Summary:
Zip code 49696 is home to just one school, Cherry Knoll Elementary School, a public elementary school serving grades PK through 5 with 333 students in the Traverse City area.
Cherry Knoll Elementary School is part of the highly-rated Traverse City Area Public Schools district, which holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the 77th percentile statewide. The school itself has earned a 3-star rating for three consecutive years, with its state ranking remaining stable between the 55th and 59th percentile. Academically, the school shows a clear strength in English Language Arts, consistently beating state averages across all grades. In the most recent testing year, 5th-grade ELA proficiency reached 60.8%, well above the state average of 43.8%. However, math performance is a notable weakness, with all grade levels scoring below district averages. The 4th-grade math proficiency rate of 28% is particularly concerning, representing a dramatic 15.8-point drop from the previous year. Science and social studies scores in 5th grade also lag behind district averages, though science slightly exceeds the state average.
On a positive note, 3rd graders showed remarkable year-over-year improvement in both ELA (from 32.7% to 47.4%) and math (from 36.5% to 45.6%), suggesting recent instructional changes may be helping younger students. The school maintains a favorable 15:1 student-teacher ratio and spends a substantial $15,049 per student. Chronic absenteeism stands at 17.6%, significantly better than the state average of 27.9%. About 29.7% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a relatively affluent population. While the school provides solid, above-average education with strong reading outcomes and good attendance, the inconsistent math and science performance—despite high per-student spending—suggests room for improvement in those subject areas.
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