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Willow Hill Elementary School

Q: Is Willow Hill Elementary School a good school?

Willow Hill Elementary School ranks 287 th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

287^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Willow Hill Elementary School in Traverse City, MI, serves 429 students in grades PK-5 and is part of the Traverse City Area Public Schools district, consistently ranking among the top-performing elementary schools in the state.

Willow Hill is a standout school in the region, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for over a decade and ranking in the 81st percentile statewide (287th out of 1,492 Michigan elementary schools). This places it well above nearby schools like Eastern Elementary (68th percentile), Long Lake Elementary (64th percentile), and Cherry Knoll Elementary (59th percentile). What truly sets Willow Hill apart is its exceptional work with students from low-income backgrounds—the school ranks in the 92nd percentile statewide for this subgroup, earning a 5-star rating. Additionally, Willow Hill has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate among comparable district schools at just 9.2%, which is less than half the district average (18.6%) and roughly a third of the state average (27.9%). This high level of student engagement reflects a positive, supportive school climate.

Academically, Willow Hill outperforms both district and state averages across nearly all subjects and grade levels. For example, 5th-grade ELA proficiency is 67.5%, compared to the district's 58.9% and the state's 43.8%. The school also achieves these results efficiently, spending about $13,949 per student—among the lowest in the district—while schools like Traverse Heights Elementary spend significantly more ($19,376) yet rank in the bottom 35% of the state. Parents should note two areas to watch: 3rd-grade ELA proficiency has dipped recently (from 79.5% in 2023-2024 to 48.7% in 2025-2026), while 5th-grade math, though above state averages, is the school's relative weak spot at 42.5% proficiency. Overall, Willow Hill's sustained excellence, low absenteeism, and strong results for all students make it a top choice for families in the Traverse City area.

429

Students ?

18.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,949

Per pupil spending ?

14.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Michigan receive free school meals.

98.2%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 1.8% (any vaccine)

1250 Hill St
Traverse City, MI 49684-1406

(231) 933-8540

District: Traverse City Area Public Schools

Students who attend Willow Hill Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	West Middle School
High:	Traverse City High School
	West Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.6%

Hispanic:

2.1%

American Indian:

1.4%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Willow Hill Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

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

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (53% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Michigan elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg47%

Michigan avg38%

287^th of 1,492

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

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

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th 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	78.0	287 of 1492	80.8%	★★★★☆
2025	79.8	273 of 1488	81.7%	★★★★☆
2024	83.9	207 of 1486	86.1%	★★★★☆
2023	83.5	204 of 1470	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	79.0	229 of 1344	83.0%	★★★★☆
2021	80.1	181 of 1153	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	83.5	172 of 1408	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	84.8	185 of 1448	87.2%	★★★★☆
2017	79.2	225 of 1466	84.7%	★★★★☆
2016	81.2	234 of 1548	84.9%	★★★★☆
2015	80.7	251 of 1580	84.1%	★★★★☆
2014	68.5	456 of 1533	70.3%	★★★★☆
2013	70.4	432 of 1563	72.4%	★★★★☆
2012	64.1	536 of 1566	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	73.0	407 of 1552	73.8%	★★★★☆
2010	77.0	245 of 1552	84.2%	★★★★☆
2009	71.0	474 of 1589	70.2%	★★★★☆
2008	71.7	442 of 1577	72.0%	★★★★☆
2007	64.6	604 of 1565	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	72.8	351 of 1545	77.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	71.9	299 of 1343	77.7%	★★★★☆
2025	77.8	241 of 1338	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	74.7	253 of 1342	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	82.1	168 of 1321	87.3%	★★★★☆
2022	73.2	230 of 1106	79.2%	★★★★☆
2021	84.5	82 of 902	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	77.3	189 of 1171	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	232 of 1443	83.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	74.0	243 of 1352	82.0%	★★★★☆
2025	84.1	109 of 1346	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	80.2	149 of 1381	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	74.3	221 of 1350	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	85.0	61 of 1099	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	79.7	116 of 1134	89.8%	★★★★☆
2018	76.5	221 of 1397	84.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	76.1	274 of 1372	80.0%	★★★★☆
2025	74.0	307 of 1366	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	86.4	134 of 1347	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	78.1	246 of 1334	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	74.0	253 of 1139	77.8%	★★★★☆
2021	64.4	267 of 915	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	76.3	234 of 1196	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	86.2	153 of 1446	89.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	70.2	319 of 1199	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	72.4	294 of 1206	75.6%	★★★★☆
2024	79.1	213 of 1204	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	79.4	207 of 1198	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	74.4	240 of 1102	78.2%	★★★★☆
2021	81.9	129 of 1005	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	82.2	148 of 1128	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	174 of 1253	86.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)82nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)80th percentile~ school

Female (2026)78th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)73rd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts59%+18 vs state

Science51%+11 vs state

Math51%+13 vs state

Social Studies42%+15 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Terrible school and the staff is not nice very cliquey Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, August 23, 2012

My daughter wouldn't have it any other way. Close Quote

Schools Near Willow Hill 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 Vaccination 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)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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		98.2%	1.8%	$13,949	$717	$13,232
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		78.8%	21.2%	$15,714	$1,254	$14,461
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	100%	0%	$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		78.6%	14.3%	$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		95.8%	2.8%	$14,502	$731	$13,770
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		76.4%	23.6%	$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		91.2%	8.8%	$15,944	$1,288	$14,656
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		89.4%	10.6%	$15,049	$1,110	$13,940
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		83.9%	14.5%	$20,986	$1,971	$19,015
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%)	80.1	260^th of 1492 public elementary schools	82.6%		74.8	339^th of 1488 public elementary schools	77.2%	79			47.5	69.1	59.6			67.2	54.5	55.8			47.1		38.5		92.1%	7.9%	$14,961	$718	$14,243

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow Hill Elementary School

What district is Willow Hill Elementary School in?

Traverse City Area Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Willow Hill Elementary School?

Students at Willow Hill Elementary School are 95% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% American Indian, 1% African American.

How many students attend Willow Hill Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 429 students attended Willow Hill Elementary School.

Is Willow Hill Elementary School a good school?

Willow Hill Elementary School ranks 287^th of 1492 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Willow Hill Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Willow Hill Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : West Middle School
High : Traverse City High School
High : West Senior High

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2021–22 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.