Public schools in Traverse City, MI
Traverse City has 25 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 5 high, 2 middle, 13 elementary, 5 other, enrolling 10,270 students. They are run by 6 districts and agencies; Traverse City Area Public Schools runs 16 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 6 districts and agencies that run Traverse City's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Traverse City | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traverse City Area Public Schools | 16 | 8,712 | $14,801 |
| Northwest Education Services | 4 | 903 | not reported |
| The Greenspire School | 2 | 245 | $10,673 |
| Grand Traverse Academy | 1 | 787 | $8,977 |
| Woodland School | 1 | 206 | $9,917 |
| Old Mission Peninsula School | 1 | 163 | $10,859 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
5 high schools in Traverse City, 3,150 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Senior High | 1,384 | 24.7 | 18.4% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Central High School | 1,326 | 23.7 | 18.6% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| The Greenspire High School | 176 | 17.6 | 38.1% | The Greenspire School |
| Traverse City High School | 171 | 16.4 | 58.5% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| The Greenspire School | 93 | 10.3 | 34.4% | The Greenspire School |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 middle schools in Traverse City, 1,910 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Middle School | 1,081 | 20.8 | 25.1% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| East Middle School | 829 | 19.9 | 28.0% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
13 elementary schools in Traverse City, 4,110 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Grade School | 510 | 17.0 | 38.6% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Eastern Elementary School | 475 | 18.5 | 18.9% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Willow Hill Elementary School | 429 | 18.3 | 13.1% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Westwoods Elementary School | 365 | 17.8 | 20.8% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Long Lake Elementary School | 364 | 16.4 | 28.3% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Cherry Knoll Elementary School | 333 | 15.1 | 26.4% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| TCAPS Montessori School | 331 | 16.4 | 16.9% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Silver Lake Elementary School | 286 | 16.0 | 32.9% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Traverse Heights Elementary School | 245 | 13.3 | 68.6% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Courtade Elementary School | 215 | 14.3 | 28.4% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
The other 3 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland School | 209 | 15.9 | 19.6% | Woodland School |
| Blair Elementary School | 202 | 11.2 | 57.9% | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Old Mission Peninsula School | 146 | 11.2 | 21.9% | Old Mission Peninsula School |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
5 other schools in Traverse City, 1,100 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Traverse Academy | 824 | 15.3 | 27.2% | Grand Traverse Academy |
| North EdNew Horizons | 75 | 5.4 | 57.3% | Northwest Education Services |
| North EdBridgeway | 70 | 2.9 | 68.6% | Northwest Education Services |
| Life Skills Center | 67 | 3.4 | 61.2% | Northwest Education Services |
| North EdCreekside School | 64 | 6.4 | 73.4% | Northwest Education Services |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Traverse City's public schools compare with Michigan's
The median Traverse City school has 16.2 students per full-time teacher, about the same as the Michigan median of 16.5. 24% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 41% across the state. Its median school enrolls 286 students (state 360).
| Traverse City | Michigan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 16.2 | 16.5 |
| Median school size (students) | 286 | 360 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 24% | 41% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 80% | 76% |
| Charter schools | 20% | 11% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 25 Traverse City schools and the 3,326 Michigan schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Traverse City
- Traverse City Area Public SchoolsRuns 16 of Traverse City's 25 public schools and spent $14,801 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,801
- West Senior High, the largest high school in Traverse City1,384 students in 2024-25, 24.7 per teacher.1,384
- Compare Traverse City Area Public Schools with Northwest Education ServicesTraverse City's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in MichiganMichigan's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Traverse City addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Michigan
Questions about schools in Traverse City
How many public schools are in Traverse City, MI?
25 public schools with an address in Traverse City were open in 2024-25: 5 high, 2 middle, 13 elementary, 5 other, enrolling 10,270 students. 5 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Traverse City?
West Senior High, with 1,384 students in 2024-25 (Traverse City Area Public Schools).Which districts run Traverse City's schools?
Traverse City Area Public Schools (16 schools), Northwest Education Services (4 schools), The Greenspire School (2 schools), Grand Traverse Academy (1 school), and 2 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25