Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Traverse City Area Public Schools

This page covers 11 elementary schools in Traverse City Area Public Schools. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

11
Schools Ranked
Michigan
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 11
1
rank
TCAPS Montessori School
Grades PK–08307 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
62
/100
Student:Teacher
14.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
26%
Low economic need
2
rank
Blair Elementary School
Grades PK–05212 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (10.4:1) · above-average investment ($16,930/student)
60
/100
Student:Teacher
10.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
72%
High economic need
3
rank
Long Lake Elementary School
Grades PK–05352 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
55
/100
Student:Teacher
17.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
38%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
Westwoods Elementary School
Grades PK–05368 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
55
/100
Student:Teacher
17.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
34%
Low economic need
5
rank
Eastern Elementary School
Grades PK–05454 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
54
/100
Student:Teacher
18.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
52/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
27%
Low economic need
6
rank
Traverse Heights Elem School
Grades PK–05257 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
14.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
52/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
80%
High economic need
7
rank
Willow Hill Elementary School
Grades PK–05421 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
19.3:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
24%
Low economic need
8
rank
Silver Lake Elementary School
Grades PK–05306 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
17.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
50%
Near nat'l 52.2%
9
rank
Central Grade School
Grades PK–06516 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
17.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
47%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Cherry Knoll Elementary School
Grades PK–05357 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($16,930/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
16.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
42/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$16,930
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
40%
Near nat'l 52.2%
1 more elementary schools in Traverse City Area Public Schools not shown here.
View all schools in Traverse City Area Public Schools
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
11
Elementary Schools
16
Total Schools
62
#1 Score
54
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare Traverse City Area Public Schools with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.