Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/
Dr. Michael F. Rice Michigan superintendent of public instruction | https://radio.wcmu.org/
Boys made up 51.7% of the county student body, while the other 48.3% were girls.
Data also showed that white students made up 89.1% of the student body, the highest percentage in Grand Traverse County schools, followed by 3.6% Hispanic, 2.4% African American, 2.3% American Indian, 1.6% Asian, 0.7% multiracial and 0.3% Hawaiian students.
West Senior High School had the highest enrollment among Grand Traverse County's 33 schools in the 2024-25 school year, welcoming 1,384 students.
In the 2024-25 school year, 1,427,386 students enrolled in Michigan schools, a figure 4.8% below the pre-pandemic total of 1,499,552 in 2019-20, with white students seeing the largest decline of approximately 3%.
Academic performance in Michigan remains below pre-pandemic levels. According to the 2024 NAEP results, the share of students reaching the basic benchmark in core subjects is about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019—except for fourth-grade math, which saw a decline of just 2 points.
Achievement gaps between ethnic groups also persist. On average, Hispanic students scored 15 points below white students. The gap was even wider for Black students, who scored about 30 points lower than their white peers.
The 2025 education budget, approved by Gov. Whitmer last July, totals $23.4 billion—$900 million less than the previous year’s budget. K-12 schools are working with $20.6 billion, a reduction from the $21.5 billion allocated in 2024.
Some school superintendents and educators were concerned about the new budget. "Schools cannot function properly without adequate funding for safety and mental health," stated Rep. David Martin, R-Davison, referring to a significant cut of around $301 million from school safety and mental health programs. Based on the current bill, the program will receive just $26.5 million.
| School name | Total enrollment in 2023-24 | Total enrollment in 2024-25 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Senior High School | 1,472 | 1,384 | -6% |
| Central High School | 1,324 | 1,326 | 0.2% |
| West Middle School | 1,108 | 1,081 | -2.4% |
| East Middle School | 779 | 829 | 6.4% |
| Grand Traverse Academy | 798 | 824 | 3.3% |
| Kingsley Area Elementary School | 544 | 655 | 20.4% |
| Central Grade School | 537 | 510 | -5% |
| Eastern Elementary School | 480 | 475 | -1% |
| Willow Hill Elementary School | 444 | 429 | -3.4% |
| Kingsley Area High School | 407 | 401 | -1.5% |
| Kingsley Area Middle School | 483 | 366 | -24.2% |
| Westwoods Elementary School | 347 | 365 | 5.2% |
| Long Lake Elementary School | 357 | 364 | 2% |
| Cherry Knoll Elementary School | 341 | 333 | -2.3% |
| TCAPS Montessori School | 297 | 331 | 11.4% |
| Silver Lake Elementary School | 293 | 286 | -2.4% |
| Traverse Heights Elementary School | 276 | 245 | -11.2% |
| Mill Creek Academy | -- | 233 | -- |
| Courtade Elementary School | 209 | 215 | 2.9% |
| Woodland School | 212 | 209 | -1.4% |
| Blair Elementary School | 205 | 202 | -1.5% |
| The Greenspire School | 151 | 176 | 16.6% |
| Traverse City High School | 149 | 171 | 14.8% |
| Old Mission Peninsula School | 135 | 146 | 8.1% |
| Fife Lake Elementary School | 147 | 144 | -2% |
| Life Skills Center | 134 | 131 | -2.2% |
| The Greenspire School | 98 | 93 | -5.1% |
| North Ed New Horizons | 80 | 75 | -6.3% |
| North Ed Bridgeway | 59 | 70 | 18.6% |
| North Ed Creekside School | 54 | 64 | 18.5% |
| TBA Career Technology Center | 1 | -- | -- |
| Mill Creek Elementary School | 248 | -- | -- |
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