Traverse City Area Public Schools

Summary:

The Traverse City Area Public Schools district consists of 16 schools, including 11 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 3 high schools, serving students in the Traverse City area. The district as a whole is ranked 156 out of 613 in Michigan and is rated 4 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out for their exceptional performance. The TCAPS Montessori School ranks in the top 200 elementary schools in Michigan and consistently scores above the district and state averages on standardized tests, with the lowest student-teacher ratio in the district at 13.6. Willow Hill Elementary School also performs very well, ranking in the top 300 elementary schools in Michigan, with particularly strong test scores in English Language Arts. At the high school level, Central High School and West Senior High are the largest in the district and rank in the top 200 high schools in Michigan, with strong test scores and graduation rates.

However, the data also reveals significant performance gaps between the highest and lowest-performing schools in the district, particularly in standardized test scores. This suggests that some schools may be struggling to provide equitable educational opportunities for all students. Additionally, the district as a whole faces challenges, such as a consistently high chronic absenteeism rate across all schools and disparities in per-student spending, which may be contributing to the uneven performance. Addressing these issues could be key priorities for the Traverse City Area Public Schools district moving forward.

District Detail

1009 S Oak St
Traverse City, MI 49684-4030

(231) 933-1700

SchoolDigger Rank:
156^th of 613 Michigan districts

See the 2025 Michigan District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 8,546

Primary Schools: 11
Middle Schools: 2
High Schools: 3
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)			M-Step Social Studies (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Science 11th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Middle School	Public	6-8	1776 3 Mile Rd N	Traverse City	49696	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-7300	829	42	19.8	30.4%	723 (87.2%)	25 (3.0%)	33 (4.0%)	16 (1.9%)	29 (3.5%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	76.5	161^st of 890 public middle schools	81.9%		83.1	109^th of 897 public middle schools	87.8%	52	77.8	33.5						50.0	55.4				40.3	48.4		48.9			57.5		$15,014	$725	$14,288
West Senior High	Public	9-12	5376 N Long Lake Rd	Traverse City	49685	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-7502	1,384	56	24.6	21.2%	1,245 (90.0%)	27 (2.0%)	50 (3.6%)	22 (1.6%)	35 (2.5%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	84.5	77^th of 739 public high schools	89.6%		76.4	140^th of 743 public high schools	81.2%	63			75.3	50.9													52.9			45.2	$13,292	$1,513	$11,779
Traverse City High School	Public	9-12	3962 3 Mile Rd N	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-5860	171	10	16.3	59.6%	139 (81.3%)	10 (5.8%)	11 (6.4%)	1 (0.6%)	9 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	30.6	503^rd of 739 public high schools	31.9%		8.8	675^th of 743 public high schools	9.2%	172			37.8														24.2			33.3	$19,494	$1,520	$17,974
TCAPS Montessori School	Public	PK, KG-8	4053 Franke Rd	Traverse City	49684	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-6420	331	20	16.4	17.5%	302 (91.2%)	11 (3.3%)	7 (2.1%)	5 (1.5%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	85.5	199^th of 1488 public elementary schools	86.6%		87.5	157^th of 1486 public elementary schools	89.4%	42		73.7			59.5	59.5	80.6	75.9	80.0	59.5	50.0	61.1	62.1	80.0	72.2	68.4		36.1	73.7		$18,254	$736	$17,518
Central Grade School	Public	PK, KG-7	301 W Seventh St	Traverse City	49684	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 933-5910	510	30	17.0	42.4%	426 (83.5%)	17 (3.3%)	26 (5.1%)	24 (4.7%)	13 (2.5%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	81.8	248^th of 1488 public elementary schools	83.3%		78	281^st of 1486 public elementary schools	81.1%	33					42.5	70.0	70.1			30.1	62.7	57.3			62.1			52.6			$15,575	$1,649	$13,926
Cherry Knoll Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 3 Mile Rd N	Traverse City	49696	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 933-8940	333	22	15.0	29.7%	282 (84.7%)	14 (4.2%)	15 (4.5%)	5 (1.5%)	14 (4.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	56.3	624^th of 1488 public elementary schools	58.1%		52.8	667^th of 1486 public elementary schools	55.1%	43					32.7	60.4	60.3			36.5	43.8	34.5			41.4			29.3			$15,319	$1,620	$13,699
Eastern Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Eastern Ave	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-5600	475	26	18.5	20.2%	428 (90.1%)	10 (2.1%)	11 (2.3%)	19 (4.0%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	73.8	354^th of 1488 public elementary schools	76.2%		73.7	342^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	77.0%	12					57.6	56.2	60.0			64.7	30.1	46.7			61.7			36.7			$14,587	$1,359	$13,228
Long Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7600 N Long Lake Rd	Traverse City	49685	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 933-7800	364	22	16.3	32.4%	325 (89.3%)	6 (1.6%)	14 (3.8%)	7 (1.9%)	10 (2.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47.9	754^th of 1488 public elementary schools	49.3%		54.2	645^th of 1486 public elementary schools	56.6%	109					40.0	51.1	43.9			43.6	37.8	33.3			36.8			17.5			$15,511	$1,044	$14,466
West Middle School	Public	6-8	3950 Silver Lake Rd	Traverse City	49684	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-8200	1,081	52	20.7	27.6%	985 (91.1%)	20 (1.9%)	29 (2.7%)	24 (2.2%)	22 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	76.6	158^th of 890 public middle schools	82.2%		80.4	124^th of 897 public middle schools	86.2%	34	77.3	38.4						49.7	52.6				41.5	45.2		49.5			55.2		$14,058	$728	$13,330
Central High School	Public	8-12	1150 Milliken Dr	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-6500	1,326	56	23.6	20.3%	1,191 (89.8%)	38 (2.9%)	41 (3.1%)	33 (2.5%)	22 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	70.9	178^th of 739 public high schools	75.9%		77.1	136^th of 743 public high schools	81.7%	42			80.2	51.1													33.0			36.4	$13,659	$1,499	$12,160
Traverse Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	933 Rose St	Traverse City	49686	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 933-3500	245	18	13.2	73.1%	148 (60.4%)	22 (9.0%)	36 (14.7%)	4 (1.6%)	32 (13.1%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19.8	1162^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	21.9%		22.2	1138^th of 1486 public elementary schools	23.4%	24					27.3	26.7	23.4			26.5	25.0	21.3			21.3			10.6			$17,447	$1,639	$15,808
Willow Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1250 Hill St	Traverse City	49684	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-8540	429	23	18.3	14.0%	406 (94.6%)	5 (1.2%)	9 (2.1%)	3 (0.7%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	79.8	273^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	81.7%		83.9	207^th of 1486 public elementary schools	86.1%	66					75.4	67.5	58.6			70.8	42.9	37.9			55.2			48.3			$13,644	$736	$12,908
Silver Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5858 Culver Rd	Traverse City	49685	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 933-3580	286	18	15.9	37.8%	265 (92.7%)	4 (1.4%)	9 (3.1%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50.3	711^th of 1488 public elementary schools	52.2%		39.7	854^th of 1486 public elementary schools	42.5%	143					41.5	43.2	53.7			39.6	18.9	37.0			44.4			24.1			$15,909	$1,746	$14,163
Courtade Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1111 Rasho Rd	Traverse City	49696	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 933-5800	215	15	14.2	28.8%	188 (87.4%)	9 (4.2%)	6 (2.8%)	5 (2.3%)	7 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	75.6	328^th of 1488 public elementary schools	78.0%		72.9	359^th of 1486 public elementary schools	75.8%	31					59.3	64.3	55.8			63.0	52.4	46.5			44.2			39.5			$17,252	$1,185	$16,067
Westwoods Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 Fisher Rd	Traverse City	49685	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(231) 933-7900	365	21	17.7	23.6%	350 (95.9%)	3 (0.8%)	6 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74.8	339^th of 1488 public elementary schools	77.2%		71.3	382^nd of 1486 public elementary schools	74.3%	43					59.6	63.5	54.1			63.2	55.8	36.1			52.5			36.1			$15,086	$1,278	$13,807
Blair Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1625 Sawyer Rd	Traverse City	49685	Grand Traverse County	Traverse City Area Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(231) 933-5700	202	18	11.2	63.9%	168 (83.2%)	5 (2.5%)	16 (7.9%)	3 (1.5%)	9 (4.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25.1	1077^th of 1488 public elementary schools	27.6%		46.9	744^th of 1486 public elementary schools	49.9%	333					14.3	25.0	41.9			32.1	16.7	24.2			21.2			21.2			$20,158	$2,238	$17,920

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Grand Traverse Academy	0.4 mi	1
Northwest Education Services	2.35 mi	6
The Greenspire School	3.67 mi	2	167^th
Woodland School	6.31 mi	1	102^nd
Kingsley Area Schools	8.95 mi	3	67^th

See the top MI Michigan districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.