Enrollment
824
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Traverse City, MI
Grand Traverse Academy
Federal NCES profile for Grand Traverse Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260026501343Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Grand Traverse Academy earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #4 of 16
- schools in Traverse City · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 37.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Grand Traverse Academy has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Grand Traverse Academy ranks #4 of 16 schools in Traverse City, MI.
School address
District: Grand Traverse Academy · Michigan
NCES ID 260026501343 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.5%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Grand Traverse Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Grand Traverse Academy
Grand Traverse Academy is a large charter combined-grade school in Traverse City, Michigan, enrolling 824 students.
At 16.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 37.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 92% of state schools at 824 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 338 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #37.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 824 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Grand Traverse Academy spends $8,583 per pupil, 36% below the Michigan average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Traverse City's public schools, it stands alongside The Greenspire School (93 students): Grand Traverse Academy is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.2:1 vs 8.5:1).
Grand Traverse Academy is a single-school charter district, so Grand Traverse Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Grand Traverse Academy compares
Grand Traverse Academy on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▼ 7% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.5% | ▼ 31% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 824 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
824
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 44% in Michigan - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$8,583
per pupil, district-wide
- below Michigan avg of $13,507
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 824 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 87.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 2.8%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 87.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.3, Grand Traverse Academy is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Traverse Academy, which includes Grand Traverse Academy.
$8,583
Per student
-36%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-48%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.6%
State 89.8%
Federal 4.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar other schools in Traverse City
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~824 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Grand Traverse Academy's federal record.
- Compare Grand Traverse Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Grand Traverse Academy's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Grand Traverse Academy
How many students attend Grand Traverse Academy?
Grand Traverse Academy has 824 students enrolled. It is a public school in Traverse City, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Grand Traverse Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Grand Traverse Academy is 16.2:1, which is 7% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Grand Traverse Academy?
37.5% of students at Grand Traverse Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Grand Traverse Academy?
The largest demographic group at Grand Traverse Academy is White at 87.4% of enrollment, in Traverse City, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Grand Traverse Academy?
Grand Traverse Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Grand Traverse Academy rank among schools in Traverse City?
By Resource Investment Index, Grand Traverse Academy ranks #4 of 16 schools in Traverse City, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Traverse City on the city page.
Is Grand Traverse Academy a good school?
Grand Traverse Academy earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Grand Traverse Academy?
None; Grand Traverse Academy is a single-school charter district, and Grand Traverse Academy is its only campus.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.