Enrollment
824
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260026501343 Charter school
Grand Traverse Academy — Traverse City, MI
Federal NCES profile for Grand Traverse Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Grand Traverse Academy · Michigan
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-15% 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
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Grand Traverse Academy reports 824 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 51.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% below the Michigan average and 28% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 824 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Grand Traverse Academy spends $9,462 per pupil district-wide, below the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 5.6% from local sources (property taxes), 89.8% from the state, and 4.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Grand Traverse Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▼ 15% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.5% | ▼ 31% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 824 | top 92% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
15.4:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 33% in Michigan — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$9,462
per pupil, district-wide
— below Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 824 Top 92% in Michigan — larger than 8% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 15.4:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.5% -31% vs state
NCES ID 260026501343
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 824:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.1%
In-school suspensions 38
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grand Traverse Academy, which includes Grand Traverse Academy.
$9,462
Per student
-40%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-51%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Central High School
Standard public school
1,326 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Central Grade School
Standard public school
510 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Eastern Elementary School
Standard public school
475 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Willow Hill Elementary School
Standard public school
429 students 20:1 students per teacher
Westwoods Elementary School
Standard public school
365 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Long Lake Elementary School
Standard public school
364 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Grand Traverse Academy
How many students attend Grand Traverse Academy?
Grand Traverse Academy has 824 students enrolled. It is a other school in TRAVERSE CITY, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Grand Traverse Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Grand Traverse Academy is 15.4:1, which is 15% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in TRAVERSE CITY, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Grand Traverse Academy?
Grand Traverse Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.