The Greenspire School

The Greenspire School district in Traverse City, Michigan, is a small, two-campus system serving grades 6-12 with a combined enrollment of 269 students, offering an intimate educational setting in a mid-sized northern Michigan community.

The district presents a clear contrast between its two campuses. The Greenspire High School (grades 9-12) is the larger, more volatile campus. It posted exceptional results in 2024-2025—ranking in the 91st percentile with 5 stars—but fell dramatically to the 58th percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026. This decline coincides with a staggering 75.1% chronic absenteeism rate, nearly triple the state average. Despite this, the high school remains strong in humanities and science, with SAT Reading/Writing proficiency at 66.7% (14.6 points above the state) and science scores consistently 12+ points above state averages. However, math is a critical weakness: only 13.9% of 11th graders are proficient in SAT Math, less than half the state rate. In contrast, The Greenspire School (grades 6-12) shows more stability, with a much lower chronic absenteeism rate of 34.3% and better attendance patterns. This smaller campus benefits from a lower student-teacher ratio (10.3:1 vs. 17.6:1) and higher per-student spending ($11,572 vs. $10,141), yet still struggles with foundational skills—6th and 7th grade ELA proficiency sits 13-15 points below state averages, and math proficiency across all middle grades is consistently 10-16 points behind.

The most striking finding is the district-wide math crisis, with proficiency rates roughly half the state average at every grade level on both campuses. Meanwhile, the district excels in reading, writing, and social studies. The high school's ranking volatility appears tied to both declining test scores and extreme absenteeism, while the middle school shows more consistent—though still mixed—performance. Bright spots include strong 8th grade science (43.3% vs. 39.2% state) and college-ready reading skills. For parents, this district offers genuine strengths in humanities and science education, but the severe math deficiencies and the high school's attendance crisis are urgent concerns that likely require targeted intervention to reverse the downward trend.