Enrollment Analysis: African American students comprised 1.3% of Grand Traverse County's student body in 2023-24 school year

MI Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael F. Rice 2023 | Michigan Department of Education

By North Michigan News

Nov 3, 2024

There were 162 African American students enrolled in Grand Traverse County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.5% more than the previous year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Data showed that Grand Traverse County welcomed 12,169 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 1.3% of the student body to be the third lowest represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 31 schools in Grand Traverse County, Grand Traverse Academy recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 20 students.

Overall student enrollment in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels, with white students experiencing the largest decline at 6.5%.

Academic performance has also suffered, with the state's average NAEP score dropping by 6.5 points and ethnic achievement gaps have widened. Black and Hispanic students' average math proficiency dropped by 7% in 2022, to 13.5% and 28.2%, respectively.

Ethnicities in Grand Traverse County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment Demographics in Grand Traverse County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School name	% of African American students enrolment	Total enrollment
Grand Traverse Academy	2.5	798
Central High School	1.2	1,324
West Senior High School	1.1	1,472
Central Grade School	2	537
Traverse Heights Elementary School	3.3	276
East Middle School	1.2	779
West Middle School	0.7	1,108
Eastern Elementary School	1.7	480
Kingsley Area Elementary School	1.3	544
Willow Hill Elementary School	1.4	444
Kingsley Area Middle School	1.2	483
Fife Lake Elementary School	3.4	147
Kingsley Area High School	1.2	407
TCAPS Montessori School	1.7	297
North Ed New Horizons	6.3	80
Cherry Knoll Elementary School	1.2	341
The Greenspire School	2.6	151
Courtade Elementary School	1.4	209
Traverse City High School	2	149
Life Skills Center	2.2	134
Blair Elementary School	1.5	205
Silver Lake Elementary School	0.7	293
Long Lake Elementary School	0.6	357
The Greenspire School	1	98
North Ed Creekside School	1.9	54
Mill Creek Elementary School	0	248
Westwoods Elementary School	0	347
Woodland School	0	212
Old Mission Peninsula School	0	135
North Ed Bridgeway	0	59
TBA Career Technology Center	0	1