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Central Grade School

Q: Is Central Grade School a good school?

Central Grade School ranks 231 st of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-7

231^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 85% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Central Grade School in Traverse City, MI, is a public elementary school within the Traverse City Area Public Schools district, serving 510 students in grades PK through 7 and maintaining a strong 4-star academic rating for the past decade.

Central Grade's most impressive strength is its upper-elementary program. In 5th grade, proficiency rates are dramatically higher than district and state averages across all subjects—for example, 5th-grade math proficiency is 62.8% compared to the district's 43.2% and the state's 32.2%, and 5th-grade science proficiency reaches 66.1% versus 40% statewide. This isn't a one-year fluke; similar results were posted the previous year. The school's unique PK-7 grade span, which extends beyond the typical 5th-grade cutoff for most district elementary schools, allows for educational continuity through the middle-school transition years. Notably, Central Grade achieves these results while serving a student body where 42.35% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—a higher poverty rate than nearby Willow Hill Elementary (13.99%)—yet Central Grade's overall state ranking (231st) is actually slightly better than Willow Hill's (287th). Even compared to Eastern Elementary, which has lower poverty and the district's lowest chronic absenteeism, Central Grade's 5th-grade scores are significantly higher in every subject.

However, there are areas of concern. Chronic absenteeism is persistently high at 25.6%, well above the district average of 18.6%, though the school still achieves strong results for students who attend regularly. Additionally, 3rd-grade math proficiency has lagged behind district averages, suggesting a need for earlier intervention. Most critically, support for special education students has declined sharply, with the school's ranking for this subgroup dropping from the 69th to the 24th percentile in just one year. Despite these challenges, Central Grade's spending per student ($15,714) is actually lower than several lower-performing schools in the district, indicating a cost-effective approach to delivering strong academic outcomes.

510

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,714

Per pupil spending ?

42.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

301 W Seventh St
Traverse City, MI 49684-2428

(231) 933-5910

District: Traverse City Area Public Schools

Students who attend Central Grade School usually attend:

Middle:	East Middle School
High:	Traverse City High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.5%

Hispanic:

5.1%

Asian:

4.7%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Central Grade School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 81st percentile in 2016 → 85th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (58% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of Michigan elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Traverse City Area Public Schools

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg47%

Michigan avg38%

231^st of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From top 19% (2016) to top 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 11Elementary Schools in the Traverse City Area Public Schools

146^th of 625Traverse City Area Public Schools among Michigan districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	82.9	231 of 1492	84.5%	★★★★☆
2025	81.8	248 of 1488	83.3%	★★★★☆
2024	78.0	281 of 1486	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	235 of 1470	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	74.8	278 of 1344	79.3%	★★★★☆
2021	85.7	121 of 1153	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	71.5	343 of 1408	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	73.0	385 of 1448	73.4%	★★★★☆
2017	72.6	314 of 1466	78.6%	★★★★☆
2016	77.0	298 of 1548	80.7%	★★★★☆
2015	79.0	287 of 1580	81.8%	★★★★☆
2014	72.3	382 of 1533	75.1%	★★★★☆
2013	71.7	410 of 1563	73.8%	★★★★☆
2012	43.1	994 of 1566	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	66.8	564 of 1552	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.0	597 of 1552	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.2	398 of 1589	75.0%	★★★★☆
2008	79.5	224 of 1577	85.8%	★★★★☆
2007	86.8	40 of 1565	97.4%	★★★★★
2006	84.5	77 of 1545	95.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	80.4	205 of 1343	84.7%	★★★★☆
2025	82.7	184 of 1338	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	65.8	367 of 1342	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	82.2	167 of 1321	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	68.0	284 of 1106	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	77.9	146 of 902	83.8%	★★★★☆
2019	59.6	446 of 1171	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.5	488 of 1443	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	66.2	360 of 1352	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	70.4	292 of 1346	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	65.2	364 of 1381	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	55.8	519 of 1350	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.1	450 of 1099	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.2	153 of 749	79.6%	★★★★☆
2019	47.9	587 of 1134	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	67.5	358 of 1397	74.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	79.8	230 of 1372	83.2%	★★★★☆
2025	75.9	295 of 1366	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	77.8	234 of 1347	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	294 of 1334	78.0%	★★★★☆
2022	70.8	286 of 1139	74.9%	★★★★☆
2021	83.8	96 of 915	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	70.6	304 of 1196	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.2	315 of 1446	78.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	28.1	188 of 246	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	60.3	79 of 252	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.7	325 of 403	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	81.0	206 of 1199	82.8%	★★★★☆
2025	78.6	232 of 1206	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	75.1	258 of 1204	78.6%	★★★★☆
2023	77.8	221 of 1198	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	70.9	279 of 1102	74.7%	★★★★☆
2021	84.8	95 of 1005	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	63.7	377 of 1128	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.1	422 of 1253	66.3%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2026)85th percentile~ school

Male (2026)83rd percentile~ school

White (2026)83rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)73rd percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2026)24th percentile-61 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Science66%+26 vs state

English Language Arts62%+20 vs state

Social Studies54%+26 vs state

Math52%+14 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 6, 2010

We have been thrilled with Central Grade School. Great teachers, beautiful historic building, and a fabulous TAG program. Close Quote

Schools Near Central Grade School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)					M-Step Math (2026)					M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th 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 Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	82.9	231^st of 1492 public elementary schools	84.5%		81.8	248^th of 1488 public elementary schools	83.3%	17			49.3	61.0	69.6			45.7	43.8	62.8			66.1		53.6		$15,714	$1,254	$14,461
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%)	78	287^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.8%		79.8	273^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	81.7%	14			48.7	59.3	67.5			56.6	54.2	42.5			51.3		42.5		$13,949	$717	$13,232
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%)	81.7	241^st of 1492 public elementary schools	83.8%		85.5	199^th of 1488 public elementary schools	86.6%	42	506.7	529.2	60.4	57.5	68.3	74.1	76.7	54.2	50.0	43.9	85.2	76.7	58.5	66.7	36.6	1815.8	$16,808	$717	$16,092
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%)	32.4	965^th of 1492 public elementary schools	35.3%		19.8	1162^nd of 1488 public elementary schools	21.9%	197			27.9	29.4	50.0			15.6	1374.9	18.8			40.0		1475.7		$19,376	$2,201	$17,175
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%)	65.5	483^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	67.6%		73.8	354^th of 1488 public elementary schools	76.2%	129			70.4	57.5	50.0			76.1	41.3	25.0			39.5		28.9		$14,502	$731	$13,770
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	607^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.3%		56.3	624^th of 1488 public elementary schools	58.1%	17			47.4	42.0	60.8			45.6	28.0	37.3			41.2		25.5		$15,049	$1,110	$13,940
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%)	60.9	542^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	63.7%		47.9	754^th of 1488 public elementary schools	49.3%	212			50.8	36.2	53.2			53.8	29.8	38.3			55.3		25.5		$15,170	$1,114	$14,056
Silver Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5858 Culver Rd	Traverse City	49684	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%)	39.8	867^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.9%		50.3	711^th of 1488 public elementary schools	52.2%	156			37.1	29.4	48.5			34.3	19.6	39.4			39.4		21.2		$15,944	$1,288	$14,656
Courtade Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1111 Rasho Rd	Traverse City	49686	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%)	80.2	259^th of 1492 public elementary schools	82.6%		75.6	328^th of 1488 public elementary schools	78.0%	69			70.8	50.0	59.0			69.6	37.5	61.5			61.5		35.9		$17,823	$1,206	$16,616
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%)	20.8	1165^th of 1492 public elementary schools	21.9%		25.1	1077^th of 1488 public elementary schools	27.6%	88			23.5	12.9	26.9			32.4	19.4	15.4			30.8		1472.0		$20,986	$1,971	$19,015

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Grade School

What district is Central Grade School in?

Traverse City Area Public Schools

Is Central Grade School a good school?

Central Grade School ranks 231^st of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Central Grade School attend?

Students who attend Central Grade School usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Middle School
High : Traverse City High School

What is the racial makeup of Central Grade School?

Students at Central Grade School are 84% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 3% African American, 3% American Indian.

How many students attend Central Grade School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 510 students attended Central Grade School.

Rate Central Grade School!

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

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.