)
  • : 58% (Top 20%)
  • : 45% (Top 30%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), MI Dept. of Education

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