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Traverse Heights Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1162^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Traverse Heights Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Traverse City, Michigan, part of the Traverse City Area Public Schools district. With 276 students, the school has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages.

Traverse Heights Elementary School lags significantly behind in academic achievement, with only 27.3% of 3rd graders proficient in English Language Arts in 2024-2025, compared to 48.8% for the district and 38.9% for the state. The school also faces high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.9% to 35.6% over the past few years, much higher than the state average. Additionally, Traverse Heights has a very high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 74.38% to 80.16% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the surrounding schools in the district.

Despite the higher per-student spending at Traverse Heights Elementary School, at $17,447 in 2023-2024 compared to the district average of around $15,000, the academic performance remains poor. This suggests that the funding may not be effectively allocated or utilized to address the specific needs of the school and its students. Addressing the challenges faced by Traverse Heights Elementary School will require a comprehensive and targeted approach to ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

245

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,376

Per pupil spending ?

73.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

933 Rose St
Traverse City, MI 49686-4231

(231) 933-3500

District: Traverse City Area Public Schools

Students who attend Traverse Heights Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	East Middle School
High:	Central High School
	Traverse City High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.4%

Hispanic:

14.7%

American Indian:

13.1%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Traverse Heights Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2014 → 22nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (22% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 28% Michigan)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg48%

Michigan avg39%

1,162^nd of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 33% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Traverse City Area Public Schools

156^th of 613Traverse 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	1162 of 1488	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	1138 of 1486	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	1285 of 1470	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	1073 of 1344	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	1163 of 1408	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	1122 of 1448	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.0	1251 of 1466	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.1	1076 of 1548	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.8	1052 of 1580	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	54.1	758 of 1533	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	32.9	1149 of 1563	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	34.2	1164 of 1566	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	45.6	1087 of 1552	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.3	1149 of 1552	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.9	1394 of 1589	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	38.3	1225 of 1577	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	35.2	1249 of 1565	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	30.6	1304 of 1545	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	1111 of 1338	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.4	1049 of 1342	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	1207 of 1321	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	1118 of 1443	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	1046 of 1346	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	1056 of 1381	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	1131 of 1350	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.7	815 of 1099	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.3	890 of 1134	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.9	924 of 1397	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	1141 of 1366	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	1023 of 1347	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	1196 of 1334	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	1043 of 1446	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	1061 of 1206	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.5	1063 of 1204	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	1138 of 1198	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	921 of 1102	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.1	959 of 1128	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	1063 of 1253	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2008	52.6	530 of 839	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.8	547 of 806	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)17th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)16th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)12th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts25%-16 vs state

Math24%-14 vs state

Science21%-19 vs state

Social Studies11%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Traverse Heights Elementary 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (2025)		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/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 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
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		$19,376	$2,201	$17,175
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		$15,714	$1,254	$14,461
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		$14,502	$731	$13,770
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	$16,808	$717	$16,092
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		$13,949	$717	$13,232
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		$15,049	$1,110	$13,940
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		$17,823	$1,206	$16,616
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		$15,944	$1,288	$14,656
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		$15,170	$1,114	$14,056
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		$20,986	$1,971	$19,015

Frequently Asked Questions about Traverse Heights Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Traverse Heights Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Traverse Heights Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Middle School
High : Central High School
High : Traverse City High School

What district is Traverse Heights Elementary School in?

Traverse City Area Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Traverse Heights Elementary School?

Students at Traverse Heights Elementary School are 60% White, 15% Hispanic, 13% American Indian, 9% African American, 2% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Traverse Heights Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 245 students attended Traverse Heights Elementary School.

Is Traverse Heights Elementary School a good school?

Traverse Heights Elementary School ranks in the bottom 21.9% of Michigan elementary schools.

Rate Traverse Heights Elementary School!

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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.