Best Public Schools in Traverse City, MI

The Traverse City, Michigan school district consists of 24 schools, including 13 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 5 high schools, and 4 alternative schools. The area is home to a mix of high-performing public schools, public charter schools, and alternative schools serving diverse student populations.

The top-performing high schools in the district are West Senior High and Central High School, which rank in the top 140-167 high schools statewide and earn 4 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. These schools have strong graduation rates and test scores that exceed the district and state averages. In contrast, the alternative schools in the district, such as North EdNew Horizons and North EdCreekside School, struggle with very low graduation rates, high dropout rates, and high chronic absenteeism.

The data also reveals significant disparities in academic performance and other key metrics between the highest-performing and lowest-performing schools in the district. For example, the top-ranked high schools have proficiency rates 30-40 percentage points higher than Traverse City High School on state assessments. This points to potential equity issues that the Traverse City Area Public Schools district will need to address to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education.