A
Traverse City Area Public Schools
Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 12 towns
Serves Garfield, Traverse City, East Bay, Long Lake, Blair, Green Lake, Peninsula, Elmwood, Acme, Solon, Grant and Union, and parts of Almira, Whitewater and Lake Ann.
Students
8,546
Schools
16
Spent per student
$15,423
MI $16,528
Students per teacher
19:1
Free or reduced lunch
28%
Debt
$77.1M
fiscal 2024
What stands out about Traverse City Area Public Schools
- School Grade A: better than 85% of Michigan districts
- Math proficiency 10 pts above the state
- Reading / language arts 8 pts above the state
- Graduation rate (4-year) 8 pts above the state
- Spends 7% less per student than the MI average
- 19 students per teacher
- Debt of $77.1M, about $9,025 per student
Test scores vs. MI
2020–21Math proficiency45%
State average 34.6%
Reading / language arts56%
State average 47.9%
Graduation rate (4-year)91%
State average 82.9%
Where the money goes
fiscal 2024$15,423 per student · 7% below MI
Spending
Classroom instruction 55%Support & administration 41%Other 5%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 52%State 42%Federal 6%
U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.
Enrollment over time
8,971’20
8,871’21
8,689’22
8,617’23
8,546’24
Down 4.7% since 2020.
Students
White 89%Hispanic 4%American Indian/Alaska Native 3%Black 3%Asian 2%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%Two or more races <1%
Schools in the district
16 public schools.
Central Grade School
A510 students17:1
Eastern Elementary School
A−475 students19:1
Willow Hill Elementary School
A429 students18:1
Westwoods Elementary School
B+365 students18:1
Long Lake Elementary School
B364 students16:1
Cherry Knoll Elementary School
B333 students15:1
TCAPS Montessori School
A−331 students16:1
Silver Lake Elementary School
B−286 students16:1
Traverse Heights Elem School
C−245 students13:1
Courtade Elementary School
A−215 students14:1
Blair Elementary School
C202 students11:1
West Middle School
B+1,081 students21:1
East Middle School
A−829 students20:1
West Senior High
A1,384 students25:1
Central High School
A1,326 students24:1
Traverse City High School
C−171 students16:1
Towns served
Nearby districts
Compare spending and schools next door.
District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES directory and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Neighbor ratings are opinions.